Speaker 1: Well, I love Jonathan. I mean he's he's I'm really
Speaker 1: proud of the leader that he's become on our team,
Speaker 1: and he's one of our pillars. His pictures on the
Speaker 1: stadium for a reason, and I would love it if
Speaker 1: he would be a cult for life.
Speaker 2: Carly ERSA.
Speaker 3: Gordon a little bit earlier today at Coach Camp drop
Speaker 3: light in Westfield at Grant Park.
Speaker 2: I'll be up there on the twentieth.
Speaker 3: And here's what's interesting right now, I'm going to get
Speaker 3: to the comment regarding Jonathan Taylor and his mood, which
Speaker 3: is kind of interesting too. We'll get to that coming
Speaker 3: up at a minute. But I know, Caleb, you said
Speaker 3: our next guest is going to be in town when
Speaker 3: next week's week? Yeah, so he's in Maryland. That's his
Speaker 3: home base is in Maryland. Correct, Virginia close on ID
Speaker 3: you eastern seaboard. Here's what's funny about it. His ass
Speaker 3: is going to be there before mine.
Speaker 2: I'm about that.
Speaker 3: I don't get up there until August the twentieth. On
Speaker 3: the Anymore Automotive Group potline. The first time he's been
Speaker 3: on with me. He's been on here a multitude of
Speaker 3: times throughout the station, but in the afternoon. I know
Speaker 3: Derek Schultz, his partner on Locked on Colts more than
Speaker 3: occasionally has had him on. Zach Hicks from Locked on
Speaker 3: Colts kind enough to join us now again on the
Speaker 3: Andy Moore Automotive Group potline. So you're gonna beat me
Speaker 3: here to camp coming from Virginia. That's not good.
Speaker 4: Yeah, man, we got to get out there. We got
Speaker 4: to get you out there a little bit earlier, man.
Speaker 4: But now it's all good. As long as you get
Speaker 4: to see a couple practices, then I think there's no
Speaker 4: issue with it.
Speaker 5: Right.
Speaker 4: You need a couple to really get a feel for things.
Speaker 2: Oh, it'll be great. They love yeah, they love it.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah.
Speaker 3: Chris will come sit right next to him and we'll
Speaker 3: have some dialogue for a while. We'll be thoroughly enjoying
Speaker 3: that moment. I'm sure, Zach. But you're getting here next week.
Speaker 3: I think you guys do a great job. You and
Speaker 3: Jake do a great job on breaking things down. I
Speaker 3: want to start right here and then get off to
Speaker 3: some of the points I know you've made in the past.
Speaker 3: I mention the attitude if you will right now, Jonathan Taylor.
Speaker 3: Jonathan Taylor looks like a dude that's coming to an
Speaker 3: end of the contract that believes that it's not going
Speaker 3: to be the end of his deal, that something is
Speaker 3: in the works here.
Speaker 2: Is that how it feels to you?
Speaker 5: Yeah, it definitely does.
Speaker 4: I mean we it's kind of funny because we have
Speaker 4: the experience of a couple of years ago, right where
Speaker 4: like all of that drama that we had with it
Speaker 4: coming into twenty twenty three, the culture coming off such
Speaker 4: a rough season and their star running back was wanting
Speaker 4: a new contract and it was just a weird spot
Speaker 4: that everybody was in and it was pretty played throughout
Speaker 4: the media and played throughout everything about all of camp,
Speaker 4: and it took a while to get that contract done.
Speaker 4: So there was speculation throughout, you know, all media spheres
Speaker 4: this offseason, like could we see another Jonathan Taylor hold out?
Speaker 4: He's done it in the past, it worked for him
Speaker 4: in the past, and now he's coming off like the
Speaker 4: most productive season he's had since twenty twenty one, and
Speaker 4: you know, he would have been in his right kind
Speaker 4: of to hold out and want more money for you know,
Speaker 4: for lack of a better term there. But yeah, it
Speaker 4: looks great like he's out there he's smiling, he's practicing.
Speaker 4: It looks like he's really happy with where he's at.
Speaker 4: He's talked about it, and Chris Ballard's talked about it,
Speaker 4: and Carli Er Sir Gordon's talked about it that they
Speaker 4: feel good with the direction.
Speaker 5: Everything's going with it.
Speaker 4: So it does seem like there have been some really
Speaker 4: good conversations behind the scenes about them progressing towards potentially
Speaker 4: a new deal and hopefully getting that done. So definitely
Speaker 4: a much better place than what it was last time
Speaker 4: we had these conversations where there was like trade request
Speaker 4: and all these things going out there publicly. Now it
Speaker 4: feels like everyone's back to business, which is especially cool
Speaker 4: because like we're seeing running backs across the league holding
Speaker 4: in right now, right like Bijon Robinson, Jamiir Gibbs, and
Speaker 4: it's a popular thing and Taylor seems to be in
Speaker 4: a good place right now, so it's great to see.
Speaker 5: It's great for everyone.
Speaker 4: It's great for the fans because nobody likes, you know,
Speaker 4: seeing that stuff throughout the off season. So really good
Speaker 4: sign for the Colts going forward.
Speaker 3: What do you make of the major power moves being
Speaker 3: now executed by running backs right because it wasn't so
Speaker 3: long ago when it was just more than an afterthought
Speaker 3: than anything else.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I think if you're looking at purely
Speaker 4: from the player perspective, I mean, these guys their bodies,
Speaker 4: most of them, most of them, not all of them. Right,
Speaker 4: Derek Henry is still going strong and he could probably
Speaker 4: keep playing until he's fifty at this point, but most
Speaker 4: of these running backs their bodies break down kind of
Speaker 4: in the like late twenties, early thirties. So really the
Speaker 4: first contract they're gonna get, like the first big contract
Speaker 4: after the rookie deal, could be like their only big
Speaker 4: contract in the league.
Speaker 5: And we saw it in the past where.
Speaker 4: Like Le'Veon Bell for instance, tried to make that stand
Speaker 4: kind of by himself, like he tried to be the
Speaker 4: you know, doing the big holdout thing and trying to
Speaker 4: fight for more money, and it kind of backfired. So
Speaker 4: you really need like groups of guys to come together
Speaker 4: and kind of work on it together to like earn
Speaker 4: that higher pay. And I have no doubt that, you know,
Speaker 4: Robinson and Gibbs will certainly get more than the expected
Speaker 4: just because they are kind of standing in it together
Speaker 4: like that.
Speaker 5: So I think it's good for the guys.
Speaker 4: I mean, people can argue if it's smart for the
Speaker 4: teams and whatnot with positional value, but it's really their
Speaker 4: only chance to get their one big contract, whereas like
Speaker 4: quarterbacks are going to get multiple big contracts. You're going
Speaker 4: to see receivers getting two big contracts in the league,
Speaker 4: linemen getting two big contracts. So running backs you really
Speaker 4: just get the one. So I mean it makes sense
Speaker 4: personally to really maximize your value on that one contract.
Speaker 3: Does the market itself at that position now justify it
Speaker 3: more than it did, for examples, at five or so
Speaker 3: years ago.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's interesting because if you look at it, like
Speaker 4: five years ago, we started to see this huge trend
Speaker 4: in the NFL where everything was becoming so pass first,
Speaker 4: right defenses were getting eviscerated. Like when Pat Mahomes came
Speaker 4: home the scene like five six years ago, he threw
Speaker 4: for what fifty touchdowns five thousand yards and that was
Speaker 4: kind of the norm.
Speaker 5: You know, there was all these like huge.
Speaker 4: Passing totals and running backs becoming like these auxiliary positions
Speaker 4: just to filter out the side stuff with quarterbacks. But
Speaker 4: in the last couple of years we've seen this trend
Speaker 4: towards like under center football play. We're seeing more running
Speaker 4: of the football, more twelve and thirteen personnel, like tight
Speaker 4: ends on the field, and we're seeing like the value
Speaker 4: of running back kind.
Speaker 5: Of creep up a little bit more.
