Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - READY: Denver Broncos' Bo Nix COMEBACK Set For Mandatory Minicamp

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos have wrapped up week two of OTAs. And now with mandatory minicamp coming up, we're going to get our first look at Broncos quarterback, Bo Nix. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Happy Friday, Broncos country. Cody Rourke, Sarah Beninger here for another episode of the show. As we recap, week two of Broncos OTA setting the stage for mandatory minicamp,

Starting point is 00:00:32 we've got to hear from Davis Webb for the first time since being named us. play caller for the Broncos offense and an idea what the Denver philosophy is going to be like offensively. Plus, we're going to go through some week two standouts at OTAs from Thursday's practice, including Devin Key's brother Danke, making some plays as Sam Ellingerger continuing to sling the Rock. We'll also go through and kick things up by talking about Bo Nix and update on him as he's now participating in walkthroughs and pre-practice stuff as he gets ready to make his on-field debut next week at mandatory mini-camp. Sarah, a lot to come out of Thursday's. a practice here.

Starting point is 00:01:06 I mean, there's so much. I got my handy dandy notebook that's all filled up, front to back, couple of pages, and there's nothing that just beats the excitement of football being here. But the number one thing that I think everybody is looking forward to next week as media gets to attend three straight days of practice, we can't see Bo Nix take the field. I can't wait.

Starting point is 00:01:24 I can't wait for him to be back out there, not in just a hat and a hoodie over his head, Cody, but out there with his teammates leading this team because we know year three for quarterbacks in the NFL, it's an extremely important year. Not that any other year is not important, but this is when you kind of expect that Bo Nix is really going to take that leap that I think a lot of folks really don't feel like he's capable of.

Starting point is 00:01:46 And that's why I love that the Broncos were able to keep Davis Webb, who we're going to be able to talk about him later on in this episode, really great stuff from him in the interviews that I've seen and the snips that I've seen. But man, with Bo Nix, it really is just every bit, every ounce of excitement about the Denver Broncos for, 26 and beyond, especially now that we know, Sean Payton, George Payton, those guys are extended. They're under contract for the next five years. Every bit of excitement, however, really hinges on Bo Nix and his progression and his development.

Starting point is 00:02:20 So not to make a mountain out of a molehill in terms of OTAs, mini camp, things like that, but you just want your leader out there on the team as much as possible. And I'm sure, Bo, the competitor that he is, Cody, I bet you if you could kind of be a fly, hovering around wherever he's standing on the practice field. I guarantee you it's absolutely ripping him to shreds on the inside to not be out there on the field practicing with his teammates right now. Yeah, and he's going to make that transition next week. He will take the field from what I understand.

Starting point is 00:02:49 I think the expectation for him is to be limited next week. When people hear limited sometimes, they think, well, he's not going to do much. theoretically speaking, yes, he's not going to do as much, right? But limited means individual position drills and maybe some group work, right? Like, for example, the quarterbacks every day, the first thing that they do is they work on handoffs, the mesh point with the running backs. And then they go throw to the receivers. And then they do group work down there at the other side of the end zone. So I imagine he'll do those things.

Starting point is 00:03:17 But I would not expect to see him participate in seven on seven or obviously any of the team periods that the Broncos have. But then again, stranger things have happened in NFL history. Maybe the Broncos are being like, ha, got you. Here he is. But I would expect him to just be limited next week. But him stepping foot on the field, sir, you are right. it's important because he is in the meetings and the position meetings with quarterbacks, coach Logan Kilgore and offensive coordinator Davis Webb.

Starting point is 00:03:39 But it's also about being on there and getting those on-field reps, throwing to Jalen Waddle, Corlin Sutton, Pat Bryant, everybody, even the undrafted guys, and getting a feel for how they are. You know, certain guys coming off of off-season procedures, you know, working with specific offensive line groups where you're going to get Alex Paucheski and a new center getting in, as Luke Wattenberg had, I think had an off-season operation. But he was at practice. There's so much that we'll go through in terms of participation, who's there, who's not there.

