Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Will Denver Broncos Lose Vance Joseph To Head Coaching Gig?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Denver Broncos defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, is receiving interest from other teams for their vacancies at head coach. If the Broncos lose him, what does that mean for the progress the defense has made? We'll analyze that and much more on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening in Broncos country? Welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos. podcast part of the lockdown podcast network where you know it is your team every single day locked on playoff broncos is where we are headed here so broncos country appreciate you for joining us

Starting point is 00:00:46 alongside the ride all the every dayers and first listeners out there on broncos country thanks for making the show exactly what it is for when you want the best broncos news coverage content analysis and more and you want it every single day all year long locked on broncos is the place to be i'm cody rourke broncos beat reporter for mile high sports joined as always by sarah bedinger expert, predominantly orange.com. We've got a lot to break down here on today's episode of the show as Playoff Week is officially here. We'll wrap things up by talking about really how Sean Payton's mindset has changed

Starting point is 00:01:16 the culture of the Broncos. And the young and hungry Denver Broncos are proving a lot of people wrong this season. We'll talk about Denver's 2025 opponents. They are officially set for next season. We're going to kick things off, though, with the biggest story of the day. Defense coordinator, Vince Joseph, receiving interest from some teams around the NFL for their vacancies at head coach. And it creates a lot of questions here for the Denver Broncos.

Starting point is 00:01:40 I'll answer that here on today's episode show, which is brought to you by our friends over there. Fanduel, you can start the season with a big return on Fanduil, and new customers can place a $5 bet. And you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets. If you win your first $5 bet, visit Fanduil.com to get started. Sarah, I mean, this is it. Obviously, we found out that the New York Jets had interest in Vance Joseph

Starting point is 00:01:59 for their vacant head coaching job. And obviously, this is something that's going to happen with your coordinators, especially if you're having success in a lot of areas here. So really, let's take a look at this. Is New York a great fit for Vance Joseph? And also, if Vance departs, what does this mean for the Broncos and the defense? Well, I think first of all, we got to look at the, is this a good situation potentially for him to go to?

Starting point is 00:02:24 Because remember, I think in the back of Vance Joseph's mind, you're thinking about the 2017 Broncos with instability in the ownership situation, the coaching. situation obviously was in, you know, a state of transition, the roster very much in a state of transition, the quarterback position unsettled. And so you look at that situation and you think, okay, man, shoot, I don't know if the New York Jets are exactly where I would want to be. But if I'm Vance Joseph Cody, I'm doing the interview. I'm brushing up on those skills and things like that for head coaching interviews and kind of just going over like, hey, this is what I would do or this is what I see from the outside looking in.

Starting point is 00:03:04 I don't mind him doing that. But at the same time, if I was him, I would be a little more patient here and waiting for, you're not always going to get a golden opportunity, right? You're not always going to inherit the best team in the NFL, but I'm sure better situations will come along. I think it's important to note that if Vance Joseph does leave as a head coach to another team,

Starting point is 00:03:26 the Denver Broncos would be compensated to third round picks as part of the policy or whatever you want to call it, the reward system that the NFL has for minority coaches getting hired after spending two years or more with an organization. Vance obviously now been around two years. So if he gets hired by another team, the Denver Broncos would get a third round pick in 2025 and I believe a third round pick in 2026 as well.

Starting point is 00:03:52 Sean Payton did say in his Monday press conference with us that he does believe that Vance will be a head coach again someday, whether that's this year, whether that's, you know, another year down the road. But man, I just don't see New York being a good fit. Like for Vance to go through what he went through in Denver with some of the things that you just mentioned there. I mean, talk about, I think that honestly, I think the New York Jets job is the most unappealing head coaching job in this entire cycle. I don't actually think there's a great destination for a head coach to go here.