Speaker 4: Maybe it's not what it was like in the early
Speaker 4: two thousands, right where like the Shawn Alexanders and Edge
Speaker 4: and all them, like we're really dominant and you want
Speaker 4: to pay those guys and really get them going. But
Speaker 4: it definitely seems like running back value is in a
Speaker 4: better place right now than what it was like five
Speaker 4: six years ago, and teams are seeing the value. I mean, look,
Speaker 4: the Chiefs went out there and paid big money to
Speaker 4: a free agent running back this offseason, and they've always
Speaker 4: kind of been at the forefront of a lot of things.
Speaker 5: So I think it's good.
Speaker 4: For running backs, you know, I think their value is
Speaker 4: starting to come back a little bit where teams are
Speaker 4: seeing value of like, hey, maybe you don't want to
Speaker 4: give them that third contract, but getting that running back
Speaker 4: on that second contract and throughout their rookie deal can
Speaker 4: be a lot of value for your offense.
Speaker 5: So it's good.
Speaker 4: I mean, especially you know, growing up and running backs
Speaker 4: were so vital. It was kind of sad seeing them
Speaker 4: go out of flavor there for a little bit.
Speaker 5: And now we're.
Speaker 4: Seeing the league trying to get back to run the
Speaker 4: football a little bit more so as like a football purist,
Speaker 4: you know, it's it's kind of fun seeing it.
Speaker 3: You know, it's funny as a football purist too, and
Speaker 3: a long time enjoyer like me and even older I'm
Speaker 3: assuming a lot older than you. I remember there a
Speaker 3: time when you know, the running back was on the
Speaker 3: level of the quarterback in terms of interest, and like
Speaker 3: like the Walter Payton's of the world. You had Walter
Speaker 3: Payton obviously oversettled everybody in Chicago, but Tony dors said
Speaker 3: in Dallas was much much greater when he got into
Speaker 3: the league, over Roger Staubach. I mean, it was just interesting,
Speaker 3: you know, frank O, Harris, Terry Bradshaw, that dynamic had
Speaker 3: always been very tight. If there was a race of
Speaker 3: sorts back then, and it kind of to me seems
Speaker 3: like that that position is growing in interest now. Wow,
Speaker 3: certainly more than just being well, we'll just kick the
Speaker 3: tires on somebody right here.
Speaker 2: We don't really care who is back there.
Speaker 3: It seems like there's more interest and more of a
Speaker 3: focus on that position now than there has been in
Speaker 3: recent history.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, for sure. I mean when you look back
Speaker 4: in like the eighties and nineties and especially before that too,
Speaker 4: how often we're running back going like first overall right
Speaker 4: in the draft, Like running backs are going very high
Speaker 4: in the draft. And now, you know, we get all
Speaker 4: the analytics saying like, oh man, if you take a
Speaker 4: running back top ten, they better be super good because
Speaker 4: they're getting paid so much, and there is a push
Speaker 4: and pull to that, Like, at the end of the day,
Speaker 4: quarterback right now is such a valuable position. Like I
Speaker 4: don't think there's a more valuable position in any sport
Speaker 4: than quarterback, right And I don't think running back or
Speaker 4: any of these positions are really going to close the ground.
Speaker 5: Too much on that.
Speaker 4: But I do think we have seen a resurgence of
Speaker 4: running back a little bit more where maybe it's not
Speaker 4: to the level of quarterback, but maybe it's getting closer
Speaker 4: to the level of like a top receiver or a
Speaker 4: top tackle or something. Again, rather than just being this
Speaker 4: complete after thought that it was from like twenty ten
Speaker 4: to like twenty twenty, where running backs were being completely
Speaker 4: just thrown aside, and it was like, well, the second
Speaker 4: we have to pay them, let's go get another cheap
Speaker 4: one because they can.
Speaker 5: Just replicate the value we need.
Speaker 4: Whereas now we're seeing the difference. Like I mean, like
Speaker 4: the Colts last year, they were a pass first offense
Speaker 4: early in games. Like don't get me wrong, but the
Speaker 4: reason why we saw these point totals balloon so much
Speaker 4: in the second half of games is because they were
Speaker 4: feeding Jonathan Taylor and they were boasting one of the
Speaker 4: best rushing offenses that we had seen in recent history.
Speaker 4: And it's not like they had a quarterback also running
Speaker 4: the ball like Jones had some rushing touchdowns in there,
Speaker 4: but so much of it was Taylor being dominant right,
Speaker 4: Like they weren't really distributing the carries to anybody else
Speaker 4: like we've seen from other great rushing offenses like with
Speaker 4: Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, or like Jalen Hurts and Philly.
Speaker 4: So having that great running back can be the difference
Speaker 4: between you know, a great start and looking good or
Speaker 4: you know, being one of the worst teams in the
Speaker 4: league sometimes, especially if you're in the Colts like last year.
Speaker 4: So Alter recognizing that and That's why I think they're
Speaker 4: treating Taylor well. Hopefully he can continue staying healthy going forward,
Speaker 4: because it is risky paying a running back a third time.
Speaker 4: But outliers exist, and Taylor's about to break all the
Speaker 4: franchise rushing records, so you can certainly call him an outlier.
Speaker 4: So keeping happy, keeping going, and hopefully his Colts offense
Speaker 4: can get back on track.
Speaker 3: Loaded with content, it is Locked On Colts the podcast,
Speaker 3: along with Jake Arthur, Derek Schultz, Alan Pinkett, the former
Speaker 3: Notre Dame, Fighting Irish, and Nfler among others a part
Speaker 3: of that too, and they update things on a daily basis.
Speaker 3: Zach Hicks joins us from Locked On Colts on the
Speaker 3: Anymore Automotive Group podline. Are you a believer in what
Speaker 3: they have personnel wise right now with this group or
Speaker 3: are you of the belief that the reason why we're
Speaker 3: here is because of that Sauce Gardner trade deadline deal
Speaker 3: of a year ago.
Speaker 5: I firmly believe even Carly ERSA.
Speaker 4: Gordon looking at the first half of last season and
Speaker 4: saying we can get back to what we showed early
Speaker 4: last season, like I do think when you look.
Speaker 5: At how they were successful, how they.
Speaker 4: Were winning, and I mean even in some of their
Speaker 4: losses and when they played better teams like that Rams game,
Speaker 4: we all agree probably should have been a win if
Speaker 4: it weren't for a couple of costly mistakes, Like they
Speaker 4: were playing really good football. I don't think that this
Speaker 4: is like Carly saying like, Okay, we need to bring
Speaker 4: back Ballard because we don't want to straddle a new
Speaker 4: GM without a first round pick. I think she does
Speaker 4: believe in what they showed early last season. It's just
Speaker 4: going to be on a very short leach because having
Speaker 4: the end of the season they had, even with you know,
Speaker 4: the quarterback issues, and we've already talked about how valuable
Speaker 4: quarterback is. You just can't have losing streaks like that,
Speaker 4: Like they really needed like one maybe two wins down
Speaker 4: the stretch to get in the playoffs, and they couldn't
Speaker 4: even muster that out with the guys that they had.
Speaker 4: So I like what she said today where it's like, look,
Speaker 4: the mantra this year is find a way.
Speaker 5: Things get tough.
Speaker 4: You lose games, but you lose players, but you've got
Speaker 4: to find a way to get those wins and get
Speaker 4: into the playoffs. So I do think that like a
Speaker 4: big part of bringing back everything and believing in this
Speaker 4: year is buying that first half of last season.
Speaker 5: Now we'll see if it can materialize.
Speaker 4: They're really banking on a bunch of older players who
Speaker 4: are coming off some injury concerns, and that's certainly scary
Speaker 4: in the face of the NFL. But I do believe
Speaker 4: that a lot of this faith to run it back
Speaker 4: one more time is like, Hey, what we were doing early.
Speaker 5: Last season was working.
Speaker 4: There was a lot of goods in that and basically
Speaker 4: when we started losing games, we didn't have our quarterbacks,
Speaker 4: so some of the turnover luck one against us, and like,
Speaker 4: let's see how real that first half was, and if
Speaker 4: they missed the playoffs again this year, then you'll.
Speaker 5: Have your answer.