Starting point is 00:04:06 But for Bo specifically, getting on the football field is the number one thing that you want to see. And luckily, Sarah, we don't have to wait all summer to the point where if he didn't do OTAs or mini camp, we're sitting here like, what's Bo going to look like in training camp on day one? Like, is he going to be ready to rock and roll? That question has been long answered. And it is, in my opinion, a huge sigh of relief to Brockos country. Just be like, hey, all right, we don't have to worry about this week and go into the summer being saying, hey, Bo's good, Bo's ready to rock and roll.

Starting point is 00:04:34 And I think another thing that will be a huge relief to the fan base, Cody, is actually a question that you asked to Sean Payton talking about Bo Nix and his mobility. Peyton answered your question by saying what I found to be one of the most important things he talked about, that Nix will be, quote, completely clean mobility-wise entering his third NFL season. So that's a huge deal because we know that the best part of Bo Nix's game that we've seen up to this point, other than being really clustered. late in games is his ability to avoid being sacked. Like he hasn't hardly been sacked at all by comparison

Starting point is 00:05:08 to some of his peers in the NFL. I believe Bo was sacked less or as many times as Drake May was sacked in last year's postseason. I'm pretty sure that was the case. In 18 games, Bo played last season, I'm pretty sure he was sacked fewer times or just about as many. So kind of a crazy skill. I mean, it's not it's not something that you can teach everybody. Sean Peyton has talked about that in the past, right? Like when they evaluate guys coming up from the college level, if a guy gets sacked a lot at the college level, that's something that they feel kind of carries over into the NFL. But the inverse is also true.

Starting point is 00:05:44 If a guy doesn't get sacked a lot in college, that's something that can carry over in the NFL as well. So O has proven that to be sort of his secret sauce because of the ability to keep plays alive. And so everybody in Broncos country worried, well, if his mobility is limited, right, that's going to take away Bo Nix's superpower. Like, yeah, he can throw it from the pocket, but his game and he threw more passes last year than anybody else outside of the pocket of any quarterback in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:06:11 We know Bo threw a lot of passes in general more than any other quarterback, but more than anybody outside of the pocket as well. So that was huge to get that confirmed from Dayton that it's not going to be limited in year three. That was one of my biggest worries coming into this upcoming season. You know, before we had any clarity on Bo where he's at, I think we all wonder like, okay, is this going to change the way that he plays? And hopefully not because the way that he plays is a saving grace for the Broncos offense.

Starting point is 00:06:36 We saw what life was like without a quarterback who was as mobile as Bo or as smart pocket presence in a sense of being able to avoid certain things, eyes in the back of his head. Unfortunately, we saw the opposite of that with Jared Stidham, who's not as necessarily athletic as Bo, but you want to be able to see, okay, is this a measure of how good or offensive line is or is a measure of how good Boe Nix really is. I think it's a measure of how good Boe is, but also, you want to be able to see. but also playing to the strengths of the offensive line. They work well in unison together.

Starting point is 00:07:03 So the fact that the mobility factor is going to stay in his game is huge. Because think about that too. If you're Davis Webb taking over as a play caller, you don't want to handcuff your quarterback in any way, shape, before. Most play callers want to unload and unleash their quarterback on opposing defense. It's the best way to do that for Bo. Having that mobility is something you can reach into, not necessarily have to do. Like Sean and Davis still want Bo at times to win within the pocket.

Starting point is 00:07:26 But in today's NFL with the complex blitzes that we do see, the amount of the past rushers that we see in today's NFL interior and on the outside, you have to have a guy that can get around and use his legs a little bit to buy some time. That is a premium in today's NFL. So Broncos Country Workside will have all the coverage next week as well when Bo takes the field. I'll be at all three practices. We'll get all the recap here on locked on Broncos here. But going through week two of OTAs is officially in the books.