Starting point is 00:04:19 Like obviously, Ben Johnson, one of the most hottest names in the last couple of years, you know, OC for the Detroit Lions, you know, already said, like, I have no interest in interviewing for the New York jet job. Like I said, like, don't even submit a request. I'm not interested. Like, not there specifically. That should tell you all you need to know. So for Vance, I mean, it just depends how much do you want to be a head coach kid? But I think so much for Vance at this point, it's got to be the right fit. It's got to make sense for him, for his family. I mean, you go to New York, the level of scrutiny you face from the smallest errors is amplified significantly. And as we've seen, players have left the New York Jets. The coaches have left

Starting point is 00:04:56 the New York just they've gone on to have more i'd say stress-free careers they've had more success so maybe something to monitor there don't think the new york one is the right thing but let's play the hypothetical game right here if the broncos lose van joseph to a head coaching gig what does that mean internally for the defense because so much of it is you want to keep things the same jim leonard is an in-house name that obviously i think would probably be the favorite to be promoted to defensive coordinator but from what i know jim lindonard also may get some interest in him from the Indianapolis Colts, who just fired Gus Bradley. And I also saw something about maybe Clemson has an opening at defensive corner.

Starting point is 00:05:32 They may have interest in Jim Leonard for that. So Jim Leonard, not the only person. I mean, Ventjo is not the only person. Jim Leonard getting some interests as well. And it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing relatively when your coaches have interest from other teams. But, I mean, it puts the Broncos in a very interesting situation if they were to lose Vance Joseph, also if they were able to also in a position to lose Jim Leonard as well.

Starting point is 00:05:53 Yeah, it's one of those situations that I'm sure Sean Payton has gone through the contingencies in advance because you assemble a coaching staff like this. And I think you almost expect that, hey, we're going to lose guys, especially if we're having success, which Sean Payton expects to have success. And so you kind of just go into the year knowing that this could be a possibility. And of course, there's lots of names now out there that have been let go, you know? like Sean Payton obviously knows Dennis Allen very well and Dennis Allen does call a good defense may not be the best NFL head coach, which we've seen over the course of, I know, a couple of opportunities with the Raiders and Saints now, but the guy can call a defense. And we've seen that with Sean Peyton specifically. So there's guys even from the outside that could be candidates there. We also know that David Shaw, the Broncos senior personnel advisor who's been working in the front office on the pro-end college scouting side of things, Cody, just a sharp eye for talent dating back to, obviously, his time at Stanford. The NFL network hired him for the NFL draft because of his keen eye for talent and ability to evaluate guys. The Broncos have been benefiting from that this

Starting point is 00:07:06 year. He may now be in line for potential coaching jobs. I know he's been getting interviewed the last couple of cycles, including by the Denver Broncos, but now Sean Payton's old team, the New Orleans Saints is trying to bring in David Shaw or at least talk to him about their head coach vacancy. Yeah. So, I mean, and Sean Payton said it as well. He said, you know, when he was in New Orleans, Mickey Lewis came to him and said, hey, like, we're getting all of our coaches being interviewed. He said, you should be worried if they're not at that point in terms of where Denver's at. And I think Denver's assembled a really good coaching staff.

Starting point is 00:07:41 Davis Webb could even also receive some potential interest for some maybe some OC jobs there. I know if things open up in New York, potentially, not the Jets, but maybe the Giants because, you know, he did play there. He's smart guy. What he's been able to do in terms of the Broncos quarterback room has also been impressive. It's going to be interesting to see how things kind of play out here because this is kind of the dilemma. But the good thing, though, with Denver being in the playoffs right now, that's not going to really take place. Interviews aren't going to necessarily take place until next week. Denver's in the firm process of preparing for Buffalo.

Starting point is 00:08:11 That's where Van Gogh's mindset is at. But obviously, if Denver wins the next week, he will. will probably interview for that Jets job. And then, you know, does that distract you in any way, shape or form? Part of me feels like the idea and the myth around, well, if you interview for a head coaching job, I'll preparing for the playoffs, it's a distraction. When you think about it, like coaches are preparing for their games all throughout the entire week, right? And usually sometimes these interviews can be four, six hours. If I'm not mistaken, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong in the comments, but I think the NFL imposed like a certain time limit. You only have a certain time limit.

Starting point is 00:08:46 interview coaches because sometimes I think we saw stuff about like eight hour, nine hour, 10 hour interviews taking place. And that right there is something the NFL wants to avoid. But for Denver, I mean, Sean Payton said it best. Like, you know, he talked about Aaron Glenn, the DC of the Detroit lines. He said there's no better interview than what he did on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings. So for Vince Joseph, like against the Buffalo bills, the Broncos defense comes out and plays great against them.

