Speaker 1: The Ride with JMV.
Speaker 2: You count three seconds.
Speaker 3: Look at them.
Speaker 1: I don't say anything. Then they'll ask you again.
Speaker 3: And you say, why are you asking?
Speaker 1: I don't have to explain myself. 93.5 and 107.5. The Fan.
Speaker 4: Man, that was a week ago, wasn't it? Dave Kechter
Speaker 4: on this show. Memorable for, I guess, a lot of
Speaker 4: the wrong reasons, right? Because we really didn't understand what
Speaker 4: the hell he was talking about last week. Hopefully, I
Speaker 4: did not hear from anybody that happened to see him
Speaker 4: at Helium, but hopefully things went well for him. Champ
Speaker 4: from Anchorman was a little bit off the mark this
Speaker 4: time last Wednesday while we're at the State Fair. Today,
Speaker 4: we're at Logan Street location. This is Kroger, everybody. And
Speaker 4: we are doing this and doing this for a specific reason.
Speaker 4: It's called Help in the Heartland. The campaign roundup at
Speaker 4: Kroger Checkouts. You can donate in that fashion, too.
Speaker 1: 317-239-1070.
Speaker 4: Keyword give. You can donate as well there. 1075thefan. com. So
Speaker 4: many ways you can do it. And as you can see,
Speaker 4: if you're watching via YouTube behind me right here, we
Speaker 4: have everybody involved. Swift is here from Hot 100.9. Hammer
Speaker 4: is here from Hammer and Nigel. We've got, I think,
Speaker 4: good folks down at Hank. I think Mindy's down there
Speaker 4: on Hank, and Dan Pantos is down there on Hank FM.
Speaker 4: That's 97.1 Hank FM right there. So it is a group.
Speaker 4: It is a team effort, which Chris Denary, who joins us,
Speaker 4: the voice of the Pacers, here in Noblesville at the
Speaker 4: Kroger location.
Speaker 1: You can get down with that. We're all a part
Speaker 1: of a team.
Speaker 3: Yeah, pretty awesome.
Speaker 2: No question about that.
Speaker 5: Kroger, a great partner of Pacer Sports and Entertainment. Great
Speaker 5: to be sitting out here again, what it looked like
Speaker 5: a week ago. It's hard to believe, John, when people
Speaker 5: that experienced it, but of course those of us who
Speaker 5: maybe just saw it via video. But, you know, great
Speaker 5: to see, you know, so many people coming into Kroger,
Speaker 5: especially here. And again, as they round up, all that
Speaker 5: money will go to the American Red Cross.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and there's a little bit of construction in and
Speaker 4: around Noblesville downtown or the square of Noblesville.
Speaker 1: But it is very easy to... Maneuver. I will say this.
Speaker 4: When you think back on Noblesville, the first name that
Speaker 4: always will come to my mind is Tom Coverdale. Now,
Speaker 4: who comes to your mind, athletically speaking, from the town
Speaker 4: of Noblesville? Who is the first person you go, hey,
Speaker 4: because for.
Speaker 1: Me it's Coverdale.
Speaker 2: I think it's Scott Hafner.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right.
Speaker 5: Scott Hafner, who played at Evansville and played in the NBA.
Speaker 2: He's a little bit younger than I am.
Speaker 5: Back when I was in high school in the late 70s,
Speaker 5: Dave Nicholson was the boys coach here.
Speaker 2: They had really good teams.
Speaker 5: They had Mike Chesser and Tom Beatty, all kinds of
Speaker 5: really good players.
Speaker 2: So, yeah, I remember Noblesville.
Speaker 5: And what Mayor Jensen has done, the funny story is,
Speaker 5: is Mayor Jensen's mom and my dad were longtime teachers
Speaker 5: at Westfield High School.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 5: And so Mayor Jensen's a little bit, maybe a lot
Speaker 5: younger than I am. But to see what he's done
Speaker 5: here in the city of Noblesville, you know, we're very
Speaker 5: fortunate to have the Noblesville boom, the Pacers G League
Speaker 5: franchise over on the other side, and what the city
Speaker 5: of Noblesville has done.
Speaker 6: So.
Speaker 5: Any way that I could come and just be supporter
Speaker 5: of what they're doing here in Noblesville to raise money
Speaker 5: for those. who need it because they had the devastation
Speaker 5: of the floods last week.
Speaker 4: I see my man. There's Bill Reynolds, the dad. And
Speaker 4: look at Jalen. The J-Dog is in the house. See,
Speaker 4: we're not even to 330 yet, are we? Just hit
Speaker 4: over 334. 334, and it's already the greatest day of
Speaker 4: all time because the J-Dog is in the house right here.
Speaker 1: That is outstanding. J-Dawg, good to see you, buddy. It's
Speaker 1: good to see you. You know Chris Denary there, J-Dawg,
Speaker 1: right there.
Speaker 4: I'll tell you, two of the fondest individuals from Tipton,
Speaker 4: Indiana that you will ever meet right there, Chris.
Speaker 2: Tipton, Indiana. I'll tell you what, a history there.
Speaker 5: And you think about what happened, John, with what happened
Speaker 5: here in central Indiana. And, you know, it started north
Speaker 5: and just you saw what happened to Muncie and Cambridge
Speaker 5: City and those types of places.
Speaker 2: You know, just the river and the water.
Speaker 4: And it went down Waverly near me also had some
Speaker 4: issues with high water.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's just, again, you forget how much damage
Speaker 2: water can do. And it did.
Speaker 1: I've got to ask you this.
Speaker 4: We're going to get into DAZN because there's another layer
Speaker 4: to this. We found out last week that the official
Speaker 4: content provider of the Pacers is going to be DAZN.
Speaker 4: I want you to go over some things on that
Speaker 4: that people may not know about the price points.
Speaker 1: But also, there was another layer of news regarding DAZN today.
Speaker 1: What does that entail?
Speaker 5: I mean, DAZN today announced that they are acquiring Everpass Media.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And why is that important?
Speaker 5: Well, Everpass is the distributor for commercial NFL Sunday ticket
Speaker 5: in a partnership with DirecTV and DirecTV Stream.
Speaker 4: So I'm going to end up getting full court through DAZN.
Speaker 1: Is that this season?
Speaker 3: Or what?
Speaker 1: Here's the thing.
Speaker 5: What a lot of people don't know about DAZN is
Speaker 5: they are the streamer internationally for the NFL.
Speaker 7: Right.
Speaker 5: I mean, they have relationships with Peacock, Netflix, Paramount, Apple.
Speaker 5: And so this is a monumental story because it's not
Speaker 5: just what they do consumer-wise. It's what they do, you know,
Speaker 5: when you go to your favorite, you go to District Tap.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And.
Speaker 5: Everpass Media has been the partner to distribute how you
Speaker 5: watch those games in a bar or restaurant.
Speaker 2: Well, now DAZN owns that.
Speaker 4: So what's the anticipation here? If you're thinking in the
Speaker 4: not-so-distant future, what's the anticipation with this move?