Starting point is 00:07:52 And there were a handful of players that stood out like undrafted rookie receiver, Dane Key, the brother of Devon Key standing out, is a place. Plus, Sam Eilger, keeping his hot streak alive. We'll break down week two OTA standouts here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode, the show, was brought to you by our friends over there at Indeed. Workplace chaos can show up fast. And the problem is that find of the right candidate can take a lot more time than most businesses can afford. That's where Indeed, sponsored jobs comes in. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach candidates who actually fit what you're looking for based on skills, experience, and location. And finding the right person can make

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Starting point is 00:09:13 This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs. Which players stood out at Thursday's Denver Broncos OTA's practice? Well, we're going to tell you, Broncos country. Cody was out there, boots on the ground, as always. getting a look at this Denver Broncos roster, which we believe to be one of the best in the NFL, always exciting to have football back. Cody talked about it last week. Man, the smell of the fresh cut grass, the sound of the whistles, and not pads thumping quite yet by Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:09:40 We got your football fix right here for you today and every day. And look, if you were looking for your Denver Broncos fix every single day, ad free, check out the everydayer club. You can get a seven day free trial right now. Get your Denver Broncos podcast, locked on Broncos, add free uninterrupted content. So we appreciate you for considering that today. Cody, let's talk about the week two standouts here at OTAs. I know it's one practice, but still a big deal. Sam Ellinger, he continues to make an impression.

Starting point is 00:10:11 I mean, understanding of the offense, that's one thing. But command of the offense, I think that's an entirely different thing. He might seriously be pushing early here this offseason for that QB2 role. Yeah, and as always, we want to preface these. OTA practices and minicamp practices, but saying, you know, there are no pads here, right? So what do we evaluate? It's what you said. It's the command of the offense here.

Starting point is 00:10:32 And the one thing I see about Sam that we've seen in two consecutive weeks, Sarah, he's not afraid to be trigger happy. He's a little bit of a gunslinger a little bit. He's not afraid to attack downfield. And I thought we just saw him come out there, not only in seven on seven, but Denver had various team periods. They had three team periods. The last one was kind of a move the ball situation, third down type of scenario.

Starting point is 00:10:52 And we're seeing him deliver. strikes down the field, the guys like Cortland Sutton on one play. He found undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Daneke, the brother of Devin down the left sideline working against Chris Abrams drain. I mean, he's not afraid. And I think he throws with anticipation too, understanding, hey, I'm seeing the defense this way based on how they are lined up pre-snap. I think it's going to go this way. Here are our route concepts. And he just has trust that his guys are going to run the right route. And he's throwing the ball quick. Now, there were several times, too, where Broncos defenders like Q Robinson, Dondray Tillman, Nick Benito,

Starting point is 00:11:27 got home on both Sam Ellinger and Jared Stidham in a real game scenario, what would have been big time sacks. There was a few plays like that throughout the day here. But Sam, for the most part, was slinging it and filling that confidence that once again, we saw last week at Thursday's OTA practice. And apparently for someone I talked to as well, that's kind of been the vibe. Sam has been on a little bit of a hot streak here. And we'll see if he cares that into next week's mandatory minicamp performance.

Starting point is 00:11:52 But obviously good momentum for him as the Broncos are working out a potential quarterback to battle between he and Stidham. Well, and we're always looking forward to hearing about which undrafted free agents could be making an impact as well. I mean, this was a, as far as I can remember, Cody, this was the highest priced Broncos undrafted free agent class that I've ever seen. And they brought in a number of guys that based on the amount that they paid them, you can tell like, hey, these were coveted undrafted players. A lot of guys at the wide receiver position this year, including, Devin Key's brother, Dane Key. He was out there making some plays at OTAs, it sounds like, which is exciting. Big body receiver.