Speaker 4: So I do think that was a firm belief in
Speaker 4: this unit, but the belief will run out if they
Speaker 4: missed the playoffs yet again. So yeah, I think Carley
Speaker 4: certainly believes in what they were doing, but it's going
Speaker 4: to be a bit of a shorter reach this year
Speaker 4: than what it was last year.
Speaker 3: So Zach, I'm on the other side of that. I
Speaker 3: think that their decision making was really pared down and
Speaker 3: compromise because.
Speaker 2: Of that deal.
Speaker 3: And while I'm cool with the deal because you saw
Speaker 3: something that was being created in the first part of
Speaker 3: that season, and then obviously the injuries to significant players
Speaker 3: Daniel Jones certainly compromise the remainder of the season. I
Speaker 3: think if they were to have first round options after
Speaker 3: this past season, that maybe, to me, honestly, I think
Speaker 3: they would be going in a different direction. So I
Speaker 3: I think you kind of have to put on that
Speaker 3: face right now because you're soaking in it, you know
Speaker 3: what I mean, because you really didn't have leverage nor
Speaker 3: options to deal with to change things up, So you
Speaker 3: have to believe and hopefully it works out. But I
Speaker 3: think you have to, more than anything else, believe in
Speaker 3: this product the way that it is right now because
Speaker 3: really adjusting things. It was compromised after that trade deadline
Speaker 3: deal with no first rounders, and you really had nowhere
Speaker 3: else to go.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I do agree to to a certain
Speaker 4: degree there where it's like, once you make that move,
Speaker 4: you are showing that belief.
Speaker 5: In the process there.
Speaker 4: I think that's what made it kind of more even
Speaker 4: more devastating in the second half of the year, when
Speaker 4: your starter goes down with the torn achilles, Your backup
Speaker 4: was already injured in a flute in a freaky injury
Speaker 4: pre game. Your third string quarterback was dealing with a
Speaker 4: bit of an injury. So you just made this huge,
Speaker 4: like franchise altering move for a young, former All Pro corner,
Speaker 4: and you traded two first round picks, expecting at least
Speaker 4: the first year of that to be in the playoffs.
Speaker 4: And you can't even manage the one more win down
Speaker 4: the stretch because you're down to a quarterback who's been
Speaker 4: retired for years to come out here and start games
Speaker 4: for you, because it was either him or Camford Riley
Speaker 4: Leonard or the set again I think was on the
Speaker 4: roster at that point at quarterback, Like it wasn't going
Speaker 4: to be great down the stretch. So do I understand
Speaker 4: what you're saying where it's like they kind of made
Speaker 4: their own dead when they made that trade and you
Speaker 4: kind of have.
Speaker 5: To commit to it this year. But part of me thinks, like,
Speaker 5: you make that trade because.
Speaker 4: You are so bought in that first half of last year,
Speaker 4: so to fall off of it so much because Philip Rivers.
Speaker 5: Couldn't win you a couple of games or Jones couldn't
Speaker 5: win you a couple of games.
Speaker 4: With a broken leg, Like, I don't know if they
Speaker 4: would have fallen that far off, but I totally see
Speaker 4: your opinion with that, where it's like, yeah, I mean
Speaker 4: they kind of made their bed with this.
Speaker 5: I don't know what the right answer was.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know what, Zach, I don't go too over
Speaker 3: the top. And here's why, because I was down with it.
Speaker 3: I'm okay with the win now mentality because they've basically
Speaker 3: had a win never mentality.
Speaker 2: And right like, the win now are running it back.
Speaker 3: And I say that about the Pacers because we're going
Speaker 3: to deal with that this year. There is a basis
Speaker 3: of results that we have seen that would I think
Speaker 3: define why you have Kevin Pritchard and Chad Muchannan wanting
Speaker 3: to run this core group back with the Pacers.
Speaker 2: But with the Colts it's not that way.
Speaker 3: Because you know, you go all in and then you
Speaker 3: had that injury and you're screwed for the remainder of
Speaker 3: the season. I get why you want to win right
Speaker 3: now because the results at that level it's been few
Speaker 3: and far between, and it's just kind of the same old,
Speaker 3: same old for the fans, So I don't go completely
Speaker 3: over the top on that. I just kind of think
Speaker 3: they're in a situation in which they created because they
Speaker 3: had belief, and maybe it wasn't misguided because of the
Speaker 3: way the offense specifically was playing. But again, you didn't
Speaker 3: have the optionality there at all because of the lack
Speaker 3: of first round deals or I should say, first round
Speaker 3: selections that you had.
Speaker 2: Thus you're right here.
Speaker 3: But again I understood it at the time, and I
Speaker 3: still understand it right now. You just kind of soak
Speaker 3: into the situation itself.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I will say, like, if you had the belief
Speaker 4: in Jones and the offense early last season, I don't
Speaker 4: think anything about the second half of the year lessens
Speaker 4: the belief in Jones outside of the fact that he's
Speaker 4: coming off the Achilles injury now, right, because it's not
Speaker 4: like he threw like twenty picks in like you know,
Speaker 4: those games and he was just the worst quarterback in
Speaker 4: the league. He was hurt, you know, and even in
Speaker 4: like the Texans game for instance, like he was she
Speaker 4: had one of the better performances against the Texans defenses
Speaker 4: than any quarterback in the league last year. Now, it
Speaker 4: wasn't a great game, but nobody played well against Texans,
Speaker 4: so it was kind of it was kind of a
Speaker 4: weird situation for the Colts, and you know, as a fan,
Speaker 4: you kind of think about it in your brain. It's like,
Speaker 4: of course this would happened to the Colts, right, you
Speaker 4: make this big move, going all in, everything's going great,
Speaker 4: and then of course, like you could survive any other
Speaker 4: injury maybe except for the quarterback, and the quarterback goes down.
Speaker 5: So you know, if.
Speaker 4: They're feeling good about the Jones Achilles injury, I mean,
Speaker 4: the thing is they have to feel good.
Speaker 5: About it though, right, like you said, they made their bet.
Speaker 4: You have to feel good about it, Like even if
Speaker 4: he was not recovering well, you put yourself in a
Speaker 4: situation where you had to feel good about it. So
Speaker 4: we'll see when the bullets start flying this year, that'll
Speaker 4: be the ultimate test.
Speaker 5: But I do think like come the.
Speaker 4: End of this season, I know a lot of people
Speaker 4: have said, Okay, Carlo said Gordon didn't make him the
Speaker 4: last offseason, what's to say that she's going to after
Speaker 4: this year.
Speaker 5: I do think.
Speaker 4: That it really is now or never for Ballad and
Speaker 4: psych in this year. I really think they need to
Speaker 4: win this year, or they will make some changes even
Speaker 4: without the first round pick, because you just don't have
Speaker 4: any excuses at that point.
Speaker 3: Zach Hicks have lockdown colts on the Anymore Automotive Group potline.
Speaker 3: Is it weird to you that there's still holes in
Speaker 3: this roster? And I think holes that.
Speaker 2: Everybody can see.
Speaker 3: But they sit on this pile of cash and they
Speaker 3: really haven't done. And I know the contractual of a
Speaker 3: lot of situations as to why maybe free agent players,
Speaker 3: you know, don't want to get up off the couch
Speaker 3: right now and start in training camp. But are you
Speaker 3: surprised that, for example, they haven't necessarily significantly addressed something
Speaker 3: like wide receiver to this point considering how much money
Speaker 3: they have.
Speaker 4: Yeah, a wide receiver, I'm not terribly concerned about, because
Speaker 4: I do think you're in a situation, especially with Shane
Speaker 4: Stiken's relationship with Keenan Allen for instance, like that goes
Speaker 4: back years. I think you're in a situation where you
Speaker 4: can see what somebody these other guys have and then
Speaker 4: if it's just not good enough, then you kind of
Speaker 4: have like he and Allen, he doesn't want to sign
Speaker 4: it early in the training camp he does not want
Speaker 4: to go through the full training camp at this point
Speaker 4: in his career, so I think that he's going to
Speaker 4: be on speed dial going forward.