Speaker 5: Well, I think what DAZN has done, developed a partnership
Speaker 5: with the Pacers. Earlier they had announced a partnership with
Speaker 5: Minnesota and the Timberwolves. It looks like there are going
Speaker 5: to be some other teams involved. And I think what
Speaker 5: a lot of people forget is just a few weeks ago,
Speaker 5: DAZN announced that they're becoming the distribution partner, the streaming
Speaker 5: partner with MSG and with Yes Network, with the Knicks,
Speaker 5: with the Rangers, with the Nets. All those New York
Speaker 5: teams who were trying to do it on their own
Speaker 5: are now working with DAZN because they've been a proven model,
Speaker 5: not just here in the States, but pretty much internationally.
Speaker 5: So And I think what we've talked about, and I
Speaker 5: listened to, you.
Speaker 2: Know, you last week.
Speaker 1: I did miss that interview, though, on Wednesday.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you're probably not missing much out of that. We're
Speaker 4: still trying to figure out what the hell went down.
Speaker 5: But last Thursday, when I got back from South Carolina,
Speaker 5: I had a five and a half hour mow because
Speaker 5: it was.
Speaker 2: You know, so my grass was so long. So I
Speaker 2: had you in from three to six.
Speaker 5: But what's important, you know, about DAZN is the opportunity
Speaker 5: that they will have to for anybody to be able
Speaker 5: to watch. I think the pricing points that they made, outstanding.
Speaker 5: You were talking about your mom.
Speaker 1: My mom.
Speaker 2: That you can share.
Speaker 6: Yes.
Speaker 5: You can share two IP addresses. That's $ 79. 99.
Speaker 2: So if two people want to share, that's $ 40 a year.
Speaker 1: Exactly.
Speaker 5: The other thing is, John, 22 games will be free
Speaker 5: behind the paywall. 15 of those at a soon-to-be-announced over-the-air
Speaker 5: station in Indianapolis. seven additional games on the zone, and
Speaker 5: all four preseason games, including Tyrese Halliburton's return to Ames, Iowa,
Speaker 5: at Iowa State. So all of a sudden, you have
Speaker 5: the opportunity, and again, with a wonderful app. to watch
Speaker 5: those games and and again it it's not for me
Speaker 5: to tell people how to spend their money but I
Speaker 5: will tell you I think Mel Raines and her staff
Speaker 5: did an outstanding job and how they negotiated this not
Speaker 5: just for this year but to position Pacers basketball for
Speaker 5: the future as well.
Speaker 4: So Chris is this the future for the entire league
Speaker 4: is that the path because we have that news right
Speaker 4: there is this the path is this where we're going
Speaker 4: where the entire league is going to be What's.
Speaker 5: Going to be interesting, what the NBA is talking about
Speaker 5: is having a national streaming partner moving forward. And we'll
Speaker 5: just have to wait and see how all of that works.
Speaker 5: But the NBA is very dynamic in what they've done.
Speaker 5: And they've done a great job with the new package
Speaker 5: they put in place. There are more games over the
Speaker 5: air on national TV. They added Peacock. They added Prime.
Speaker 5: So there are more ways that you can watch games.
Speaker 5: And what that says, John, is there's a lot of interest.
Speaker 5: People want to be a part of it, right? And
Speaker 5: it's why you see college sports. You see the Big Ten.
Speaker 5: If you want to watch IU or Purdue basketball or football,
Speaker 5: you're going to have games on Peacock. You're going to
Speaker 5: have the games on Prime. It's because there's so much
Speaker 5: interest in sports. Sports is the best live television or
Speaker 5: streaming opportunity that there is, and people are willing to
Speaker 5: do that.
Speaker 4: So, Chris Denary, who is the voice of the Pacers,
Speaker 4: the zone this season. Now, a former Pacer who was
Speaker 4: a part of the Avicii Zubac deal.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And believe me, there was no bigger fan.
Speaker 4: I love Bill McMather, and I still do.
Speaker 1: And I love it because he's all ball all the time.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I kind of wonder, and you and I can talk
Speaker 4: about this, whether he kind of wanted to leave more
Speaker 4: than they wanted him to stay.
Speaker 1: We'll get into that. But today, it's not going to
Speaker 1: be the Clippers any longer.
Speaker 4: Now he is in New Orleans, and that is going
Speaker 4: to be the competition when Tyrese Halliburton returns for real
Speaker 4: on the road in New Orleans. And Benedict Matherin is
Speaker 4: going to be a member in that night number one
Speaker 4: of the Pelicans.
Speaker 5: Yeah, if I saw it, it's a two-year deal with
Speaker 5: a player option in the second year.
Speaker 1: So what Ben is doing is he's betting on himself.
Speaker 5: He's betting that in year one with New Orleans, he
Speaker 5: can have the type of year that has him re-sign
Speaker 5: at a higher value in New Orleans or go somewhere else.
Speaker 2: I mean, Benedict's a wonderful player.
Speaker 1: I mean.
Speaker 2: He's a favorite of mine.
Speaker 5: And, John, what you have to think of, and we've
Speaker 5: seen it in sports, in any sport. To get a
Speaker 5: good player or a great player like the Pacers, I think,
Speaker 5: got in Evita Zubats, you have to give up a
Speaker 5: really good player, right?
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I mean, that's just how it works. And so I
Speaker 5: think for Benedict Matherin, as you looked at the way
Speaker 5: the Pacers are constructed, their starting five is set. It's Halliburton,
Speaker 5: it's Nembhard, it's Siakam, it's Neesmith, and it's Zubats. I'm
Speaker 5: sure Benedict Matherin wants to be a starter. He was
Speaker 5: coming off the bench with the Clippers. We'll have to
Speaker 5: wait and see what happens next. with him with the Pelicans,
Speaker 5: but there's no ill will from anybody against Benedict Mather,
Speaker 5: and he's a wonderful person, but that's the.
Speaker 2: Life and times in sports.
Speaker 1: How do you compare?
Speaker 4: We've yet to see Kelly Oubre in a Pacel uniform,
Speaker 4: but how would you compare the two?
Speaker 1: Because most notably, people are saying, well.
Speaker 4: Now, Kelly Oubre comes in, and he's more expensive than
Speaker 4: Matherin was as a restricted free agent going down betting
Speaker 4: on himself at New Orleans. How do you view those
Speaker 4: two players in the midst of this Pacer team?
Speaker 5: Well, just from a person standpoint, again, I think Kelly
Speaker 5: Oubre will be very comfortable coming off the bench in
Speaker 5: a six-man role. Is that something that Benedict Matherin wanted
Speaker 5: wherever he was, whether it's with the Pacers? With the Clippers,
Speaker 5: I don't know that. Only he knows that. But I
Speaker 5: think with what Kelly Oubre has done over the last
Speaker 5: number of years with the teams that he's played with, Philadelphia, Charlotte,
Speaker 5: he's put up some very consistent numbers, 14 points, five rebounds.
Speaker 2: He's a long defender.
Speaker 5: I think the Pacers are very happy to have somebody
Speaker 5: of Kelly Oubre's talents to bring off the bench.
Speaker 1: All right, more on that.
Speaker 4: We've got some pacer conversation because Chris is going to
Speaker 4: hang here for the entirety, man. We thank you for
Speaker 4: being a part of this and thank everybody out there
Speaker 4: as well. Now, before I get one more time to
Speaker 4: how you can be a part of this event today,
Speaker 4: I've got to get Rafael Sanchez on the show here
Speaker 4: in a minute.