Starting point is 00:12:30 People may not know this about Dane Key, but Cody, he was one time a top target at Kentucky of Will Levis back of the day. Go look up those highlights. You'll see what he really brings to the table. But it sounds like to me from what you and I had chatted about, man, he was out there making some plays for his QBs. Yeah, he cut a couple of passes from Ellinger, including the one against Chris Abrams. drain who was in phase. It was a red line throw, which is, you know, high to the outside. And he just had great focus, you know, watching the ball come into his hands there, even though that Abrams drain was there in coverage. And look, I think it's going to be very hard this year, as we've talked about for undrafted guys, specifically, I think at some of the deeper positions, outside linebacker, wide receiver for these guys to make the 53. But I think if you can find a way to upgrade your practice squad. And look, I think there's the pole too. Let's say Dainkey balls out in the preseason, but the Broncos can't afford him an roster spot. Hey, you get to have an opportunity to play with your brother. Who's going to make the 53 man roster? Like, game key to the practice squad as a lock potentially, I feel like it's something

Starting point is 00:13:32 to monitor. But it also upgrades that room from guys that we saw last year. Michael Bandy, there's competition. Lord Jordan Humphrey, I'm telling you, he's also looking good so far this offseason as well, very consistent so far. I hear a lot of other media members like, oh, he looks like he can play tight end. Well, that's not necessarily the Broncos plan for him. But he's got the size. And I think the Broncos do like moving him around a little bit. So he obviously caught a couple of passes. But then you go to Colby Katz, caught one pass. Joseph Manjack caught a nice pass across the middle of the field.

Starting point is 00:14:00 So for undrafted guys today, a few guys on the offensive side, we're standing out and making some plays. And then I think we should go through some participation stuff here real quick. I know Broncos country was asking me some questions about how come J.K. Dobbins and Jonah Coleman weren't there. I was sitting there during practice watching my good friend Luca Evans. I say, hey, JK's at a football camp that, you know, his agency is kind of putting on.

Starting point is 00:14:21 So he's doing that on behalf of the Broncos in New Mexico, putting that on. And Jonah Coleman went back to the University of Washington to graduate. So that's why those guys weren't there. Brandon Jones just had a baby. That's why he wasn't there. So all is good right now in Bronco, Lancetor.

Starting point is 00:14:35 Big congrats to Brandon Jones. I mean, it sounds like there's something in the water there at Dove Valley, Cody, because I've seen, I've heard of a lot of Broncos wives having babies these days or announcing that they're going to be having babies. Really good stuff.

Starting point is 00:14:48 But congrats to him and his family. that's so awesome. It sounds like the pass rushers too, Cody, out there at practice. We're looking good. I saw a number of updates from you and others, Hugh Robinson, getting into the backfield, Nick Benito, kind of making a home in the backfield. So it seems like that Broncos pass rush might be ready to hopefully, I mean, we talk about that number 70. Like that's what I'm saying this year, they better be ready to go out there and get 70 sacks. Sounds like they're on their way. Yeah, and that's a goal too. We caught up with Broncos defensive and Zach Allen after practice. And one thing he said, I mean, flat out said a goal for theirs, like they felt shy of the sack record last year.

Starting point is 00:15:25 He said, our goal is to shatter that, is to break that this year. So high expectations there too. And you mentioned those guys like Nick Benito, I feel like the one thing with him and pressure, it's a constant. It's one of those things that you're not going to have a great time when you have to go against Nick Benito one-on-one. It doesn't matter who's in. Benito's size, his speed. You'd certainly see that. But then you mentioned guys like Dandre Tillman had a really nice reps there in practice today where it would have been.

Starting point is 00:15:49 in a game, if he would have had the path that he had to the quarterback, the quarterback likely would have been dislodged, right? It would have likely been a huge force fumble sack play by Dandre Tillman, Q Robinson, relentless motor once again, also in the backfield, just making some plays there. And yeah, it would have been very tough if you could actually hit the quarterbacks and there were pads on it. It would not have gone well for Stidham or Ellinger on a couple of plays,

Starting point is 00:16:13 obviously during practice on Thursday. So that is nice to see. And then Tyler O'Neum, Broncos' rookie defensive linemen, there was one play, the Broncos, it was a run play to Jalil McLaughlin. He had such a fast first step on this play where it's almost like he knew what play was coming, but the way he just attacked on his first step upfield, and then he shucked inside a little bit. He was in there for what would have been a three or four yard tackle for a loss. And it's like, hey, there are some things there that obviously you can build off of crate wise with him.