Speaker 5: But I think it really comes to my mind.
Speaker 4: With like edge right because even though the Chris Ballen
Speaker 4: them haven't one explicitly said that they were getting all
Speaker 4: their eggs in the basket for Trey Hendrickson, it was
Speaker 4: clear to everyone that that was who they were going for.
Speaker 4: They wanted Trey Hendrickson, they put so much into recruiting
Speaker 4: him here, and then if it weren't for Baltimore's like
Speaker 4: last ditch whatever they did with Crosby and Hendrickson, then
Speaker 4: Hendrickson maybe would be here right now. And I understand
Speaker 4: swinging big there, but when you.
Speaker 5: Don't hit on it, I don't know how the backup.
Speaker 4: Plan is just two day three rookies, you know, is
Speaker 4: like that's okay, Now we have our six edge rushers.
Speaker 4: And it's like you were kind of already acknowledging by
Speaker 4: going after Hendrickson that you needed a big push. And
Speaker 4: I know the free agent class wasn't as great at
Speaker 4: that point, but there.
Speaker 6: Were still guys out there.
Speaker 5: There's still guys out there now.
Speaker 4: I just I don't understand the having like just adding two.
Speaker 5: Day three rookies and being like we're good, and.
Speaker 4: Then Ballard always talking about like Kayden Curry they're super
Speaker 4: high on. I'm like, look, if you were super high on,
Speaker 4: you wouldn't have taken him in round six. You have
Speaker 4: taken them earlier than that, So come on, like, you
Speaker 4: can't sell this when you were trying to go get Hendrickson.
Speaker 4: So I think that one's the toughest one for me.
Speaker 4: And that's kind of always been one of my complaints
Speaker 4: with Chris Ballad is just like he has such a
Speaker 4: belief in like the internal process and the guys they
Speaker 4: have here, but we don't have the results to back
Speaker 4: that up, you know. And you can even say the
Speaker 4: same thing about receiver, right, like maybe you want to
Speaker 4: see a little bit of what dueling and Treadwell and
Speaker 4: Westbrook a Kina can do before signing an Allen. But
Speaker 4: these guys have been in the league for long enough
Speaker 4: to we kind of know what they are.
Speaker 7: Like.
Speaker 4: They're not going to be superstar like starting receivers, right,
Speaker 4: so why not make a move earlier? So yeah, I
Speaker 4: understand the concerns and the complaints with that stuff. Rusher
Speaker 4: is just the one I can't wrap my head around
Speaker 4: because like, if you really were going for Hendrickson, how
Speaker 4: how can the not getting him solution just be well,
Speaker 4: everyone moves up one and that we add these two
Speaker 4: rookies into the.
Speaker 3: Mix, like such an all or nothing philosophy right there,
Speaker 3: I would see it really is.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah it was.
Speaker 4: And Hendrickson signed later in the free agency, right so
Speaker 4: I understand that it put you a little bit of
Speaker 4: a buying like some of the other top edge rushers
Speaker 4: weren't still available at that point, but there were still
Speaker 4: other guys out there. And that's why I was so
Speaker 4: against drafting two edge rushers. I was like, because then
Speaker 4: you're going to want to keep both of them. And
Speaker 4: now you're up to six edge rushers on the team,
Speaker 4: and typically you keep six, you don't keep seven, So
Speaker 4: where are you adding another edge ruster.
Speaker 5: It's just a weird spot.
Speaker 4: And now so much of it is like we need
Speaker 4: Jalen Tumaloau, who barely played last year, to take a
Speaker 4: big step. We need Arden Key, who has been, you know,
Speaker 4: a fine rotational guy for nine years, to be something
Speaker 4: he's never been. You know, it's a big it's a
Speaker 4: big ask of these guys. So we'll see if that
Speaker 4: pays off. But if I have pessimism anywhere, certainly they
Speaker 4: are at that other edge rusher position because I mean
Speaker 4: they kind of said what they thought about it when
Speaker 4: they went for Hendredston.
Speaker 3: It's almost like Zach, that they believe in the secondary
Speaker 3: is so no pun intended here locked down that they
Speaker 3: can afford maybe not to have the maybe have what
Speaker 3: their normal pass rush is. And philosophically speaking, in the
Speaker 3: NFL or really any forms of football, it's almost like,
Speaker 3: and I've described in this fashion best ackwards defensively, you know,
Speaker 3: when you're looking for the playmaking ability and you're stacked
Speaker 3: in the secondary, but your faulty or you have the
Speaker 3: huge question marks upfront off the edge, it is a
Speaker 3: backwards scenario compared.
Speaker 2: To what you normally know. Do you believe at all
Speaker 2: in that?
Speaker 3: And it kind of seems like that that's just again
Speaker 3: much like this team where they are with it because
Speaker 3: they were forced into this position.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I do think it is a and debate we've
Speaker 4: see in amongst a lot of football minds, like what
Speaker 4: is more valuable coverage or pass rush? And can you
Speaker 4: even separate the two, right, because they have this symbiotic
Speaker 4: relationship where they have to work off each other.
Speaker 5: So I understand where.
Speaker 4: People come with that, and I'm not exactly sure where
Speaker 4: I fall, Like I think gone in my head, I'd
Speaker 4: prefer to have the better pass rush than coverage because
Speaker 4: so much is built up front. But I think you
Speaker 4: can find success by having great coverage and having a
Speaker 4: pass rush by committee, right, Like, if you have such
Speaker 4: great coverage corners and secondary, you can blick a little
Speaker 4: bit more and get the ball out of quarterback's hands
Speaker 4: and maybe that can be your mode to success. But
Speaker 4: I do agree with you where it's like it does
Speaker 4: feel a little backwards, especially when the secondary that we're
Speaker 4: banking on, and look, I want this secondary to be awesome,
Speaker 4: I think on paper, Like, if you're just looking at
Speaker 4: it on paper, it can be the best secondary the
Speaker 4: Colts had had in a long long time.
Speaker 5: But let's be real about it. Saus Gardner missed half
Speaker 5: of last.
Speaker 4: Season with an injury, and he's probably the one we
Speaker 4: feel best about injury wise, right because Dustin Wally missed
Speaker 4: the entirety of last season with an injury and Moody
Speaker 4: Ward is coming off, I mean a really rough season
Speaker 4: with the concussions, and who knows what his effectiveness is
Speaker 4: going to be.
Speaker 5: You could even go to the.
Speaker 4: Fourth corner Cam Taylor Britt missed the last half of
Speaker 4: last year with lisz Frank injury, you know, and all
Speaker 4: these guys are expected to, you know, feel pretty big
Speaker 4: roles or come in and start, and you're the situation
Speaker 4: where they were last year where it's like you feel
Speaker 4: great about corner, but then once the injuries piled up,
Speaker 4: Xavier and Howard was starting games for you, and then
Speaker 4: you don't feel good about corner with the questions you
Speaker 4: had on the defensive line already. So I'm not sure
Speaker 4: there's ever a great solution to combating injuries, right because
Speaker 4: you can't build a roster of fifty three starters.
Speaker 5: It's just not feasible in this league.
Speaker 4: But I do think that putting all your eggs in
Speaker 4: the secondary basket's going to carry your defense when you
Speaker 4: have major questions about injuries, and heck, we haven't even
Speaker 4: talked about like Buckner's injury up front and and other
Speaker 4: injuries like that.
Speaker 5: It's concerning which.
Speaker 3: I'd have to keep you on here for a couple
Speaker 3: of hours, I think to address everything, you know what
Speaker 3: I mean right right, Like.
Speaker 4: If they could stay healthy this year, they can be
Speaker 4: a really good team. But the injury questions are such
Speaker 4: a big looming cloud right now. That is it's so concerning.
Speaker 3: Before I'll let you go, do you recollect any point
Speaker 3: in time when the philosophy that we're talking about right
Speaker 3: here that they have to go with with the secondary,
Speaker 3: you know, being the overriding playmaking factor over the edge
Speaker 3: rushing up front, where that worked out?
Speaker 2: Does anything come to mind to you?