Speaker 1: I hope he understands that. There's zero way.
Speaker 4: I'll tell you what, my brother, if you give me
Speaker 4: five minutes on the other side, all right, I've got
Speaker 4: to have Rafael Sanchez on this show here A couple
Speaker 4: of things. Mike Chappell had this. Everybody covering the Colts
Speaker 4: had this a little bit earlier today. We knew that
Speaker 4: there was going to be some sort of move. Makai
Speaker 4: Blackman was a guy that they acquired, I think, going
Speaker 4: back to 2025.
Speaker 1: I believe, a year ago in August.
Speaker 4: For a six rounder. And certainly he looked a lot
Speaker 4: better today. in the games a year ago than what
Speaker 4: he had so far in the preseason. And with the
Speaker 4: way he looked in the preseason, he was waived, and
Speaker 4: the Colts signed Kenneth Harris a little bit earlier today.
Speaker 4: So a shuffle of sorts in the cornerback room for
Speaker 4: the Colts.
Speaker 1: Mooney Ward.
Speaker 4: Was meeting with the media earlier today, and the good news,
Speaker 4: he is back at practice, back feeling good after the
Speaker 4: Tuesday gathering.
Speaker 1: He expects to be ready for the opener.
Speaker 4: So that's the news coming from The Colts a little
Speaker 4: bit earlier today and stuff we're going to follow. We've
Speaker 4: got Matt Taylor coming up on the show, Kevin Bowen
Speaker 4: on the show, Brian Baldinger is going to join us
Speaker 4: a little bit later on, Marlon Jackson coming up a
Speaker 4: little bit later on.
Speaker 1: So it is a heavy show with conversation.
Speaker 4: And, again, this reminder, when you're at the checkout, and
Speaker 4: in a variety of Kroger locations throughout the state of Indiana,
Speaker 4: but certainly right here off of Logan Street in Noblesville,
Speaker 4: you can round up at Kroger Checkouts to donate.
Speaker 1: To the American Red Cross.
Speaker 4: And again, all donations go directly to those here locally
Speaker 4: that need the funding and need the relief because of
Speaker 4: the floods of a week ago. You can also donate
Speaker 4: through texting keyword GIVE to 317-239-1070. And 1075thefan. com, you can
Speaker 4: donate there as well. So that's why we're here today,
Speaker 4: and we want to thank you guys for being a
Speaker 4: part of it. Help in the heartland, the Noblesville Kroger
Speaker 4: off of Logan Street.
Speaker 1: In Noblesville.
Speaker 4: Chris rejoins on the other side. We're going to get
Speaker 4: Raphael on here coming up, too. And again, a loaded show.
Speaker 4: We're just looking for you. I need to have some
Speaker 4: audience participation by God right here. We're giving and having
Speaker 4: a good time doing it. We've got Chris Denary here,
Speaker 4: so come on out and join us. Logan Street, Kroger,
Speaker 4: for a tremendous cause on this Wednesday afternoon. Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 4: It's 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan. but on the Andy
Speaker 4: Moore Automotive Group hotline, friend of the show. He was
Speaker 4: out here along with James Boyd a little bit earlier
Speaker 4: this morning, a part of the Fan Morning Show.
Speaker 1: Kevin Bowen with a lot of Colts news today. I
Speaker 1: think some significant stuff, right?
Speaker 4: With Blackman being waved and kind of shuffling the deck
Speaker 4: in that secondary defensively for the Colts, and then the
Speaker 4: words of Cherverius Ward.
Speaker 1: Interesting out there, to say the least, correct? Yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I guess.
Speaker 6: Alec Pierce-Watts, that seems to be the top of mind
Speaker 6: for everybody, still not practicing. Just to update everybody on that.
Speaker 6: So that now continues here. Deep into August, they'll practice tomorrow.
Speaker 6: It's usually the lightest practice of the week. If he
Speaker 6: doesn't go tomorrow, then I don't think anything until Tuesday.
Speaker 6: So you're starting to get a little closer to September 13th. But, yeah,
Speaker 6: as far as roster news, like you said, Makai Blackman
Speaker 6: was cut. For those not really familiar with Makai Blackman,
Speaker 6: he actually played the most snaps of any corner. on
Speaker 6: the football team last year. But for those that have
Speaker 6: watched the preseason, you saw why he was cut. He
Speaker 6: was struggling mightily in coverage and with penalties. So yeah,
Speaker 6: roster move there. I'm trying to think what else. Josh
Speaker 6: Downs missed with a calf injury. And yeah, Keenan Allen
Speaker 6: had a bunch of catches at today's practice.
Speaker 1: I'm curious your thoughts on Alec Pierce.
Speaker 4: Is there a deadline for you in mind to make
Speaker 4: sure that there's nothing being compromised to start this season
Speaker 4: as far as this practice return? Are you comfortable in
Speaker 4: your feeling maybe more so than you were a couple
Speaker 4: of days ago?
Speaker 6: It's starting to wane a little bit. I think Tuesday
Speaker 6: is vital or next week is vital for him to
Speaker 6: be practicing. I mean, that would leave him two full
Speaker 6: weeks behind. Now the question would become, OK, assuming he
Speaker 6: practices for two full weeks, how effective can he be
Speaker 6: on September 13th and how much can he play? You know,
Speaker 6: Pierce plays a ton of snaps. You know, he would
Speaker 6: out snap Michael Pittman Jr., you know, I think often. And,
Speaker 6: you know, even though he didn't have maybe a ton
Speaker 6: of catches, he was still playing well. Virtually every offensive snap.
Speaker 6: And so, you know, that's such a weapon. It's such
Speaker 6: a threat when you have him out there, even if
Speaker 6: you're not necessarily throwing the ball to him, you know,
Speaker 6: every other play. So that would probably become my other question. Again,
Speaker 6: how effective would he be week one? And then how
Speaker 6: much is he playing?
Speaker 1: Just period.
Speaker 6: But yeah, I would say Tuesday, John. Yeah, I kind
Speaker 6: of thought this week, you know, that would be three
Speaker 6: full weeks. That would be plenty of time. You start
Speaker 6: to get to next week and it's typically a light week.
Speaker 6: in the NFL that week just before Labor Day. And
Speaker 6: then you get into regular season mode after that. So, yeah,
Speaker 6: the time is starting to tick just a hair faster,
Speaker 6: I would say.
Speaker 5: Kevin, it looked like reading online that Daniel Jones had
Speaker 5: another good practice today. And, you know, from my perspective
Speaker 5: with the Pacers, of course, you have the two leaders
Speaker 5: of your teams, Daniel Jones, Tyrese Halliburton, both coming back
Speaker 5: from Achilles injuries. What's impressed you the most about watching
Speaker 5: Daniel Jones here in training camp?
Speaker 6: Well, first off, great to hear the voice of my
Speaker 6: basketball coach growing up, and I hope the boys are
Speaker 6: well and the grandkids are well.
Speaker 7: Yeah, Daniel Jones had a really nice day.
Speaker 6: Yeah, he was 19 to 24 from a very unofficial standpoint.
Speaker 6: But one thing we've noted kind of in training camp,
Speaker 6: when they have been hurt at the skill positions, and
Speaker 6: today he practiced without Alec Pierce, without Josh Downs, without
Speaker 6: Tyler Warren– the defense has pretty much dominated those days.