Starting point is 00:09:13 Again, like they did that first time minus a couple of big explosive plays by Jane. James Cook and whatnot. That's a great audition. That's a great kind of way for teams to say, hey, you know, we actually want to bring in Vance. We want to see what is he able to do to turn things around. Very, very curious to see how it all plays out. But no better opportunity for an audition than Sunday's game against the bills.

Starting point is 00:09:34 It's the best. I mean, you go out there. Your unit plays well, do what they've done all season. Get after the quarterback. I know Josh Allen this year, Cody, when he's faced off against teams that rank in the top 10 in sacks, Bills have lost both of those games. They've only played two games in which they've faced off against teams that rank in the top 10 in Sacks. The Bills have lost both of those games.

Starting point is 00:09:55 Now here come the Denver Broncos who rank number one in the NFL in Sacks this season. So it's going to be fascinating to see what happens with a go toe to toe. And how Vance Joseph or anybody else can benefit from that because, shoot, if they win this game, if the Broncos go out, mess around and win on the road in the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills, that coaching staff is, I mean, shoot, Sean Payton, George Payton, they're going to be getting calls like, all right, I need to talk to this guy. Can we talk to this guy? Yada, yada.

Starting point is 00:10:24 It's going to be a free for all. There's no doubt about it. And in your right, the success of the team, you should be more worried if you're not getting coaches, you know, teams trying to poach your coaches as opposed to the alternative. On Brockos, country, we want to hear from you. Your thoughts on Vance Joseph receiving interest. If he departs for a job, who would you like to see Step in and replace him at D.C.? or would you like him to stay here in Denver?

Starting point is 00:10:47 Make sure you let us know here as well. But the Broncos 2025 opponents are set. And, hey, Denver, with the schedule that they've got, we don't know when they're going to play, but we know who they're going to play. We're going to tell you who that is here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode, Lockdown Broncos,

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Starting point is 00:12:03 Well, Cody and I, we're going to break down every 2025 opponent for the Denver Broncos. We do not know the schedule as of yet. The NFL will make a big to do about that later this year, but we do know who the Broncos will be playing. And look, it's always going to look rough on paper. But you know what?

Starting point is 00:12:19 Like I said, 17 and no until we ain't. Broncos country. Thanks so much for rocking with Cody and I every single day here on the show. We appreciate you every dayers out there and all of you that subscribe to the show. So if you haven't done so already, we'd greatly appreciate it. If you would do that, go ahead, hit subscribe wherever you listen as well as on YouTube in the growing community there. Cody, let's talk 2025 opponents for the Denver Broncos, of course. I love to say 17 and no until we ain't every year.

Starting point is 00:12:49 People know that it's not serious. We know that the Broncos are going 20 and no. They're going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, so obviously it's a joke. But no, in all seriousness, let's talk 20, 25 opponents because the Broncos have, I wouldn't say any tougher than normal, but certainly a lot of notable opponents,

Starting point is 00:13:10 especially when you look at their home games next year. I mean, we could be seeing the Broncos under the lights a lot when they're playing in the Mile High City in 2025. Yeah, look, and that's the cool thing about it, right? Every year because of the added 17th regular season game, you alternate between nine home games, eight away games and vice versa. Denver this year, they had eight home games. They had nine away games and Denver had, you know, 10 wins on the season. So, hey, the road was pretty nice here for the Broncos. Can they do that this week against the Buffalo Bills?

Starting point is 00:13:40 But it's going to flip now. Denver in 2025, they're going to have. nine games at home, eight on the road. And then I think when they add the eventual 18th regular season game, you're going to get nine and nine, which will be cool. You get nine away, nine home. Everything kind of balances out. Hopefully two by weeks spread out in between there.

Starting point is 00:13:57 But that's another discussion for another day. Breaking news, the Broncos are going to play the chiefs, the chargers, and the Raiders twice. We already knew that. Obviously, the AFC, West, very curious to see what changes happen within these teams and within this division here, this offseason. That'll be a big storyline here. but the divisions at the Broncos are going to play this upcoming season, right? So when you look at in conference and the AFC, they will take on the AFC South

Starting point is 00:14:21 that contains the Jacksonville, Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis, Colts, and the Houston Texans. Then they're going to take on the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Jaden Daniels, the Washington commanders, and obviously the New York Giants. And then their 17th game is going to be against the third place of the NFC. north. So that's going to be the Green Bay Packers. I mean, so Sarah, like this is going to be a, I would say a balanced schedule here. I think if we're basing it off of what we've seen this year, right? And I think when we talk about strength of schedule, every year it changes, right? If a team was really bad one year, they may be good the next year. Just has to Denver Broncos. They're,