Speaker 4: I would say the Vikings defense the last few years
Speaker 4: has been a little bit more like resource heavy into
Speaker 4: secondary and more so than like like they've never had
Speaker 4: like a huge, great pass rusher like they had Grenard.
Speaker 4: I think the last couple years is pretty good, but
Speaker 4: they didn't have like that dominant force. They let the
Speaker 4: Neil Hunter walk and they were putting more resource in
Speaker 4: the secondary. But he's chaotic with Howie Blitz is there right,
Speaker 4: he brings six man rushes all the time, Ryan Forrez,
Speaker 4: So like, I think you can find success that way.
Speaker 4: It's just the easier mode to success obviously is having
Speaker 4: those studs up front, so it's tougher but I think
Speaker 4: there is a way.
Speaker 5: It's just not the most repeatable way.
Speaker 2: All right, lockdown, Colts.
Speaker 3: You guys are constantly turning out the content for everybody.
Speaker 2: Tell the folks out there about it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Locked On Colt's our daily show that Jake Arthur
Speaker 4: and I host. It's always great having Jake as the
Speaker 4: co host there because he's at practice every day giving
Speaker 4: us all the infos. So if you guys want a
Speaker 4: daily show that gives you breakdowns on every single practice again,
Speaker 4: for better or for worse, you know, you can learn
Speaker 4: a little bit from practice, maybe not as much as
Speaker 4: we play it up, but it is good to hear
Speaker 4: the information there for sure. So Jake gives us there,
Speaker 4: and we're actually about to record right after we jump
Speaker 4: off here, so that'll be up a little after five today.
Speaker 2: Well done, Pal.
Speaker 3: We'll do this again sometime, and when you're in and
Speaker 3: around Indy, you'll have to come out to a live
Speaker 3: show and I'll get you all hammer locked while you're
Speaker 3: talking too.
Speaker 2: That'll be even better.
Speaker 3: All right, sides the Zach, Thanks Pal, Zach cakes right there,
Speaker 3: I've locked on Colts. He was a little skeptical about
Speaker 3: answering that one. I think, what do you think the
Speaker 3: bad influence in me always it always prevails, though I
Speaker 3: feel really confident my bad influence technique will prevail. Joining
Speaker 3: us now on the Andy Moore Automotive Group Hotlines staked
Speaker 3: out in Portland, Oregon, rating for the Fever and the Fire.
Speaker 3: Later on tonight ten o'clock is that tip time, along
Speaker 3: with Pat Mooylan. Debbie Antonelle, one of my favorites, joins
Speaker 3: us now.
Speaker 2: Debbie, thank you for the time. How are you.
Speaker 5: Hey, man?
Speaker 8: Listen?
Speaker 5: Thanks for inviting me back.
Speaker 6: I'm so glad to be here, and thank you for
Speaker 6: your nice words.
Speaker 3: I love to see I'm the biggest basketball fan probably
Speaker 3: outside of yourself, that you're going to find out here.
Speaker 3: And I love I love how you break down the game.
Speaker 3: And I've been really interested to hear what you thought
Speaker 3: about Tuesday night because even though you've got to Seattle
Speaker 3: team that's not very good and record wise not good
Speaker 3: at all, it looked like a situation they had a
Speaker 3: red hot player, the Fever got up big and saw
Speaker 3: their lead get paired intwo and then came back in one.
Speaker 3: And you had again noa Leah Boston for significant portions
Speaker 3: of the game. But both your star players as well,
Speaker 3: and Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were outstanding. Was that
Speaker 3: this team, in your estimation, hitting their stride right now?
Speaker 8: What a character building moment once again inside the game,
Speaker 8: you know, to face some adversity and to bounce back.
Speaker 8: It is such an entertaining and exciting backcourt to watch.
Speaker 8: You just don't know what they're gonna do except score
Speaker 8: on everybody. I mean, we are so talented on the
Speaker 8: offensive end, and Stephanie White will always start with defense,
Speaker 8: which most coaches do. But yes, I do think we
Speaker 8: are hitting our stride. I think we have come together.
Speaker 8: There's no question there's chemistry and they're playing better on
Speaker 8: the defensive end.
Speaker 3: Defensive end, fouling too much and turnovers. Those are the
Speaker 3: three main issues so far this season from your vantage point,
Speaker 3: Are they improving on those factors?
Speaker 8: You know, we've been trying to track the number of
Speaker 8: quarters that they keep the other team off the free
Speaker 8: throw line.
Speaker 4: It is definitely a factor and we are winning that category.
Speaker 8: And here's part of the reason why we are doing
Speaker 8: a better job of staying between our player and the basket.
Speaker 8: We are guarding the ball better, not just the action
Speaker 8: and those are important defensive concepts. On the other side,
Speaker 8: our offense puts so much pressure on the other team's
Speaker 8: defense because of the pace that.
Speaker 5: We play with.
Speaker 8: We are constantly putting you in at a deficit defensively
Speaker 8: because we do these habits over and over. John, we
Speaker 8: run the floor hard, We run to the deep corner.
Speaker 8: That flattens out the defense. It opens up the top
Speaker 8: of the floor and when you open I'm at the
Speaker 8: top of the floor in the middle third. That's when Caitlin,
Speaker 8: Kelsey and Aliyah are absolutely going to crucify you in
Speaker 8: those spots on the.
Speaker 2: Floor because they can score.
Speaker 8: They will always make the defense wrong in those situations.
Speaker 3: W Antonelli got the fever and the fire later on tonight,
Speaker 3: she and Pat Boyling on Channel thirteen WTHR.
Speaker 2: I believe coming up.
Speaker 3: Later on tonight as well, and this isn't an interesting
Speaker 3: dynamic because you're in Portland.
Speaker 2: But I can't help myself and this is just a
Speaker 2: fan in me.
Speaker 3: You kind of look ahead a little bit if you're
Speaker 3: the fan coming up on Sunday in Minnesota against the
Speaker 3: Links at one o'clock. Obviously this team is not going
Speaker 3: to overlook it. But what do you see in the
Speaker 3: fire that the Fever really have to try to stamp out,
Speaker 3: so to speak, coming up later on tonight in Portland.
Speaker 6: Well, you're right.
Speaker 8: I mean, we haven't played Minnesota yet, and you don't
Speaker 8: want to look ahead, and we do have three games
Speaker 8: to play with Minnesota, which are going to be incredible benchmarks.
Speaker 6: For this team.
Speaker 8: But I don't think this is a group that's going
Speaker 8: to be sleeping on anybody, certainly not every rep. And
Speaker 8: the way they attack reps in practice yesterday, the way
Speaker 8: that they prepared to shoot around today, I don't think
Speaker 8: there's any sleeping on Portland at all. In Portland presents
Speaker 8: some different challenges.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 8: Remember we came out here earlier in the year at
Speaker 8: end of May and got our doors blown off.
Speaker 6: It's the worst game of the season.
Speaker 8: And I think the Fever remember that, and you just
Speaker 8: don't know what little pieces of what happened in that
Speaker 8: previous event and game carryovers coming back this time and
Speaker 8: really wanted to show what you can do here in Portland.
Speaker 6: So I think they're ready.
Speaker 3: Catlin Clark looks like she just simply put feels better
Speaker 3: right now? Is that the case? You see that too, Joy,
Speaker 3: I see.
Speaker 8: The joy returning to her game. I mean, I see
Speaker 8: her feeling very confident and very comfortable, and no situation
Speaker 8: on the floor seems to bother her.
Speaker 6: She's able to handle all of it.
Speaker 3: Well yeah, and you know what, she also has to
Speaker 3: And even if you block it out, there's all this
Speaker 3: other stuff and she is all ball and I have
Speaker 3: the ultimate respect with her about She just wants to
Speaker 3: play and play hoop and that's it. But all this
Speaker 3: other stuff has a tendency to close in on you.
Speaker 3: But it's incredible how she can block it all out
Speaker 3: and kind of maintain.
Speaker 2: Just that focus.
Speaker 3: Because really, the scrutiny on her on so many levels
Speaker 3: is so unlike what a lot of athletes see.