Starting point is 00:16:44 And so it was nice to see him kind of flash a little bit. Once again, it's always hard with the D line and the O line. because you can't make contact. It's not the physical element. And these are obviously the two most violent physical sides of the ball in National Football League. So that was one thing I would feel like definitely stood out to me was the past defense seemingly had a good day.

Starting point is 00:17:02 Jayquan Macmillan sticky in coverage. Had a couple of nice reps against Jalen Waddle. Unfortunately, Jared Stittem couldn't get to him on one play through one pass, I think a little too far to the outside to Jalen there. And then Riley Moss continuing to stack days as well. He had one play where he was on the hip of the. the receiver. They threw the ball. He popped it up into the air. He was going to go intercepted, but the wide receiver kind of wrapped his arms around him to hold him to prevent him from

Starting point is 00:17:26 intercepting it. So the offensive guy turned into the defensive player. And of course, Pat Sertan participating in team drills. Jaday Barron upgrading to seven on seven. No team drills yet for him. But a pretty good sign all across the board. And of course, Jonathan Cooper present at practice. Sean Payton acknowledged it after practice too. They've had a long conversation with Kup. Now they're just going to let the NFL go through and and do their part. They're going to let the legal process play out. And then if there's anything that comes from that from there, then there will be more moves or whatever it may be or there will be a resolution on it in and of itself. And Sean acknowledged that during practice. So everybody really accounted for here during Broncos

Starting point is 00:18:02 OTA practice on Thursday. Yeah, really good stuff. I know you had a note as well in our script about Evan Ingram. I think everybody's eager for him to become what we signed him to be, what the Broncos signed him to be. Yes, I refer to the Broncos as we. I know some that triggers some people, I love the Broncos. You know what? So let's hear about Evan Ingram, Cody. I know he made some waves last week as well, but he's in your show notes here.

Starting point is 00:18:26 What did you see from Evan out there today? At least two straight Thursdays where we've seen him being featured in a high-volume scenario in terms of the passing game. Last week, he got four passes this week. He was targeted, I think, four or five times, caught everything there. It was thrown to him, but it almost goes to see like that new relationship that he had with Davis Webb as former teammates.

Starting point is 00:18:45 It does seem like that is now kind of paying dividends, where the Broncos, or at least Davis, I don't know if it's collectively Sean and Davis, or if this is Davis's approach, but they are featuring Evan quite a bit, which is nice because we wanted to see more utilization last year. We didn't necessarily get to that point because he played a career low percentage of snaps. But Evan right now, he looks good.

Starting point is 00:19:06 He looks confident. And now it's about translating that into training camp. Can the Broncos continue to feature him as a high volume guy in camp? And then can that translate into on-field success in the regular season? That's going to be the test here for David. because weevice he takes over as a first time play color here for the Broncos. But nice to see Evan kind of being a focal point here for Denver early on. I think if the Broncos pecking order and top three in targets,

Starting point is 00:19:29 I know it was last year Evan was in the top three, but it didn't feel like it. I think if this year it's Cortland, Waddle, and Evan, and maybe not necessarily in that order at the top, maybe it's Waddle, Cortland, Evan. I think if those three guys are your most involved players in the passing game, I think you're going to be thriving. That's my hope.

Starting point is 00:19:48 That's my belief. I think those guys are going to be able to get it done. I think those guys have such a variance in their skill set. I think they can do so much after the catch more than we've seen, especially Engram and certainly Waddle coming in. And that's what I can't wait to hear, Cody. I know that we're going to be talking about this. Davis Webb.

Starting point is 00:20:05 Actually, Davis made a comparison with the Waddle trade that I think just, I mean, when you talk about the excitement where it already was, if it was already at a 10, we've blown through the ceiling of the excitement now. and now I'm off to never, never land when it comes to my level of excitement. I'm in a different realm after hearing this comparison. I can't wait to talk about it. Absolutely. You said it up perfectly.