Starting point is 00:14:59 they're one of those teams that surprised a lot of people this year. So when we look at it right now, it's like, all right, Denver's got some opportunities here. But then there's also some tough teams as well. So let's take a look, Sarah, at who the Broncos are going to play. at home. Nine games. We already mentioned the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders by default of the division, but Denver's going to face the Dallas Cowboys at home, the Jacksonville Jaguars who are going to have a brand new head coach, the New York Giants who may at some point have a new head coach, the Tennessee Titans, that'll be a very interesting one. They're going to have a new GM. The Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow, that'll be a tough one. And then Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers,

Starting point is 00:15:33 I mean, that homestated games for nine games for Denver, I like it. I think it sets up really well for them right now on paper. It absolutely does. I mentioned that we could be seeing them play under the lights a lot at home this season. I think you look at the chiefs, chargers, cowboys, bangles and Packers. Those are all going to be options, I think, for the NFL to put in Sunday night football, Monday night football, et cetera. And certainly, you know, when the Broncos go on the road against lesser teams, it seems like they typically play Thursday night games on the road.

Starting point is 00:16:06 I know they played two as uncharacteristic this year. You have to approve of playing two on the road this year. but it feels like the Broncos typically play their Thursday games on the road. Maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong on that one. But regardless, I feel like any of those games that I just mentioned there, like I said, Chiefs, Chargers, Bengals, Packers, Cowboys, all of those games that you're playing at home, those seem like ideal primetime matchups. So then you get into the away games, Cody.

Starting point is 00:16:34 It's the divisional opponents. And then you go on the road to face Houston. You go on the road to face Indianapolis. both of those will be indoor games. But then you play the Eagles, commanders, and jets on the road. And it's going to be fascinating to see, are those games going to be early in the season or late in the season? Not that the elements really matter all that much.

Starting point is 00:16:55 I mean, how many games this year has the elements mattered all that much? I know for the Broncos, it actually ended up being earlier in the season with the, you know, the after effects of the hurricane in New Jersey. So I'm fascinated to see what the NFL does because you look at that, too. I mean, the Eagles game, the commanders game, maybe the Texans game, any of those road divisional matchups could be prime time matchups. So the Broncos are going to go from being completely ignored. They did not have a Sunday night football game in 2024 to I think this year we're looking at probably the maximum number of games in the spotlight. Four or five, yeah, I can see that look.

Starting point is 00:17:31 And I think probably maybe the biggest, if we could choose one road game right now that we're looking at here in terms of their opponents that we think will probably get primetime. treatment. Obviously, one of the divisional games you have to factor in. I think the commander's game will probably be one. Bo Nix, Jaden Daniels. It could be the whoever wins the rookie of the year and the runner up. I think it's going to go like that in terms of that discussion there versus each other. I know they're the top two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft class, and I think that would be a fun game to watch on Pratton. Can you imagine Sunday night football Broncos in D.C. against the commanders. That would be a fun one to watch. Maybe Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. I don't see that one necessarily, being a prime time game.

Starting point is 00:18:10 I see that one maybe being like a late afternoon type game. Could be an 11 a.m. Mountain time kickoff, obviously. I mean, there's, it could go a variety of different ways. But if you had to choose, okay, let's say Denver gets five prime time games here in 2025, which is the max. Let's go through home games right now. Let's, let's select.

Starting point is 00:18:30 I think a matchup against the Chiefs will be a prime time game for them, potentially the Cowboys at that point. I think the Bengals, game, maybe even the Packers game could be that. I think it could be a coin flip between those two teams. Which ones do you think, home games and away games do you think will get a primetime game? If

Starting point is 00:18:48 Denver does get five spots. Yeah, I definitely feel like at least one of the Chiefs games and at least one of the Chargers games will be prime time for the Broncos. And then the Cowboys, almost every week, are a prime time team. I mean, so maybe that's an

Starting point is 00:19:05 early season primetime game for the NFL, given the Cowboys injury. issues this year, the fact that the Cowboys are going to probably have a new head coach as well. That could be interesting. I think that those three games, it's always the Cowboys when you look, the Bengals game, given how this last year's game went, I mean, it's the Broncos Bengals game from a couple weeks ago is being considered one of the craziest games of the year. I think the NFL is definitely going to want Joe Burrow versus Bo Nix in primetime.