Speaker 8: It's an incredible spotlight and it's not one that she
Speaker 8: has necessarily asked for, but she certainly has handled. I
Speaker 8: think I've said this to you before, and I know
Speaker 8: I've said it in many places. I've never heard her
Speaker 8: make a mistake in a press conference. I've never heard her.
Speaker 6: Fall for the bait.
Speaker 8: I'd never heard her not take the high road. She
Speaker 8: constantly understands the role model that she has become. She
Speaker 8: embraces that, and she delivers and part of what happens
Speaker 8: when you have all of that other outside noise, you
Speaker 8: come together with your team and you go to.
Speaker 6: Practice and you go and shoot around and you do.
Speaker 8: The repetition and the rhythm and the reps and the habits,
Speaker 8: and then you forget all about that for that time
Speaker 8: that you're on the floor. That's the magic and that's
Speaker 8: the best time. And it's amazing that she can not
Speaker 8: let any of that other stuff be a distraction while
Speaker 8: she balls out like one of the top scores in.
Speaker 5: The league, you know.
Speaker 3: And what's great about it the way they are right
Speaker 3: now and on a wednestreak, and the way they performed
Speaker 3: on Tuesday, is that a lot of this other crap
Speaker 3: that you have to hear, you have to read, you
Speaker 3: have to deal with, has a tendency.
Speaker 2: To go away when you win, and a lot.
Speaker 3: Of that scrutiny, a lot of that criticism fades when
Speaker 3: you win. That's almost like this team, these players that
Speaker 3: coach showing everybody, Hey, this is what we're about, and
Speaker 3: then all that other stuff again has that tendency to
Speaker 3: fade away.
Speaker 8: Sharpens, the character, sharpens, the habits, puts all of it
Speaker 8: together for forty minutes on the floor. I mean, this
Speaker 8: is a mature group, so you know, maybe there were
Speaker 8: people talking about them in the conversation earlier in the
Speaker 8: year about how good they were, but certainly now they
Speaker 8: had everyone's attention. They've won five in a row.
Speaker 6: They've already set a bunch of offensive records.
Speaker 8: You know, historically, we're on pace to be the highest
Speaker 8: scoring team ever. Kelsey and Caitlin are becoming unguardable, and
Speaker 8: Caitlin and Kelsey are so good together. They're the highest
Speaker 8: scoring combo in the backcourt in the league, and Kelsey
Speaker 8: and Alia are like the.
Speaker 7: Second highest scoring combo in the league.
Speaker 8: So we've got a lot of offensive firepower. We should
Speaker 8: continue to concentrate on the defense, keep the distraction and
Speaker 8: the noise away, and just keep playing connected like they've
Speaker 8: played so far, fish very together.
Speaker 3: There is w Antindelli with us on the Andy More
Speaker 3: Automotive Group plotline with the fever not so much.
Speaker 2: There's no expectation there.
Speaker 3: But how often in the past in covering the WNBA
Speaker 3: have you seen a significant impact made for the WNBA
Speaker 3: trade deadline.
Speaker 8: I think we've had some in the past, and I
Speaker 8: have to think about what I don't know if we'll
Speaker 8: have a landslide change this year. It could happen, depending
Speaker 8: on Kelsey Plumb. I think there's a lot of conversation
Speaker 8: around what's happening with the Sparks. I don't have any
Speaker 8: insider information on any of that, so I don't know.
Speaker 6: But if she does.
Speaker 8: Land with a contender, that will be a big deal.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just it's kind of interesting.
Speaker 3: I could not recollect anything that Again, I'm looking at
Speaker 3: it from an impactful angle here that I could remember
Speaker 3: that took place. But as we embark upon that time
Speaker 3: right now, it is kind of interesting to note that
Speaker 3: that's where we are and there's going to be a
Speaker 3: lot of teams scrambling to think that they can get
Speaker 3: where they ultimately believe they can get at they ad
Speaker 3: a player of that level.
Speaker 8: You know, fifteen teams now and only eight spots, So
Speaker 8: while we're expanding, we haven't changed the number of teams
Speaker 8: in the playoffs.
Speaker 6: So yeah, it's a competitive rate.
Speaker 2: It is, you know, the.
Speaker 6: Product is good.
Speaker 8: I mean we've talked about this before. You can't sleep
Speaker 8: on any team in this league, even Connecticut, who is
Speaker 8: right now at the bottom with Seattle, both of those
Speaker 8: teams are capable in matchups that they can win, and
Speaker 8: you could see what Seattle has done. They're a tough
Speaker 8: matchup for us because of their size up front.
Speaker 3: Hi, Debbie, I'm jerious. You mentioned this before. The backcourt
Speaker 3: with Mitchell and Clark, and for those of us out there,
Speaker 3: the fans, it it'd be so easy. You have these dynamic players,
Speaker 3: the dynamic scores and everything is so easy. What is
Speaker 3: it like dealing with that, because it has to be
Speaker 3: to me, easier said than done to get the most
Speaker 3: out of again, two dynamic players in the backcourt that
Speaker 3: the Fever have like that.
Speaker 8: See, that's such a great question because they neither one
Speaker 8: of them actually needs a screen to be able to score.
Speaker 8: I think they prefer space. But because of the way
Speaker 8: Fever run stuff, they're always going to be involved in
Speaker 8: moving off the ball and coming off of screens and
Speaker 8: all kinds of screening activity, whether it's pin downs that
Speaker 8: are down the lane line or wide pin downs, which
Speaker 8: Kelsey Mitchell is like on a two man naked side
Speaker 8: is a pro.
Speaker 4: It's definitely a pro.
Speaker 8: Nobody can stop her going left when she's coming off
Speaker 8: that wide Alyssa Boston Eliot Boston, excuse me, pinned down.
Speaker 8: But here's the part of the game that people don't.
Speaker 6: Realize it's so valuable.
Speaker 8: Is when Lexi Hall runs to the corner, Cunningham runs
Speaker 8: hard to the corner, and Monique Billings runs hard to
Speaker 8: the rim. That's the space that I'm talking about. It
Speaker 8: seems like it's a simple concept, but it's so valuable
Speaker 8: for allowing all the other actions to happen. So while
Speaker 8: you're watching Caitlin and you're watching Kelsey, and it's hard
Speaker 8: to take your eyes off of either one of them
Speaker 8: because they are so dynamic, and they have the counters
Speaker 8: and the solutions to whatever you provide defensively, but you
Speaker 8: cannot discount all the other things, in all the other
Speaker 8: ways and habits that Stephanie White is instilled in this
Speaker 8: team to be able to score at the pace that
Speaker 8: we're scoring.
Speaker 3: I will tell you this too, because the eyes are
Speaker 3: constantly folks just on Caitlin Clark with the ball.
Speaker 2: But I have noticed this.
Speaker 3: Kelsey Mitchell is non stop movement without the ball. I
Speaker 3: don't know if this is the case, but that seems
Speaker 3: to me. She is so talented. But I think that
Speaker 3: is what really expedites to the highest level of talent
Speaker 3: because she has endless motion offensively out there.
Speaker 8: And see when you take her down the right side
Speaker 8: of the floor and Aliah Boston comes with that pin
Speaker 8: down and most defenses try to get on top of Kelsey,
Speaker 8: so they don't want her to cut off.
Speaker 6: The screen because she's going to curl that and score.
Speaker 8: But when you get on top of it, she's so fast.
Speaker 8: That's why we get a lot of those back door cuts,
Speaker 8: right the ninety degree cut on the baseline. But if
Speaker 8: you don't play her square, she's going to come off
Speaker 8: that and if she curls, she's going to get to
Speaker 8: the nail and she's going to hit a fifteen footer
Speaker 8: or she's going to hit Boston on the roll.
Speaker 4: We could run that.
Speaker 8: Play all game and no one would be able to
Speaker 8: stop it. Just clear it out and run that and Kelsey.
Speaker 6: Could get fifty.
Speaker 8: But that's not what the Fever need to do to
Speaker 8: be able to win a championship.
Speaker 5: And that's the way we should be talking about it.
Speaker 6: We should be talking about a championship now. We should
Speaker 6: be talking.