Speaker 6: I would not say that was the case at all today.
Speaker 6: And again, Keenan Allen had probably five or six catches
Speaker 6: and he had a big deep ball. Jones did do
Speaker 6: a Laquan Treadwell with a sauce gardener and combine them.
Speaker 7: But yeah, the most.
Speaker 6: Impressive thing to Jones, I think it's just been the
Speaker 6: amount of work he's done. You know, the fact that
Speaker 6: he has taken literally every single starting rep, I think
Speaker 6: today was the 15th practice we've watched so far. Um,
Speaker 6: But I thought Tyrese– I'm sure you caught the comments.
Speaker 6: I thought Tyrese's comments Monday night were, per usual from him,
Speaker 6: just very honest about their differences in the rehabs in
Speaker 6: that you look at a calendar and Tyrese will be
Speaker 6: 16 months removed when we get to October, whatever it is, 21st,
Speaker 6: whereas Daniel will be nine months removed when the Colts
Speaker 6: get to September 13th. And Ty was saying on Monday–
Speaker 6: You know, it's amazing to me how different I felt
Speaker 6: at 10 months versus 13 months. Just what three months
Speaker 6: can do for you in this rehab. Yes, at 10 months,
Speaker 6: did Tyrese think he could play basketball? Yeah, he did.
Speaker 6: But again, he's made comments before that even some of
Speaker 6: the practice guys were kind of getting the best of
Speaker 6: him on the offensive end of the floor three or
Speaker 6: four months ago, whereas now he feels a lot different.
Speaker 6: So I think that'll be kind of the looming question
Speaker 6: then with Jones is when you get to the regular season,
Speaker 6: it's one thing to play. Again, it's another thing to
Speaker 6: be himself. And and how much does he feel himself
Speaker 6: early in the season? And then how much better does
Speaker 6: he feel as the season moves along?
Speaker 1: Kevin Bowen fan morning show is Kevin James. We're out
Speaker 1: here a little bit earlier today.
Speaker 4: Noblesville Kroger off of Logan Street. It is help in
Speaker 4: the heartland. A couple of ways, at least without coming
Speaker 4: out here, which. We object to we want to see
Speaker 4: you out here and we want to see you donate
Speaker 4: at checkout. Whatever amount you possibly can will be great.
Speaker 4: All staying in central Indiana with the American Red Cross
Speaker 4: to benefit those here in central Indiana that have been
Speaker 4: suffering through the floods. of well over a week ago now. Now,
Speaker 4: if you can't make it out here, it's disappointing, but understandable.
Speaker 1: 317-239-1070.
Speaker 4: The keyword is give there, or you can also donate 1075thefan.
Speaker 1: Com. It is called Help in the Heartland.
Speaker 4: Again, Logan Street, Kroger in Noblesville with Chris Denary, JMV
Speaker 4: here in the afternoon on Wednesday on The Fan.
Speaker 1: How do you view going into last year, for example?
Speaker 4: And then we saw just how good they were up until,
Speaker 4: you know, obviously they were compromised with the injury to
Speaker 4: their quarterback. How do you view what they have this
Speaker 4: year going into this season compared to how you felt
Speaker 4: about that team dynamic this time a year ago?
Speaker 7: Good question.
Speaker 6: Um, You know, I'm trying to think what my win law.
Speaker 6: I think I had them right around nine last year.
Speaker 6: I probably won't be overwhelmingly different this year. You know, offensively, obviously,
Speaker 6: I didn't think Daniel Jones and that unit would look
Speaker 6: historically as good as it did. That was certainly the
Speaker 6: big outlier. Defensively, it was probably worse than maybe I thought,
Speaker 6: and that's kind of where the gap was closed to
Speaker 6: get to a.
Speaker 7: Similar win total, and obviously the injuries played into it.
Speaker 6: I think defensively it's kind of more the volatile unit,
Speaker 6: you know, if you put injuries to the side of,
Speaker 6: you know, if Latu takes a third-year jump and if
Speaker 6: those corners stay healthy, you know, could you really have
Speaker 6: something that was, you know, certainly not what you.
Speaker 7: Had last year?
Speaker 6: You know, like I thought the Lou Anarumo defense in
Speaker 6: year one was probably a little bit too much bend
Speaker 6: but don't break for his liking. I think he wants
Speaker 6: to be more aggressive. I think he wants to play
Speaker 6: man coverage with these corners. And I think he wants
Speaker 6: to bring the house when those opportunities do arise. So
Speaker 6: is that more of a playmaking defense? Is that more of,
Speaker 6: you know, a little bit, you know, risk reward too.
Speaker 6: But yeah, it just seems like, and I'm trying not
Speaker 6: to go off of Saturday's preseason game, but it's just,
Speaker 6: you're just banking on a lot, a lot of health situations.
Speaker 6: And I just worry about the depth of, at those
Speaker 6: spots and you hear Javerius Ward's comments today about managing
Speaker 6: back pain and, you know, any 30 year old playing
Speaker 6: in the NFL, managing back pain for 17 weeks, you know,
Speaker 6: even putting his injury situation to.
Speaker 7: The side, I think would be difficult. So, you know,
Speaker 7: it's just those bets. It's Jones.
Speaker 6: It's, you know, we have the receiver position, maybe a
Speaker 6: little bit of Buckner. That's just a lot at some
Speaker 6: of your most important players in the roster.
Speaker 4: Kev, I have you here. You cover everything, but certainly
Speaker 4: the Colts right now. I have Kristen Neri here, the
Speaker 4: voice of the Pacers. This has been my thought all along.
Speaker 4: They're similar but different for a reason to me. The Pacers,
Speaker 4: you bring everybody back, or what is kind of the
Speaker 4: damning quote around here, running it back. But if you're
Speaker 4: the Pacers and you're Kevin Pritchard to Chad Buchanan and
Speaker 4: Rick Carlisle, you do that for a reason because you've
Speaker 4: seen the results. You've seen how close it was, and
Speaker 4: you believe in that. With the Colts, you basically bring
Speaker 4: some folks back, the most legitimate pieces to this puzzle
Speaker 4: back this year because you didn't have much of a choice.
Speaker 4: So it's weird how you're kind of forced to believe
Speaker 4: in what the Colts are doing right now because there's
Speaker 4: really no other alternative if you do bring everybody back
Speaker 4: or run it back, especially organizationally and coaching-wise.
Speaker 1: But with the Pacers, you have a belief because you.
Speaker 4: in the core group and what they accomplished and what
Speaker 4: they could still accomplish with Tyrese Halliburton and his return
Speaker 4: together it is a very interesting dynamic you you put
Speaker 4: those two pieces together with the Pacers and the Colts
Speaker 4: at all in that particular fashion.
Speaker 6: Yeah I can I can hear where that's coming from
Speaker 6: I mean obviously the Pacers have earned trust of their
Speaker 6: fan base that the Colts would dream of you know
Speaker 6: just from what Kevin Pritchard has done In building this
Speaker 6: championship contender, I would argue, too, the Pacers have probably
Speaker 6: added a little bit more, depending on how you feel
Speaker 6: about Ibiza Zubats. But, you know, they've added a little
Speaker 6: bit more to that. You know, that's why I think
Speaker 6: there's a misconception about the Colts season. You know, when
Speaker 6: you hear the phrase run it back, I understand where
Speaker 6: people come from. Granted, they did lose probably a handful
Speaker 6: of rather notable players in terms of just pure starts,
Speaker 6: whether that's Braden Smith or Michael Pittman Jr. or Quiddie
Speaker 6: Paye or Zaire Franklin or Kenny Moore or Nick Cross.