Starting point is 00:19:33 And then I think, I think it's going to be the commanders one that you mentioned, Cody. So the two divisional matchups. The Cowboys, the Commanders, and the Bengals, those would be my predictions that the Broncos are going to get. The maximum, I think, is five primetime games. So four home primetime games and one road prom. I'm with it. I like it. Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:19:52 We won't know how you feel as well. So to recap here once again, the opponents at Denver will face, obviously, the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders twice. But at home, Denver will play the Dallas Cowboys, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New York Giants, the Tennessee Titans, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Green Bay Packers. They'll go on the road. against the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, but they'll play at the Houston, Texans, at the Indianapolis Colts, at the Eagles, at the Commanders, and once again, at the JETS, suck, suck, suck there. So, well, I mean, I, I like it right now. And obviously, you know, once the schedule gets released next May, we'll go through, do with a whole attire breakdown and a deep dive on it. We'll see about that.

Starting point is 00:20:30 But how many primetime games do you think the Broncos will have here in 2025? Your thoughts on who they will play? Make sure you let us know, as you're watching, listening to Lockdown Broncos, wherever you get. It's your podcast. We're going to wrap up today's show by talking about how Sean Payton has come in and really kind of changed the culture and has developed this young and hungry mentality within this Broncos team. Is it enough that could help them push the Buffalo bills, maybe out of the playoffs? We'll tell you why we believe that could be the case here on today's episode of the show. Today's lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to our friends over there at prize picks.

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Starting point is 00:23:13 I think for other teams here in the NFL playoffs, can a young and hungry Broncos team find a way to do it against Buffalo? I'll tell you why we believe that's the case. I just want to say thanks once again to everyone in Broncos country for making us your first listen. If you're not an everyday listener, you should become one because we have you covered literally every single weekday all year long. And throughout the entire off season, throughout the playoffs, whatever is going on with this

Starting point is 00:23:36 team, you're going to stay on top of it by being an everydayer here at lockdown Broncos. Sarah, my friend, let's talk about something that has kind of been making waves here this week. I wrote an article there on my high sports.com about how a young and hungry Denver Broncos team could be dangerous in the NFL playoffs. We heard it in our post game report when we heard from Riley Moss and Marvin Mims where they said, hey, we're young and we're hungry. That has been something as Sean Payton has said. And I remember, I think it happened a little bit after training camp began.

Starting point is 00:24:03 One thing we were talking about, Sean had brought it up in a presser. He said, you know, I think that a young and hungry team is dangerous. Denver has become a little bit of this young and hungry team. And it's a mindset that everybody in that locker room has bought in. And that is, I think, a byproduct of the standard and the culture that Sean Payton is now set in Denver. When you really look at how disastrous the culture was from 2016 to 2022. Especially at the end there, right, where the new ownership group was so embarrassed by the way the season went that they fired Nathaniel Hackett the day after Christmas. I mean, it was that bad that this new group that got fresh eyes on the organization and, you know, signed off on resigning Russell Wilson, giving him a new contract.

Starting point is 00:24:46 Sean Payton came in and put his fresh eyes on the organization and they put their trust in Sean Peyton. And his mentality has always been like, we go back to the off season where he's like, I've never won less than seven games as an NFL head coach. I don't intend on doing so this year, right? I mean, that's the mentality that he has. He's like, he basically said, I've got two middle fingers and I don't have, basically doesn't have the energy to use them at this point anymore. There's no reason to. He doesn't pay attention.

Starting point is 00:25:14 I think Sean Payton does the perfect balance, Cody, of, of paying attention to what the media says without putting any stock into it. And that's what he talks about that NFL train all the time, right? And he's like, you got to pay attention. There may be the occasion where he sees something, read something here, something. He's like, wait a second, who said that? And then he wonders who said it and he figures out who said.

Starting point is 00:25:35 He's like, oh, yeah. Because Sean Payton told the media on Monday, he's like, half these prognosticators that had negative opinions of the Broncos, he's like, half these people don't even know what they're talking about. And you and I have talked off camera many times, not about Sean specifically, but you'll ask people in the locker room what they think about this advanced stat or this prediction or whatnot. And just the way that the players and the coaches kind of laugh and shrug it, shrug it off.