Speaker 8: About Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark in the conversation for MVP.
Speaker 3: It's a no doubt about that. Wi Antonelli joining us again.
Speaker 3: She and Pat Boyling have the call coming up later
Speaker 3: on tonight. I'm assuming nine point thirty pm is going
Speaker 3: to be the pre game and ten o'clock that tip
Speaker 3: time from the Modus Center in Portland to Oregon and
Speaker 3: then Minnesota coming up on the schedule on Sunday afternoon,
Speaker 3: which should be fun. Hey, thank you very much for
Speaker 3: taking the time out today for this breakdown. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3: We'll catch back up when you guys get back home too.
Speaker 8: Let's do it, and let's have a Fever takeover. Let
Speaker 8: us come in there and take over first.
Speaker 2: I would love it.
Speaker 3: I'd love to have anybody taking any fever man coming
Speaker 3: on in. Bring it on in. Yeah, make sure you
Speaker 3: tell everybody down there that, okay.
Speaker 8: Okay, I'll tell them for sure.
Speaker 3: Thanks DEVI, Debbie ed Todell is pretty awesome. Fever takeover,
Speaker 3: JAMV takeover?
Speaker 6: Why not?
Speaker 3: On the Andy Moore Automotive Group plotline, he in Chicago
Speaker 3: had to deal with Kurt Signetti yesterday, who was much
Speaker 3: more entertaining than I. On the Andy Moore Automotive Group plotline,
Speaker 3: it is Adam Rittenberg of esp on ESPN dot com. Uh,
Speaker 3: the holding of court of the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers,
Speaker 3: their head coach, was somewhat interesting yesterday, was it not?
Speaker 7: It was, and you kind of come to expect that
Speaker 7: from saying I had a chance to visit with him
Speaker 7: early in the day and kind of said, hey, what
Speaker 7: do you got for us this time? Because we all
Speaker 7: remember his performance a couple of years ago, you know,
Speaker 7: when they hadn't done anything and you know, one of
Speaker 7: many called shots that.
Speaker 6: He's had in Indiana, and then you.
Speaker 7: Know, certainly last year planning up the disrespect that they
Speaker 7: had after making the playoff.
Speaker 6: But not advanced thing and using that.
Speaker 7: And so you know, it was it was certainly a
Speaker 7: fun performance to hear him throughout the day and the
Speaker 7: shots that he took at the SEC were absolute gold.
Speaker 6: So a fun a fun day. Indeed, as they wrapped
Speaker 6: up Big ten meeting, when's the.
Speaker 3: Last time we've seen a coach call their shot and
Speaker 3: then cash in with the shots that they called as
Speaker 3: much as he has.
Speaker 7: Well, it's hard to think of someone at a school
Speaker 7: with Indiana's history, you know, doing it like he has,
Speaker 7: or even moderately, you know, someone your coaches come in
Speaker 7: and talk about expectations and standards, the things that they
Speaker 7: want to do and accomplish. But uh, you know, I
Speaker 7: can't think of someone who was able to back it
Speaker 7: up the way that that Sigg has at Indiana. You know,
Speaker 7: from the moment he arrived there to you know, first
Speaker 7: first interview at the Big Ten championship game on the
Speaker 7: day that he was announced to the basketball court, to
Speaker 7: to really everything else. And I think that confidence permeates
Speaker 7: throughout the program. And obviously you have to work and
Speaker 7: you have to do the types of things that are necessary.
Speaker 6: And he outlines them. We all have heard.
Speaker 7: Those phrases from him before to actually do the winning.
Speaker 7: But if you're not confident in yourself, you're probably not
Speaker 7: going to accomplish great things. And that's not something he lacked,
Speaker 7: you know.
Speaker 3: Ata Brittenberger of ESPN dot espn dot com joins us,
Speaker 3: I say this all the time because people always bring up, well,
Speaker 3: you know, look at the money, or look at the
Speaker 3: regular season schedule, and what impresses me the most, even
Speaker 3: beyond well, I shouldn't say this, not beyond a national title,
Speaker 3: but what impresses me the most about what he has
Speaker 3: accomplished is the way that he puts together a roster.
Speaker 3: Having the finances the resources are not, but the way
Speaker 3: you put it together and have it work at that place,
Speaker 3: the way that it has in the past two years,
Speaker 3: is to me still the most amazing aspect of all this.
Speaker 7: Absolutely And you know, I think the word that comes
Speaker 7: to mind, and people have said this to me about
Speaker 7: sig is is efficiency. And you know, he's someone who
Speaker 7: has a very clear vision for every element of the program,
Speaker 7: including roster building, and so you know, they know who
Speaker 7: they want, they go after that person. They don't waste
Speaker 7: a lot of time in I mean, I remember that
Speaker 7: weekend right before the Peach Bowl, the semi final game
Speaker 7: last year was when they you know, loaded up on
Speaker 7: transfers and were able to get pretty much everybody they
Speaker 7: wanted for for the season coming in, you know, in
Speaker 7: a relatively short span. So he does not waste a
Speaker 7: lot of time or you know, or meander as he's
Speaker 7: figuring out the roster. And you know, they obviously had
Speaker 7: some needs after last season, you know, from quarterback to
Speaker 7: defensive end. You know, one of the offensive line spots
Speaker 7: certainly coming in Joe Brunner from Wisconsin was a great
Speaker 7: addition and so but it wasn't like they took thirty chances.
Speaker 7: I think they took seventeen or eighteen. But they took
Speaker 7: some real high quality guys and you know, with the
Speaker 7: resources that they have, they were able to land them.
Speaker 7: But it all starts with the vision of the head
Speaker 7: coach and the approach that you have towards roster building,
Speaker 7: because if you just grab transfers or you just chase
Speaker 7: guys because other teams are doing it, it's probably not
Speaker 7: going to work.
Speaker 6: Out in your favor.
Speaker 2: Its Adam Rittenberg with us.
Speaker 3: What's also kind of interesting about it is people, I
Speaker 3: think often forget how many holdovers and there are a
Speaker 3: lot of you know, there were a number of I
Speaker 3: should say handful of Tom Allen holdovers that had significant
Speaker 3: moments for him as well in the past two years.
Speaker 5: And he made a.
Speaker 7: Point to say, hey, listen, everyone's making a big deal
Speaker 7: about how the jam you guys are gone, Like what
Speaker 7: about the Indiana guys who have been here two years
Speaker 7: and you know, they've become our jam you guys. And
Speaker 7: I mean that's been maybe the most impressive element of
Speaker 7: what he's done there is taking the guys he inherited
Speaker 7: who were clearly talented, and.
Speaker 6: Ta deserves credit for that.
Speaker 7: Em and his staff that they brought some good players there,
Speaker 7: but Kurt and his staff have brought the most out
Speaker 7: of them. And you know, you look at Carter Smith,
Speaker 7: you look at you know, other other players who Isaiah
Speaker 7: Jones and you guys on the defensive side who have
Speaker 7: really blossomed under this staff. You know, they weren't JM.
Speaker 7: You guys, they weren't guys who knew how Kurt Signetti
Speaker 7: and Brian Haynes and the rest of that staff ticked.
Speaker 7: They have just embraced them, and they've risen up and
Speaker 7: and and become, you know, in some cases, elite players.
Speaker 7: Charlie Becker, So, I think that that's really an impressive
Speaker 7: part of this and also something that needs to be
Speaker 7: looked at when you're analyzing what Indiana can be again
Speaker 7: this year. You're naive if you.
Speaker 6: Don't think they're a playoff contender. They absolutely are, and.
Speaker 5: They're probably going to be as.
Speaker 7: Long as he's there in most seasons. And part of
Speaker 7: that is the development piece. It's not just spending money
Speaker 7: on Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh and those defensive linemen
Speaker 7: from Notre Dame in Kansas State, Like, it's about inheriting
Speaker 7: players that maybe haven't blossomed yet and figuring out how
Speaker 7: to make them the best they can be. And they've
Speaker 7: done that.