Speaker 6: It's just the replacements for those. Okay, Miles Turner, for example,
Speaker 6: he'd fall into one of those categories of those Colts
Speaker 6: players I just named, but the thought there is you've
Speaker 6: replaced him with better. I think there's a debate about, again,
Speaker 6: how much better are you at some of these departing
Speaker 6: names that we're seeing here. Is Michael Pittman Jr. and
Speaker 6: Keenan Allen a wash? Is Braden Smith and Jalen Travis
Speaker 6: a wash? Is Zyre Franklin, I don't even see, you
Speaker 6: can say CJ Allen, I don't think he's going to
Speaker 6: be a week one starter. Is, you know, Zyre Franklin
Speaker 6: and Akeem Davis Gaither a wash? You know, those are
Speaker 6: some of the questions that I think you have. Whereas
Speaker 6: with the Pacers, again, first off, they have deserved earned
Speaker 6: trust with their fan base and such belief in their
Speaker 6: head coach. in their core, you know, comparing Rick Carlisle
Speaker 6: and Shane Steichen's resumes would be a bit ludicrous to do.
Speaker 6: And then obviously they've added a guy like Zubat to,
Speaker 6: you know, many believe is an upgrade over what they
Speaker 6: had at center in the previous run.
Speaker 5: Especially, John and Kevin, what you talk about all the time, John,
Speaker 5: is what Tyrese Halliburton means to the franchise. And what
Speaker 5: we saw off the floor, what he did to bring
Speaker 5: back a sellout crowd at Victory Field and just the
Speaker 5: love that he has for the organization. and for the city,
Speaker 5: and for the fans, but importantly, what he does on
Speaker 5: the floor. I mean, I have been captivated at times
Speaker 5: going back to YouTube and watching two years ago some
Speaker 5: of the performances that he has had. in big game situations,
Speaker 5: whether it was a key regular season game, but more importantly,
Speaker 5: in that playoff run against the Bucs, the Knicks, the Cavs,
Speaker 5: and the Thunder. And so that gives you, it's not
Speaker 5: just hope, Kevin, as you said.
Speaker 2: You've seen it.
Speaker 5: I mean, the Pacers have proven it.
Speaker 2: Over a two-year period.
Speaker 5: And what, to a man, they want to do is show, hey,
Speaker 5: last year was a blip on the radar. We weren't healthy.
Speaker 5: We had all kinds of different lineup combinations, I think, approaching, what,
Speaker 5: 30 to 40 different starting lineups or whatever it was.
Speaker 5: So I think with that, to your point, is Chad
Speaker 5: Buchanan has said, look, we owe it to this group
Speaker 5: to bring them back and let them have another run
Speaker 5: at it because they were so close two years ago.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 6: And again, I mean, just playoff runs, like even if
Speaker 6: you remove the run to game seven, I mean, how
Speaker 6: about the year before, you know, you won two playoff series.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 6: You then, you know, I know the Boston series ended
Speaker 6: in a sweep, but I mean, you got to the
Speaker 6: Eastern Conference finals. I mean, again, to update everybody on
Speaker 6: the Colts and their recent playoff run, it's 11 years
Speaker 6: without a division title. It's eight years without a playoff
Speaker 6: win and it's five years without a playoff appearance in
Speaker 6: a league where 14 of the 30 team, 40, 14
Speaker 6: of the 32, you know, make it, you know, they've,
Speaker 6: they've up the, the playoff, participants to seven.
Speaker 7: They did that back during the COVID year.
Speaker 6: So now it's, you know, seven of 16 at each conference.
Speaker 6: So it should be, you know, it is easier than
Speaker 6: what it was prior to 2020. So, you know, I
Speaker 6: just think there is some, you know, when you get
Speaker 6: to April, May, June basketball, it's different. When you get
Speaker 6: to January football, it's different. And, you know, this group
Speaker 6: of Colts obviously isn't yet to be there. So I
Speaker 6: think that's another big, big difference in all this.
Speaker 4: Hey, Kev, very quickly, James and Caleb and I played
Speaker 4: last night at Center Grove, and Trace Jackson Davis played
Speaker 4: with us, and then today his younger brother, Taven Jackson,
Speaker 4: was named the starting quarterback, which we felt all along
Speaker 4: was going to be the case. North Texas, they score
Speaker 4: off against the defending national champion football Hoosiers in game
Speaker 4: number one. How interesting is that dynamic going to be
Speaker 4: for you? I know this football is back and talking
Speaker 4: about you being a defending national champion is just weird
Speaker 4: enough the way that it is, but and a former Hoosier,
Speaker 4: former center Grover, and all that going into Bloomington in
Speaker 4: week number one.
Speaker 7: Yeah, James and I.
Speaker 6: Were talking about that earlier, just how, you know, Taven
Speaker 6: Jackson is kind of this, he's almost this forgotten character
Speaker 6: at times in all of this IU talk. You know,
Speaker 6: if you want to go back to the Brendan Sorsby conversation,
Speaker 6: wasn't it him and Brendan Sorsby competing for the starting
Speaker 6: job years ago? Can you imagine how things could have
Speaker 6: been different had Sorsby won that? And then again, he's
Speaker 6: Curtis Rourke's backup. I think he started a game.
Speaker 7: If I remember correctly.
Speaker 6: He didn't Rourke injure his thumb late in the season.
Speaker 6: And I think Taven started a game or two there late.
Speaker 6: And then obviously, you know, he transfers and here he's
Speaker 6: coming back for that game. So, yeah, I would say,
Speaker 6: you know, Honestly, you could be starting for North Texas
Speaker 6: and I'd be thrilled to be talking about college football
Speaker 6: and not talking about everything else that goes on with
Speaker 6: college football.
Speaker 7: But yes, that is definitely an added storyline.
Speaker 6: And I would imagine one that Taven and his brother
Speaker 6: and many others down there on the south side will
Speaker 6: be paying attention to come noon next Saturday.
Speaker 4: A good friend, Ray, too, who is just an excellent dude.
Speaker 4: It's going to be interesting. It's a good way to
Speaker 4: put it right there. Kev, I appreciate it. Thanks for
Speaker 4: you and Jane for being out here earlier today. And
Speaker 4: thanks for the conversation on this Wednesday, pal.
Speaker 1: We appreciate it.
Speaker 7: You boys look great on the Zoom. Chris, as I said,
Speaker 7: best to you and the family. And tell Evan and
Speaker 7: company I said hi.
Speaker 3: Thanks.
Speaker 1: I will. Thank you, bud. That's Kevin Bowen right there,
Speaker 1: Fan Morning Show.
Speaker 4: To discuss that and more around the NFL from the
Speaker 4: NFL Network, you see him really all over, too, and
Speaker 4: you can find him on social media platforms. For example,
Speaker 4: you can find him on X with a lot of
Speaker 4: his breakdown and a lot of his videos at Baldy NFL.