Starting point is 00:25:59 Like, they hear it. They know that a lot of it is dumb. and inaccurate. And I think that Sean Payton has done a great job of keeping this team focused on doing what they do well, which is, I mean, shoot, they've won nine out of their 10 games by nine or more points. Like to focus on the little things, they're a well-coached young team that's going to make some noise here now in the postseason.

Starting point is 00:26:21 And the games that they've lost minus the Baltimore game have all been by one score or less. I mean, you flip that result. Like Denver, when we look at some of the missed opportunities this season, Denver was, you know, a play here or there away from winning maybe 12, 13 games this season, which is crazy to think about. Nobody had that expectation. I was so excited. I was able to drop that clip that I said back in Training Camp when I was there on air live as training camp was going on.

Starting point is 00:26:46 And they asked me, like, how many games do you think the Broncos are when I said, I think they're going to win 10 games. If they get better quarterback play in just two games this year, I think they win 10 games. People are like, you should have seen the comments when that happened. Like, oh, this guy is crazy. He doesn't always talk by blah, blah, blah. It's like, you saw it. on it. And this goes back to OTAs. Just I felt like this team was entirely different than what we saw last year, right?

Starting point is 00:27:07 Like you've had some change. You've had some new guys come in and you've got new voices in that locker room and some of the old voices that people listen to are gone. They're not there. So it's like who's going to step up? This young Broncos football team is not concerned about the outside noise. That's one thing that I've found very clear. Because if you look at it, this is, I think, is something that could have been a problem. If this team was concerned about the outside noise, they would have folded.

Starting point is 00:27:31 it after that 0 and 2 start. We've seen Broncos teams do that before. When they get into a rut, they're like, all right, hey, this is just who we are this year. We're going to accept it. This team's like, no, this isn't who we are. And they fought their way back and they've won 10 games because of it because they are young and they are hungry.

Starting point is 00:27:46 So how does that present a challenge here for the Buffalo Bills? I mean, Sarah, you look at it from this standpoint, nobody expected the Broncos to be in the playoffs, right? Not a lot of people did. But these players in that locker room, they had that goal. They had that belief that they could get into the playoffs this year. and you look at a team like Buffalo, everyone's like, hey, this Buffalo Bill's team, they're going to be a juggernail.

Starting point is 00:28:05 Absolutely. This is going to be the toughest team the Broncos have faced this year, but they're beatable. And that's something that the Broncos, in the position that they're in being a young and hungry team that has a quarterback that we know is the guy now, that to me, I think, opens up a new realm of possibilities here that when you get into the postseason and you and I said it once, all you got to do is get a ticket to the dance and anything can happen. This young and hungry mindset that this team has, these guys are. excited and I think they're ready to go on the road and try to make a statement. Yeah, 100%. And I think you

Starting point is 00:28:35 look at the quarterback as the main reason why you should believe that the Broncos can pull off an upset, Cody. There's been posts thrown out there. This one from ML football pointing out that there's only two rookies in NFL history with 10 plus wins, 30 plus total touchdowns and 4,000 plus total yards in a season. And they play for the two teams that went from being, you know, hey, we need to draft a quarterback this year to now we're in the playoffs. That's Bo Nix. and jaden Daniels and bo nicks i think is the reason why you can believe that there's a chance that this team could win in the playoffs like in years past 2015 broncos like that team would have needed to play lights out defense and the offense capitalize on what the what the defense did right because

Starting point is 00:29:19 the offense struggled all year and we went into the playoffs paid manning took over after brock isweiler got benched in the final regular season game like there was no certainty that peyton was going to be to go on any run in the playoffs. And then the Broncos defense did he do? What did he do in the postseason, though? I mean, that AFC championship game, it's like, do you remember how stressed you and I were going into that game? Just like, I wasn't in media at that time.

Starting point is 00:29:46 I was just a fan, right? And I know I was stressed. I know I talk to you. You were stressed. What does Peyton do? Owen Danvers. He finds Owen Daners. He marks his down for a foot.