Starting point is 00:20:29 Davis Webb shared why he wanted to come back to Denver, why it was Denver all along. He loves this place, but also saying that the Jalen Wattle Trade is a needle mover, very similar to a former player that he experienced when he was with, the Buffalo Bills. Davis Webb has been on the coaching staff for Sean Payton since Sean came over initially, Now he's handed the play calling responsibilities, and he seems like he's the perfect man for the job.

Starting point is 00:20:55 More importantly, he presents one. He made a strong first impression as we got a chance to catch up and talk to Davis for the first time on Thursday since being named as the new play caller here for your Denver Broncos. Thank you so much all the everydayers out there in Broncos country for tuning in making us your first listening here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Plus, it's also the number world sports podcast network in the country. Thanks to all of you avid diehards out there. We appreciate you so much. our first chance to catch up with Davis Webb was certainly a nice one. He had a large media scrum around him following practice. We've got to hear maybe some insight as to what is the Broncos offense going to look like?

Starting point is 00:21:31 What's your thoughts? What's the dynamic between you and Bo Nick's going to be? Also, is this going to be Sean Payton's offense or is this going to be Davis Webb's offense? So much of that plus why he wanted to return to Denver. It was really great to hear from him, Cody. You can tell why he was labeled by Cortland Sutton as like the mad scientist, right. You listen to him talk. It's one of the first times that we've really gotten to hear, Davis.

Starting point is 00:21:53 I know we've heard from him before, but not too many times. And so like I said earlier in the off season, I think we talked about this on a squad show. Every time he gets to the podium or every time he has a scrum, it's now going to be must-see TV because his insight really is meaningful given the fact that he's calling plays, given the fact that he has such a say with personnel, which to me, I want to talk about the comparison that he made with the trade. I know that we have stuff to talk about with him and the Sean Payton offense and him, but the comparison that he made was from when he was in Buffalo,

Starting point is 00:22:29 like you mentioned, and entering Josh Allen's third season, they traded for Stefan Diggs. And that Stefan Diggs trade for Josh Allen was like the thing that absolutely put the wind in his sales. Like, Stefan Diggs was the player who gave Josh Allen the confidence to become the MVP, annually that we know he's capable of being. And that's not to hype up Stefan too much,

Starting point is 00:22:54 but we all saw it and we watched. That was one of the best, most productive duos of quarterback and receiver that we have seen in the last 10 to 15 years. And we've been talking about this. We want the Broncos to make a similar move, go out and get a guy who can be that for Bo Dix, how desperately they have lacked that.

Starting point is 00:23:13 Now Davis confirms they have that. And he compared their situations, directly. Now, Bo going into year three, Josh was going into year three. I feel like you can take the guy at his word since he was there and saw it firsthand. Yeah, and he mentioned too, like he was just coy tongue and cheek. When asked about him, he goes, he's good. But then he went on to Great Links as saying, like, you know, when Josh got out there and you got a guy like Stefan Diggs, you elevate and you give that, as you mentioned, that quarterback to confidence. And maybe Josh was missing because Josh's first couple of years in the league, first year, he was labeled a bust by so many

Starting point is 00:23:45 people. Year number two, he showed some improvement, but still, once again, turnovers were a little bit of a problem and was like, you know what? What is the problem? Is the problem Josh Allen? Is it the problem that he doesn't necessarily have a lot of playmakers offensively? You go on and you get him a guy like Stefan Diggs and all of a sudden that connection started thriving and Josh's game took off to another level year three and even afterwards. Now, Josh is obviously one of the top guys in the entire NFL. It's also an exercise, I think, in patience as what organization should have when it comes to players. Now, Bo Nex, I wouldn't say it has necessarily struggled in his first two seasons, which is a promising sign.

Starting point is 00:24:18 And everyone's always sitting there, right? There were some times where he went through a couple of slumps last year, but he responded on the other side of it, I think with confidence and good performance. And there's areas of Bo's game that he can continue to improve on. But we did say, like, hey, for Bo to have to deal with 42, 43 drop passes from your receivers last season, you threw for 3,900 yards, like just imagine. And there were like three or four dropped touchdowns. Imagine what that would have been like if those guys held on to the football.