Speaker 4: Brian Baldinger is with us now. Brian, thank you for
Speaker 4: the time today.
Speaker 1: How are you, pal?
Speaker 3: I'm good, guys. Good to be with you, man. Good
Speaker 3: listening to you here. Glad to join you.
Speaker 1: I want to start here.
Speaker 4: Your impression on the Colts offensively being able to be
Speaker 4: as good, as prominent this season as they were before
Speaker 4: the Daniel Jones injury of a year ago?
Speaker 3: I think they have a chance. I mean, you know,
Speaker 3: they just gave Alec Pierce a big fat contract, and
Speaker 3: Kyler Warren comes back for a second year. They rebuilt
Speaker 3: their offensive line last year. Jonathan Taylor had a great season.
Speaker 3: Daniel Jones was playing great up until the injury. Really
Speaker 3: great up until Pittsburgh. I think they were 8-1 or
Speaker 3: 8-2 when they went to Pittsburgh. It seemed like it
Speaker 3: was kind of downhill from there. Obviously, once the injury
Speaker 3: took over, they had trouble winning the football game. I
Speaker 3: think they could return. The one thing about Daniel, those
Speaker 3: first eight or ten games, he was as accurate as
Speaker 3: I've ever seen him. And the deep ball was in play.
Speaker 3: The big chunk plays were in play. He never played
Speaker 3: better in the first 10 games last year. And just
Speaker 3: watching him. out of Graham Park this summer and talking
Speaker 3: to him, you can't really tell that he had the injury.
Speaker 3: And so that's a good sign right now.
Speaker 5: Brian, this is Chris Denary, voice of the Pacers on
Speaker 5: DAZN coming up. But a longtime NFL fan, of course,
Speaker 5: have followed the Colts since they moved back in the 80s.
Speaker 2: You're an offensive lineman.
Speaker 5: You look at the great strength of this current Colts team.
Speaker 5: You look at the five guys that are going to
Speaker 5: throw out there and start in front of Jonathan Taylor
Speaker 5: and Daniel Jones. How impressed are you with with the
Speaker 5: potential of this Colts offensive line?
Speaker 3: Well, I'm really impressed. I mean, you know, to be
Speaker 3: able to... Change out some really good players there for
Speaker 3: Bortolini and Gonsalves. Rebuild that offense line. We're going to
Speaker 3: see what Jalen Travis looks like this year. Replacing a
Speaker 3: pretty good player, Braden Smith. That's going to be where
Speaker 3: all eyes are going. But obviously it starts with Quinton inside.
Speaker 3: But I feel like they've got a lot of continuity
Speaker 3: there except for the right tackle. They're very well coached.
Speaker 3: They're a great offensive line coach. You know, Johnson Taylor
Speaker 3: was just awesome last year. Led the league in, you know,
Speaker 3: rushing touchdowns and rushing attempts and had, you know, probably
Speaker 3: the second best season ever. Like, they should be very good.
Speaker 1: Up front, you know.
Speaker 3: We'll see what, you know, what Giddens looks like, you know,
Speaker 3: as a backup and taking some carries off him, maybe
Speaker 3: what McGowan can give him. But I expect it to
Speaker 3: be very good. They've got continuity there. They're well coached,
Speaker 3: and they've got good players up front.
Speaker 1: Brian Baldinger joins us again at Baldy NFL.
Speaker 4: You can find a lot of his video work and
Speaker 4: breakdowns on social media.
Speaker 1: I look at the start of the schedule. What's that?
Speaker 1: Sorry about that.
Speaker 4: I look at the start of the regular season for
Speaker 4: the Colts.
Speaker 1: There's no gimme's. There's no gimme's anywhere. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 4: But you start with Baltimore, for example, on the road
Speaker 4: to Kansas City on a Sunday night, Houston, and then
Speaker 4: on the road in London, Jaden Daniels, Washington, Pittsburgh after that.
Speaker 1: You feel comfortable about them?
Speaker 4: If they're able to navigate that, not get buried by that,
Speaker 4: do you feel comfortable about the remainder of their schedule
Speaker 4: and what they might be able to do accomplishment-wise within
Speaker 4: the AFC South this year?
Speaker 3: The AFC South, it's a different conference, different division than
Speaker 3: what it's been. I mean, Jacksonville won 13 games. That
Speaker 3: defense is stout. Houston has the best defense in football.
Speaker 3: That's no joke. The Ravens have been that team. They
Speaker 3: weren't last year. We'll see if they get back to
Speaker 3: their ways. Just watching Kansas City two weeks ago, you
Speaker 3: can't tell that Patrick Mahomes had a surgery. Like, he literally,
Speaker 3: he's going to start, he's coming off a Monday night game.
Speaker 3: When you see him against Denver to open the season,
Speaker 3: so it's a short week for them. But honestly, you
Speaker 3: can't project any of this stuff. You know, the Ravens
Speaker 3: might be really good, but we don't know what Lamar
Speaker 3: and Derrick Henry are going to look like with a
Speaker 3: new coach and a new system and a new coach,
Speaker 3: a new offense coordinator, offense line coach. It's all new there.
Speaker 3: Kansas City is completely rebuilding their defense. I don't know
Speaker 3: how good they're going to be early in the season. So,
Speaker 3: you know, you've got to be ready to play. But
Speaker 3: the fact is... you know, just watching last week's game
Speaker 3: against Atlanta, like nobody's playing. So, you know, I'm comfortable
Speaker 3: saying that September is the new August. And so you're
Speaker 3: going to find out what you have and what you
Speaker 3: don't have in some of those matchups you talk about
Speaker 3: to start the season and what you need to get
Speaker 3: better at, what you need to fix and, and how
Speaker 3: you better, you know, figure out ways to win games.
Speaker 3: But again, You're not going to know until you go
Speaker 3: against Baltimore on September 13th and see Kansas City on
Speaker 3: that Sunday night. You're going to be trying to figure
Speaker 3: out your team in those first couple weeks.
Speaker 5: Brian, are you amazed to see, and you mentioned it
Speaker 5: with Patrick Mahomes coming back from that knee injury. Colts,
Speaker 5: of course, have Daniel Jones recovering from the Achilles injury.
Speaker 5: In all your years after you played, just what the
Speaker 5: doctors can do now and players returning much quicker than
Speaker 5: they used to from significant injuries like ACLs or Achilles?
Speaker 3: I'm absolutely amazed. I saw Daniel Jones, like I said
Speaker 3: a couple weeks ago, talk to him. These guys attack
Speaker 3: rehab now. It's not maybe like it used to be,
Speaker 3: but it's all day, every day.
Speaker 1: But that doesn't... make.
Speaker 3: The injury feel better. Sometimes, sometimes you need it to
Speaker 3: rest a little bit, but I am amazed at seeing
Speaker 3: those two quarterbacks move around and watch them practice. And like,
Speaker 3: there's no giddy up. There's no, you know, nobody's limping. Nobody,
Speaker 3: they all look like they're as good as new. So
Speaker 3: I am amazed, completely amazed. And maybe my home's a
Speaker 3: little bit more just because that was two major knee
Speaker 3: ligaments that he had repaired. I talked to their trainers
Speaker 3: in Kansas city about it and what he did, but yeah,
Speaker 3: Both quarterbacks look ready to go. Now, are the injuries
Speaker 3: completely healed? It looks like it, but who's to really say?
