00:00With this group, offenses are probably going to struggle.
00:02They'll probably do it.
00:03They're going to struggle.
00:05They're hell on wheels.
00:07They've got a chance to be as good, if not better, of a defense that they were last year.
00:13And I think, what did you say, Clint?
00:15They've got to be special, really, really special for this team to be able to reach where they want to
00:20reach.
00:20And they are absolutely capable of doing that.
00:25But what it made me think, and this is something we talked about yesterday,
00:30we teased this for you yesterday, folks.
00:33We said, does D'Amico have C.J. Stroud interception PTSD after the playoffs,
00:42especially the four interceptions thrown against the Patriots?
00:46I can't believe he hasn't thought about that game every single day since this happened.
00:51There is zero doubt.
00:53He just said, what did he say today in his meeting?
00:54He said he hadn't taken a day off since that playoff loss.
00:56That's what he said.
00:57I guarantee you several of those days have been spent just pondering of the opportunity
01:02that they pissed down their leg with that loss to New England.
01:06It's not going to come around again in his coaching career.
01:09And, Clint, you could realistically see him thinking to himself, never again.
01:14Oh, absolutely.
01:15Never let that happen again.
01:16Hell, we'll change the entire way we run offense before I allow that.
01:20And I hear him say, and you can feel it and sense it.
01:25We'll talk to B. Scott tomorrow who was there interviewing and saw him up close.
01:30You can feel he believes in this defense.
01:32And my thinking with that, Clint, is if he believes in this defense so much,
01:37he believes this defense can just flat win games against good teams.
01:41I wonder more do we see in a conservative style of offense to match that.
01:49If his belief is so strong in that, he'll never even put himself in a situation or position
01:54to allow turnovers or something like that to occur.
01:57That is exactly what we're fixing to see.
02:01We are fixing to see.
02:03Look, this is – I mean, I hate to be here with it because I try to be optimistic.
02:08I try to – this is fixing to be – we keep talking about C.J. Stroud,
02:14communication, line of scrimmage, control of the offense, command.
02:17This is fixing to be run what I call.
02:21No, yeah.
02:22Like, he throws – like, I could see – because I don't think D'Amico was this way before.
02:29You could see, all right, C.J. throws a pick.
02:33Let's say week one against Buffalo.
02:35Second quarter, he throws a pick.
02:36Boo-Bird's coming out, Bob.
02:39Immediately.
02:40First half pick?
02:40I don't know if he can afford a first half pick.
02:42I don't think so.
02:43All right.
02:44Let's see.
02:46Let's say two of them.
02:47Let's say – let's say –
02:48I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mess up your train of thought.
02:50Let's say he has a solid game.
02:52Week two, he throws a pick in the second quarter against the Bengals.
02:55I could see – all right.
02:58Bring it down.
02:59Yep.
03:00If – throws, smart throws.
03:02Protect the quarterback.
03:03Protect the ball.
03:05Our defense will handle it.
03:06Right.
03:07His confidence to me in his defense, which he should have, insane confidence in his defense.
03:15Potentially, I wonder, does that make him lean to say, all right, yes.
03:20All right, we'll see.
03:21We'll see how things are going right now.
03:23It's going cool, right?
03:24All right.
03:24But as soon as that situation occurs, no, you're not going to F my defense.
03:29Yeah.
03:30We're not going to F my defense.
03:31That – that – now, I can see him shutting that thing down.
03:35Well, look, you call it PTSD, call it short leash.
03:38I mean, however you want to couch it, I do believe that D'Amico Rhines – I think just
03:42to be in the defensive-minded head coach by nature would feel that way.
03:46But to look back and see the opportunity that was squandered in the playoffs last year,
03:50D'Amico Rhines legitimately should feel like they had a good enough team to win a championship
03:54last year, given how the AFC unfolded and how the New England Patriots went on to play
04:01in a Super Bowl.
04:02So, yeah, man, I mean, it's – there's – D'Amico Rhines' mental space and, like, where
04:10he's at with this offense has to be at wit's end, based on how last year went.
04:17Yeah.
04:17See, I don't – I think early on, Clint, that's not what the mindset was.
04:22Hey, man, just – hey, forget about it.
04:24Just keep playing.
04:25I feel like that was more of the mindset early on.
04:28If he threw an interception out, obviously his first year didn't throw a whole bunch
04:32of them.
04:32But, hey, man, just keep playing.
04:34We're on you.
04:34We're going to come right back to you.
04:36I don't think it's a we're going to come right back to you.
04:39Yeah.
04:40I think it's – Kaylee, hey, be safe with the ball.
04:46Hey, no turnovers.
04:47Do not put our defense in a bad spot.
04:49Do not put our defense in a bad spot.
04:51I feel like that's – when I heard that comment – and listen, it is natural and fair, Clint.
04:58As you said, man, I don't think he is – I don't think he's taking a day where he hadn't
05:03thought about it.
05:05The turnovers and the spot that his defense was put in and what happened in that game.
05:12I don't think he will forget it.
05:15I don't think it goes away.
05:17I think it potentially goes into decisions that will be made for him.
05:22Let me tell you, I watched that fumble – I watched that fumble today.
05:26What was that, 99, 98?
05:2928 years ago.
05:30Why did you do that?
05:31Hey, I'm just telling you.
05:32Did it fumble?
05:32When you got an opportunity to win a title or you got a chance to make a run and you
05:37lose
05:38because of something like that, you watch it 20 years from now, a tear will be in his eye.
05:45And it's not just about the moment.
05:47It's about – because then you got to look up and go, and damn, Denver came in here.
05:51Denver came to the damn AFC Championship with a backup quarterback.
05:54You got to be kidding me.
05:56Then you start doing that, boy, you really start beating yourself up.
05:59Yep.
05:59Someone texted in, fellas.
06:00I really hope D'Amico Ryan calls them boys – them off during training camp to allow our
06:07offense to execute and make plays because I believe C.J. needs that confidence that his
06:14line is doing what needs to be done.
06:16Yeah, I think he needs that confidence, and I think C.J. is confident.
06:21But I don't know that D'Amico is 100% confident in terms of – I mean, we're just going
06:30to – I
06:30mean, we're going to ride.
06:31I think this year, if you see early turnovers, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see a
06:39difference in play calling or a difference in what they're doing to more of a conservative
06:45nature.
06:46Because I truly believe D'Amico, as he should, believes he has a special, special defense.
06:54A defense that can be as good as defense as we've seen, a defense in which we've seen
07:01teams win Super Bowls.
07:03Not a lot, but we have seen teams win Super Bowls led by their defense, right?
07:07The Broncos, to me, probably the last one in 2015 that's really been led by their defense.
07:14Some of them early Patriots, that first run by the Patriots.
07:18Yeah, in the early 2000s, yeah, early 2000s, you know, obviously the, you know, the Seattle,
07:26you know, the Legion of Boom crew there, that's more recent, and then obviously the Ravens.
07:32I think he thinks he has that type of defense, and he ain't going to let that happen again.
07:38Ain't going to let it.
07:39Ain't going to let it happen again.
07:41He's over the top.
07:43All right, it is Tuesday.
07:44He just pulled his rotator cuff, rolling, rearing that siren.
07:48Yeah, Fernando Mendoza's really embracing, basically like he might, really embracing the
07:54Stanley Cup finals with the Golden Knights.
Comments