Starting point is 00:24:44 What would Beau's numbers have looked like? Bo would have been in the offensive player of the year or maybe the MVP conversation, especially when you talk about Drake May and you look how far off those guys were on comparison. Like, Bo did his thing, man. And obviously Matthew Stafford was going to win the MVP regardless. But to have Bowling that conversation, I think that would have taken place, had some things changed last year and Denver had a complimentary run game. Those things did not happen.

Starting point is 00:25:08 But for Davis, he believes that Jalen Waddle is the guy who is, he's the temperature center. Like he's the thermostat. That's one thing that was equated to what he can be. And I think with how they plan on using him without giving away too much, he is going to unlock a lot of things for the team. And he's going to lock a lot of things not only for Evan. I also think for Marvin, too, that's one thing that excites me.

Starting point is 00:25:27 There's some things I'll tell you off there that I can't necessarily share right now to the public. The public will get their chance here in the near future, but it should excite you. And this is exactly why you bring a guy like Jalen Waddle to the mix. So I'm excited about that. But more importantly, for Davis, I think one thing we have to talk about here is this offense. He was asked a question about, you know, Sean's offense.

Starting point is 00:25:47 What is the philosophy going to be? He said himself, this is a Sean Payton led team, coached football team. This is a Sean Payton offensive philosophy. Now, one thing he did say is there's going to be some tweaks here and there. But the idea is that it is under Sean's philosophy and we're going to add some sprinkles here and there. I'm excited to see what those sprinkles are going to be, man, because if it can make the offense and what you and I know and have talked about, the potential that this unit has, if it can take it to the next level, and Davis can showcase that he can handle that pressure.

Starting point is 00:26:17 I'm excited. And Broncos country should have a reason to be excited for as well. Well, let's be real for a second as well, right? I mean, I think the Sean Payton, I think a lot of people have sort of like really gone overboard with talking about like, oh, well, his methods have gotten stale or he doesn't have it anymore. I think what he described last season about driving in the race. at night is really more of what it is, right?

Starting point is 00:26:43 It's like, like this is still the guy, like still that dude who was one of the best offensive minds in modern NFL history. Let's not, let's not sugarcoat it. And let's not be afraid to say it because he straight up was. And for how many years did people say that Sean was riding the coattails of Drew Brees and, you know, all the players that he had around him and not the other way around? He just didn't get enough credit for what he did. And then, you know, when the Broncos had to draft a quarterback, everybody's saying, oh, well, Sean's never drafted and developed a quarterback.

Starting point is 00:27:16 He just benefited from how good Drew Breeze was. Well, here we are, Bo Nix entering year three, like you mentioned, a couple of drops here and there. He might have been an MVP candidate in year two. He's taking the Broncos to more wins than just about every other quarterback in their first two years in NFL history. So I think Sean knows what he's doing. And I think it gets exaggerated to the point of nauseating that people say that he, like, doesn't know what he's talking about. Sean has said,

Starting point is 00:27:41 it is, it really is. It's frustrating for us because we have to just like ignore it and take the high road and that's fine. But we have this platform, so I'm going to say it here. But I think with Davis Webb taking over, it's not,

Starting point is 00:27:54 hey, my offense sucks. We need a new one. You go ahead and create one. No, Davis is coming in and he's going to call the offense the way that he thinks it should be called and make efficient the whole operation, whereas Sean is now going to be able to be the head coach.

Starting point is 00:28:09 Like there's there's a huge distinction to be made between Sean being replaced because he wasn't good at coordinating an offense to Davis Webb taking over play calling because Sean sees something in him. There may be a little bit of pieces from both of those things. But ultimately, I think when people teeter so far over to that one side, that's just not right. And it's not why the Broncos made this move. That's why another reason why social media could be so nauseating for me, bro. And I love I love Broncos country. I love the people who are so respectful and engage in really good conversation and create valid discussions. There are some toxic folks on social media that just want to spin a narrative their own way.