Speaker 3: So I hope that they're healed and they're ready for
Speaker 3: a 17-game schedule.
Speaker 4: Brian Baldinger, who joins us, is the biggest difference in
Speaker 4: what you witnessed with Daniel Jones while he's in New
Speaker 4: York compared to just that portion of high-level football he
Speaker 4: played for Shane Steichen with the Colts before that injury
Speaker 4: last year? Is the biggest difference that of his relationship
Speaker 4: and the coaching ability, offensively speaking, of Shane Steichen here?
Speaker 3: I think it reflects well on Shane. He did similar
Speaker 3: things in Philadelphia. He's an aggressive guy. He wants to
Speaker 3: take his shots, and they did last year. They're going
Speaker 3: to be without a really good player that went on
Speaker 3: to Pittsburgh, but that's life in the NFL. Josh Downs
Speaker 3: can step up. I think Ty Warren has a chance
Speaker 3: for a really good season. But, but Shane is, he
Speaker 3: knows how to protect and he knows how to attack defenses.
Speaker 3: We saw even last week in a preseason game, I
Speaker 3: saw that kid Coleman Cohen, Owen, that's a big 40
Speaker 3: yard pass down. And like the way that they attack
Speaker 3: that defense in Atlanta. it's pretty good. That'd be tough
Speaker 3: to cover by just about anybody. And so he's going
Speaker 3: to get guys open. Can you anticipate the throw? Can
Speaker 3: you make the throw? Can you complete a pass like
Speaker 3: Riley did to Owen there for 40 yards? Can you
Speaker 3: make the play when it's there? The plays I think
Speaker 3: are going.
Speaker 1: To be there.
Speaker 3: How he got Ty Warren open, from the fullback position
Speaker 3: into the flat sometimes last year. I feel like he's
Speaker 3: a very creative play caller and designer.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned Michael Pittman Jr.
Speaker 4: Going to Pittsburgh, and with that they bring in Keenan Allen,
Speaker 4: the veteran wide receiver.
Speaker 1: As of last week, I'm curious your thoughts.
Speaker 4: He normally rolls out of bed no matter what age
Speaker 4: and produces to the level in which a team wants.
Speaker 1: Would you expect that?
Speaker 4: Him to be that firm results wise as a wide
Speaker 4: receiver in Shane Steichen's offense this season Keenan.
Speaker 3: Has always been very quarterback friendly. He's a great route runner.
Speaker 3: Not everybody is. He knows how to, I think at
Speaker 3: his age and the amount of games he's played, he's
Speaker 3: probably best suited for the slot, which is where Josh
Speaker 3: Downs is. But, you know, maybe they come up with
Speaker 3: different packages right now. And he's excellent at beating them.
Speaker 3: And that's been his specialty since he came into this league.
Speaker 3: And for that, the way that he does it with
Speaker 3: the type of routes that he runs that he's really
Speaker 3: good at, it's quarterback friendly. He's going to get separation
Speaker 3: from the defender. So I think there's a place for
Speaker 3: him in this offense. I don't know that he can
Speaker 3: do what Pitt did on the outside. I don't know
Speaker 3: that he can run like that. But at the same time,
Speaker 3: he is a guy that is a big receiver, and
Speaker 3: he does win his one-on-ones. And so there's a place
Speaker 3: for those guys in this league.
Speaker 4: You referenced, too, Brian, Alec Pierce a little bit earlier,
Speaker 4: coming back from an off-season surgery, but getting the high dollars,
Speaker 4: the extension, and a lot of money. And prior to,
Speaker 4: you know, as far as catching the football, especially getting
Speaker 4: down the field and doing that, he was really good.
Speaker 4: But now you have to become more of a well-rounded
Speaker 4: wide receiver, and you're going to be the target, the
Speaker 4: absolute target of everybody. How do you think once he
Speaker 4: gets healthy and is back playing again, he responds to
Speaker 4: all of that? And certainly more so than the money
Speaker 4: and everything else, but the newfound bullseye that he's going
Speaker 4: to have week after week with defenses trying to take
Speaker 4: something away from him.
Speaker 3: Well, I mean, he only caught 47 passes. Now, he
Speaker 3: averaged over 20 yards a catch. That got him over 1,000.
Speaker 3: He's a big play receiver. He's not a volume receiver.
Speaker 3: You're not probably going to target him 12 times like
Speaker 3: you would some other receivers in this league. You've got
Speaker 3: to make the targets count. That's what they've done with him.
Speaker 3: That's what they did with him last year. To your point,
Speaker 3: when you've got the target on your back and you
Speaker 3: get the money, you're going to get brackets. You're going
Speaker 3: to get number one corners. You're going to get a
Speaker 3: lot of attention. And we got to see how he
Speaker 3: handles it. Now, he's a guy that runs well, really well.
Speaker 3: And so we got to see how he handles that attention.
Speaker 3: Not everybody does. But he also is the guy that
Speaker 3: doesn't get targeted a lot. in a lot of games,
Speaker 3: it doesn't seem to bother him. He'll, he'll catch the
Speaker 3: one for 30 and take the top off the defense
Speaker 3: and be maybe content with two catches, but a big touchdown,
Speaker 3: a big play that flips field position, whatever. That's kind
Speaker 3: of the type of guy he's been. So I think
Speaker 3: it's still going to go to a lot of other players,
Speaker 3: but you know, when, when they need the chunks, like
Speaker 3: that's the, that's going to be the guy that we're
Speaker 3: going to go to and we'll see how he handles
Speaker 3: the attention that he gets.
Speaker 4: You referenced, too, both Jacksonville and Houston within the AFC South, Brian.
Speaker 4: And one is with Houston, the defense, which can be dominant.
Speaker 4: But now there's some questions surrounding C.J.
Speaker 1: Stroud. Your thoughts on the Texans quarterback?
Speaker 4: And then, again, are we going to see another move
Speaker 4: toward even more results with Trevor Lawrence in year number two,
Speaker 4: which seemed to work out incredibly well for him and
Speaker 4: that Jacksonville offense under Liam Cohen?
Speaker 3: Well, I mean, look, Houston is the best defense in football,
Speaker 3: and they just brought a number one pick in a
Speaker 3: defense attack, and it's pretty good. There's no answer for
Speaker 3: Will Anderson Jr. and the way he plays the game,
Speaker 3: the way that D'Amico calls the game. It's aggressive.
Speaker 1: Now, C.J.
Speaker 3: Is going to be as good as the guys around him,
Speaker 3: and that's true of most quarterbacks. They fired the offensive coordinator,
Speaker 3: offensive line coaches twice since he's been there. They got
Speaker 3: the same group now coming back this year. They let
Speaker 3: one of the best left tackles in football go, Laramie Tunsil.
Speaker 3: If you replace him with a rookie tackle, no quarterback
Speaker 3: is going to be better being replaced by a rookie
Speaker 3: tackle and letting Laramie Tunsil go. So I'm defending CJ
Speaker 3: because it's not really fair. And they ran the ball
Speaker 3: in a playoff loss to New England. They ran the
Speaker 3: ball for all of 42 yards. He's not going to
Speaker 3: be better if they can run the ball for 42 yards.