Starting point is 00:29:54 Peyton Manning, what? He scrambles and he runs for first down. We're like, okay, this is destiny right here. this could happen here with this young Broncos team. Yeah, so create that destiny, do the same thing. That's what you're talking about right there is exactly why I believe that Bo Nix can do those things. Like he's that guy that when the Broncos need a play, he's going to be able to go out there and make the play. We saw it against Kansas City in the last week of the regular season.

Starting point is 00:30:19 Yeah, their backups were out there. Who cares? I mean, Bo Nicks can do this against anybody. He did it against the Bengals. He did it against the Chargers. People like to say he didn't play well. And against the Chiefs when the Chiefs played. the stars did it against the chiefs i mean shoot he he almost brought the broncos back back in week one one of

Starting point is 00:30:35 the worst games that he's played all year his first NFL game he almost brought them back against the seahawks remember that late in the game when he's running the ball well so he's got the it factor he's got the ability to go on the road against buffalo and say i don't freaking care about how good the bills are like i'm going to go do what i do and and make plays and i think that's going to inspire the rest of this team. Yeah. And look, I think that what Sean Payton has echoed as well throughout the entire season saying, hey, like, you know, these guys in out locker, they look at Bo. And they're like, they have this belief that, hey, we're okay. Like, we're not down and out. When we've got Bowen at quarterback, like that I think is a great development here of this season here. Because I think that

Starting point is 00:31:16 there were times, I mean, gosh, you and I've been around for the quarterback care of itself forever. Broncos country has as well. And there were times where it felt like being down 10 nothing was a death sentence. And look, I think early on in this season, when Denver would find find themselves down 10-0 or 13-0 or 13-3. There were times we're like, ah, like we've been in this position before here covering this team and Denver's never had anyone that can get them out of it. But then Bo is the guy that can get them out of it. Like we've seen him do that.

Starting point is 00:31:41 So it's kind of like, oh, okay, it's not how it used to be here for this franchise. And I think that's exciting as well. And regardless of what happens here, if this Broncos team, whether they win or lose, they put up a great fight here against the Buffalo's that they beat them. Great. If they fall short, that's okay. But to me, it makes Denver a destination for, I think, or a lot of people want to go to be part of something special as it's developing and ongoing.

Starting point is 00:32:03 I think there's a lot of stake here, not only in terms of just, hey, advancing the playoffs, maybe face the Kansas City Chiefs here once again, but more importantly, it's, hey, people are going to want to come to Denver. I think that's going to be a big sign. And I think it's also part of the culture that Sean Payton has created and just even talking to players, too. They praise the type of culture that Sean has created, the environment. And look, they got signs.

Starting point is 00:32:27 They got messages up in the locker room. We can never tell you what those are. But you can see why these guys are, you know, have a belief in one another. And they're not so concerned about what anybody on the outside has to say. No need to be, right? When you, you can believe. I mean, absolutely. We saw the guy.

Starting point is 00:32:45 There was a picture floating around on Twitter, Cody, you have a guy that was dressed up like Ted Lassow carrying around a bo leave sign. You know, in the show they've got the believe above his office. And I love it. I think that embodies this Broncos team so well, doesn't it? It's like, man, you inherited the sad sack of a roster. Everybody's making fun of you. Everybody's doubting you.

Starting point is 00:33:04 Nobody believes that you can do it. But you internally have to believe first before everybody else in that 76,000 plus crowd stadium is going to believe. And I think we all have reason to believe now going into the playoffs, Cody, that this team can do some serious damage. Now, we're excited about it. Broncos country. We hope you're excited about it as well. Well, with that said, that'll wrap up today's episode of show. Thank you so much, Broncos Country, for rocking with us, making us your first listen.

Starting point is 00:33:31 Thank you for being in every day. If you're not in every day, become one so you never miss out on what's going on with your favorite team. For all your every dayers, here's what you can expect on tomorrow's episode of the show. Sarah's going to sit down with Joe Marino of Locked on Bills to break down Sunday's big playoff matchup. Can Bo Nicks overcome Von Miller? Can the Broncos upset the Buffalo bills? Yes, they can. How are they going to do that?

Starting point is 00:33:54 You get an extensive game preview of that. Plus, you get an NFL squad show. It is playoff time, and everyone around the NFL is sitting down to break down the postseason and the biggest storylines around the NFL. You can get that much more on tomorrow's episode of the show.

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