Starting point is 00:28:48 And I can tell you being around it, it's like, man, there's a disconnect from reality from what so many of these people even say about Sean. And you know what I would like to see Sean do in this role a little bit more? And I understand to him kind of giving Davis the play calling Raines. There's going to be times like, can we see Sean just like start punching down on people a little bit and punching down on narratives? Like, please do it. Like, don't be bigger. And I just punched down a few times. Like sometimes you got to remind somebody who's boss, right?

Starting point is 00:29:15 That's one of those things that I look at. And it almost kind of reminds me of, you know, the Rocky move, not to say that Sean Payton's all. I mean, Sean's been coaching a long time. But it's like when Rocky came back to fight and there was like, man, the commissioning license, they should be suspended for even granting a license for this fight to happen. And Rocky's going against this younger guy and taking shots.

Starting point is 00:29:33 But then what do we see? Old school Rocky. He still has it. Sean's going to have this a long time. the way that he sees the game. And I'd say this is a credit to him as a coach. He sees things in an ever-evolving game that I don't think a lot of people do sometimes. And that's why I think he coaches his guys up on situational awareness to a point where it's like,

Starting point is 00:29:53 wait, you never really thought of that. Like you never thought you'd be in this scenario. But hey, in case we get into it, here you go. And you see that. Sean has it. And now I think Sean can be even more effective because he can see certain things that maybe Davis stepping into this role for the first time. he may not be able to see on the fly as he goes,

Starting point is 00:30:09 but that's where Sean can come in and help him. And obviously, five years, wouldn't be shocked if Davis Webb sticks around for a long time here in Denver. I wouldn't be either. Honestly, Cody, I mean, Davis said, like,

Starting point is 00:30:20 Sean was one of the biggest reasons why he wanted to come back. And so to me, like, it just flies in the face of even more narratives, right? Nobody wants to work with Sean Payton. He's so hard to work with. He's going to run George Payton out of the building.

Starting point is 00:30:33 All these great coaches are leaving because they don't want to be aboard this sinking ship or like those are things that have been said those are not things that i'm just making up those are things that have been said and so i think like for sean to endure the ownership group to have chosen the right how about this one hey you shouldn't trade draft picks for a head coach well i would completely disagree with that i don't think all due respect to him i don't think anybody in denver is wishing that we had brian brys on the defensive line right now instead of sean peyton as the head coach and so that's where we're at brum country is, hey, like, you got the receipts right now if you're Sean Payton and you've got

Starting point is 00:31:11 the buy-in from the wealthiest ownership group in all of American professional sports. That's what you need. And you've proven way more times than we could even count that you're capable of being and doing things that people said you couldn't. And I love that. I love that he's defined. And now we get to see, as I talked about on the bonus episode yesterday, Cody, can he become that first NFL head coach to win it all with two different teams?

Starting point is 00:31:36 How cool would that be to see that happen with the Broncos first from a player or from a quarterback standpoint, right? Peyton Manning was the first to ever do that as a quarterback in the NFL starting quarterback. And now Sean Payton to do it as a head coach. I mean, the movie script couldn't write it better. The script writers couldn't do it any better than that, could they? No, I'm with you there. And look, Broncos country, you guys have been so used for the last 10 or so years of the carousel,

Starting point is 00:32:01 the ups and downs, too much chaos. You know what? It's time. It's fun. Broncos football is back in a big way. And you know what? We're going to be here with you every step of the way to bring you closer to your football team. And with that, that'll wrap up today's episode of the show. Brockos Country mandatory minicamp begins next week, Wednesday, Thursday.

Starting point is 00:32:20 And then we're off until training camp. And we're going to see our first look at Bowenix. Let's know your thoughts on today's episode's show. If you're a brand new viewer listener, you loved it. Hey, make sure you hit that subscriber follow button so you never miss out on coverage of your favorite team. Boots on the ground coverage of your Denver Broncos. you won't get it anywhere better than you do here at lockdown. We'll see you next time.

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