Speaker 3: So they need to get better. They need the running
Speaker 3: game to be better for CJ to be better for Jacksonville.
Speaker 3: That was quite a turnaround. And that, That coach Campanile,
Speaker 3: that coach defense, they were awful the year before. They
Speaker 3: let guys run free all over the field every week.
Speaker 3: It was embarrassing. This Campanile is a good coach, and
Speaker 3: they really fix things all the way through defensively. They
Speaker 3: lost Travis Etienne, which was a big part of their
Speaker 3: offense last year. They drafted two running backs last year,
Speaker 3: Bashaun Tootin, who they're going to ask to really step
Speaker 3: up this year. But honestly, they got better when they
Speaker 3: traded for Jacoby Myers. And, you know, they started going
Speaker 3: away from Brian Thomas. And, you know, they went to,
Speaker 3: you know, different guys like Parker Washington. And both those
Speaker 3: guys were difficult to stop. And the quarterback played the
Speaker 3: best he's ever played. I love Liam Cohen and what
Speaker 3: he has done to that team. I don't know if
Speaker 3: they're going to win 13 games, but when you can
Speaker 3: go into Denver and put up 30 on that defense
Speaker 3: last year like they did, that team was for real.
Speaker 4: All right, one final thing with Brian Baldinger with us. Again,
Speaker 4: Brian Baldinger, NFL Network. He does a variety of things,
Speaker 4: and you can see videos as well at Baldy NFL
Speaker 4: of him breaking down everything.
Speaker 1: You had video.
Speaker 4: Going back to end of the weekend of Harrison Butker
Speaker 4: hitting from 69. Obviously doesn't count because it's the preseason.
Speaker 1: I kind of want to play off my friend.
Speaker 4: Kristen Aries question about, you know, the evolution of medicine
Speaker 4: and getting players like Daniel Jones back and playing again
Speaker 4: as quickly as it has now. Is that more surprising
Speaker 4: or is it the leg strength and the accuracy of
Speaker 4: the modern day NFL place kicker in what we're seeing?
Speaker 3: Well, you know, you just had a kicker go to
Speaker 3: the Hall of Fame, and, you know, he couldn't. You
Speaker 3: would never put him out there and kick a 69-yard
Speaker 3: field goal. I mean, it's changed. You get to midfield now.
Speaker 3: There's kickers out there in Dallas, in Kansas City. You know,
Speaker 3: you could get points. It's completely changed the game. And so,
Speaker 3: you know, it used to be if it was fourth
Speaker 3: and sixth at the 50, you were trying to put
Speaker 3: the ball inside the 15-yard line. Now you're kicking off
Speaker 3: and you're getting three points. So it's changed. It's changed
Speaker 3: an awful lot. And those times with Bill Belichick, even
Speaker 3: with great kickers, never attempted. He went a year without
Speaker 3: attempting a 50-yard field goal. It was better to, you know,
Speaker 3: go play field position. Well, that's changed now. And the
Speaker 3: punters aren't much different. I was talking to McAfee just
Speaker 3: a couple of weeks ago about it. He goes, there's
Speaker 3: no such thing as out kicking your coverage, get better
Speaker 3: coverage guys, kick the damn ball as far as you
Speaker 3: can kick it. You know, that's, that was Pat's message
Speaker 3: to me. And it's, he's right. Like these guys are
Speaker 3: putting the ball in the air, 16, 70 yards right now.
Speaker 3: Like it's, it, you can flip field position, the pot game.
Speaker 3: You can get points on almost like if you get
Speaker 3: the ball at the 30 yard line, you get the
Speaker 3: ball to midfield with a buck or, you know, whatever.
Speaker 3: I mean, you come away with three points, get one
Speaker 3: first down.
Speaker 4: Hey, Brian, in closing here, how does that change coaching
Speaker 4: philosophies around the NFL with kickers and punters with that
Speaker 4: in mind?
Speaker 3: It changes a lot. I mean, just look what's going
Speaker 3: on in Denver right now. I mean, Davis Webb is
Speaker 3: calling plays, and Sean Payton is one of the great
Speaker 3: play callers. But in a playoff loss to Buffalo, he decided,
Speaker 3: with a backup quarterback, it was better to go for
Speaker 3: it on fourth and one rather than take the points,
Speaker 3: the field goal. You know, the weather came in, changed everything. Like,
Speaker 3: it changes a lot. It changes how you think about
Speaker 3: fourth downs. It changes what you think about on third
Speaker 3: down and 10 yards from the 50. And maybe you
Speaker 3: just play for the field goal or not. Or maybe
Speaker 3: you stay on the field because you don't have a
Speaker 3: guy that can do that. So it brings a lot
Speaker 3: more coaching decisions into play with what's going on right
Speaker 3: now and what these kickers can do and punchers can do.
Speaker 4: It's Brian Baldinger with us. I want people to track down, Al,
Speaker 4: you do so much in breaking down nearly everything. How
Speaker 4: can they track you down and where are we going
Speaker 4: to see you next?
Speaker 3: Well, I'm on ESPN now. I'm at ESPN, so I
Speaker 3: signed a new deal with them. So I'll be on
Speaker 3: a lot of their shows. And all these breakdowns will
Speaker 3: be front and center after every game all year long.
Speaker 3: And so you can follow me on all the social
Speaker 3: media platforms at Baldy NFL. And I'll still pop up
Speaker 3: on the NFL Network doing some things as well.
Speaker 1: Hey, we always have to end on your time here
Speaker 1: in Indy.
Speaker 4: How was that for you, looking back on that? Because
Speaker 4: we're a part of an effort right now, Hoosiers helping
Speaker 4: Hoosiers with the floods of last week.
Speaker 1: How was your time spent here in Indy back in
Speaker 1: the day?
Speaker 3: I say God bless America and Indianapolis four straight years
Speaker 3: in a row. I love playing there. I love the community.
Speaker 3: I'm a huge college basketball fan. I got to see
Speaker 3: Bobby Knight and IU were down there at Alumni Hall.
Speaker 3: I mean, I just dated a girl who was a
Speaker 3: cheerleader at Indiana.
Speaker 1: I mean, I loved... Living in.
Speaker 3: The state of Indiana, I thought, man, what a great
Speaker 3: place to raise kids, raise families. I love race month,
Speaker 3: the month of May. I can't say enough good things.
Speaker 3: I love the new airport in Indiana. I love being
Speaker 3: downtown in that city. I can't say enough good things
Speaker 3: about the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis.
Speaker 4: Brian Baldinger, the former Colts player. Check him out on ESPN.
Speaker 4: Just a variety of platforms, ESPN, socials, and even more.
Speaker 1: Breaking down the NFL.
Speaker 4: Before the season officially gets started on the Andy Moore
Speaker 4: Automotive Group hotline. Brian, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank
Speaker 4: you for hopping on here today. We shall do it
Speaker 4: again once things are real during the NFL season.
Speaker 3: Let's get to that place of real football, all right?
Speaker 3: I can't get there fast enough.
Speaker 1: You got it, pal. Thank you. Okay.
Speaker 3: Yep. You bet, guys. See you, man.
Speaker 4: Brian Baldinger on the Andy Moore Automotive Group hotline right there.