Speaker 3: You mentioned Hoover and Marsh, and I'll add in Turbo
Speaker 3: Richard as well, impactful players at impactful positions offensively for
Speaker 3: Kurt Signetti coming up to defend their national title. How
Speaker 3: do you ultimately think that's that's going to work out,
Speaker 3: especially with that particular trio.
Speaker 5: Excellent grouve.
Speaker 7: It obviously starts with Josh and you know, we know
Speaker 7: that Josh can be really productive, he was throughout his
Speaker 7: time at TCU. I think the key is decision making
Speaker 7: and turnovers and limiting those and obviously making great decisions
Speaker 7: in big moments. And Sig mentioned that yesterday that you know,
Speaker 7: Bernanda Mendoza was a great quarterback because of how he
Speaker 7: played in the fourth quarter of big games. And that's
Speaker 7: what Josh Hoover is going to have to do for
Speaker 7: this team to get back to the playoffs and make
Speaker 7: another run at the national title. And they're certainly having
Speaker 7: guys like Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker, who was really
Speaker 7: one of the true stars of the postseason last year,
Speaker 7: you know, gives this Indiana passing game a real chance.
Speaker 6: And the thing that I love about.
Speaker 7: Their offense though, is their commitment to the run. No
Speaker 7: matter how a game is going, no matter how the opponent,
Speaker 7: you know.
Speaker 6: How good or bad they are, they are going to
Speaker 6: run the ball with multiple backs.
Speaker 7: And that was a big part of their success last year.
Speaker 7: And I think, you know, guys like Turbo Richard, you know,
Speaker 7: will help them sustain that approach this year.
Speaker 3: Who most impresses you either on the inbound new or holdovers. Defensively,
Speaker 3: speaking for AYU this year.
Speaker 7: Well, I think Tyreek Tucker is a National Defensive Player
Speaker 7: of the Year candidate. He's cerainly an Outland Trophy candidate
Speaker 7: in defensive tackle, and he is a JMU guy who's
Speaker 7: who's still there. And I just I love the way
Speaker 7: he plays. I love how consistent he is, how durable
Speaker 7: he is, and that gives you a real chance, you know,
Speaker 7: when when you when you have a guy in the
Speaker 7: middle of your defensive line who can be disruptive and
Speaker 7: who's also really reliable. So you know, I think he's won,
Speaker 7: and you know, I think that linebacking group of Elijah
Speaker 7: Hardy and Isaiah Jones gives you a lot of excitement.
Speaker 7: And you know, I was there in the spring and
Speaker 7: you know saw them practice, and you know that's a
Speaker 7: that's an elite level defense. I think still and I
Speaker 7: know there's a lot of confidence in terms of internally
Speaker 7: about what.
Speaker 6: They can be, even though they lose some.
Speaker 7: Really good players, you know, D'Angelo Pond's It's very difficult
Speaker 7: to replace the guy like that. I mean Dangelo Pons
Speaker 7: is six foot or six y one.
Speaker 6: He's like a top ten pick.
Speaker 7: I mean, he was that good of a player. So
Speaker 7: that's tough to replace.
Speaker 6: But they do hold over some really.
Speaker 7: Good players, and they also brought in some transfers who
Speaker 7: I think can help them at least at the at
Speaker 7: the edge rusher spot.
Speaker 3: Adam Rittenberg he is of a ESPN on ESPN dot
Speaker 3: com talking Big Ten college football on the Andy Moore
Speaker 3: Automotive Group, potline, so Barry Odom and the boiler Makers
Speaker 3: and trying to get back to the level of respectability
Speaker 3: and then make something happen. In Wesselafiette with our where
Speaker 3: do you expect them to be this season.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think they'll be better. It couldn't be a
Speaker 6: lot worse, but that's not saying much. I just feel
Speaker 6: like they know. This felt like.
Speaker 7: A full off season for them, and a large part
Speaker 7: of the struggle last year was how late they got
Speaker 7: some of the players on campus that they were going
Speaker 7: to be relying on, and I don't think they had
Speaker 7: that same issue. From talking to Barry, and I mean
Speaker 7: his general manager was there as well in Chicago, I
Speaker 7: think they feel like they've been with this group now
Speaker 7: since the end of last year, with obviously some new additions,
Speaker 7: but some of their core pieces from last year are back,
Speaker 7: and I just think certain areas will will be a
Speaker 7: little bit more reliable. Depth should should help them now.
Speaker 7: It's the schedule doesn't do them any favors, with Notre
Speaker 7: Dame and Wake Forest, a team that surprisingly won nine
Speaker 7: games last year.
Speaker 6: Jake Dickers the heck.
Speaker 7: Of a coach who has roots here in the Midwest,
Speaker 7: so that's going to be a tough game, and then
Speaker 7: obviously the Big Ten schedule. But I think we'll see
Speaker 7: a Perdue team that's more competitive returning quarterback and Ryan Brown,
Speaker 7: and I know that Barry is really excited about what
Speaker 7: he can do this year.
Speaker 2: So Adam Brittenberg with us.
Speaker 3: So yeah, obviously the major coaching landscape changes in college football.
Speaker 3: You can, to me make the significant argument Ann Arbor,
Speaker 3: Happy Valley and then East Lansing. How will things work
Speaker 3: out in years number one for these trio of coaches
Speaker 3: and really two of the three places where the level
Speaker 3: of expectations are going to be substantial out of the game,
Speaker 3: no doubt.
Speaker 7: And I think of the three, you know, Penn State
Speaker 7: to me has the best chance to make the playoffs.
Speaker 6: You know, because of.
Speaker 7: You know who Matt brought with him from Iowa State,
Speaker 7: some really good players.
Speaker 5: Who have been in big games over the years.
Speaker 7: Including quarterback Rock Obec, but also some really good defensive
Speaker 7: players and you know, alignment and on both sides of
Speaker 7: the ball, players like that. You know, they also have
Speaker 7: a very favorable schedule relatively speaking, you know, nobody out
Speaker 7: of conference in the Power for a league, and then
Speaker 7: a Big ten schedule that doesn't include Ohio State, Oregon
Speaker 7: or Indiana. So you know, Penn State anything less than
Speaker 7: nine wins, I think he'll be looked at a disappointing
Speaker 7: And if you win.
Speaker 6: Ten, you're probably in the playoffs. You're Michigan will be fascinating.
Speaker 7: You know, Kyle is sixty six years old.
Speaker 6: He's not going to be coaching there for ten years.
Speaker 5: He's there to win.
Speaker 6: I don't know if they're.
Speaker 7: Ready to win at an elite level, but I think
Speaker 7: they're a team that can be better than it was
Speaker 7: in certain elements last year.
Speaker 6: I think they're going to run the ball really well.
Speaker 7: I think they're going to play good defense, possibly great defense,
Speaker 7: and his teams are always very strong on special teams.
Speaker 7: It was one of the strengths that had at Utah.
Speaker 7: I just don't know. The quarterback situation is a major
Speaker 7: question if they're going to be a substantially better passing offense,
Speaker 7: and they've been really at the bottom of the FBS
Speaker 7: and passing the last couple of years, so that's certainly
Speaker 7: an area to watch.
Speaker 6: I think we're Michigan State. They've got a lot of
Speaker 6: work to do.
Speaker 7: I don't think the rosters were to be The league
Speaker 7: is very tough, and I think it's going to take
Speaker 7: some time for Pat Fitzgerald to get that thing going again.
Speaker 6: But you look at Indiana and you look at.
Speaker 7: Other examples, and you know, if you feel you have
Speaker 7: the right coach and the right approach, they can rise
Speaker 7: up to the issue that I have with him is
Speaker 7: the offense completely.
Speaker 6: Fell apart towards the end of his time at Northwestern.
Speaker 7: Even when they were winning of some of those years,
Speaker 7: their offense was near the bottom and in almost every category.
Speaker 7: So if they're more if they have it together on
Speaker 7: offense in Michigan State, I'll have more confidence that they
Speaker 7: can rise up a very tough Big Ten ranks a
Speaker 7: little bit faster.
Speaker 3: Is so last year you beat the Ducks in your
Speaker 3: gene beat them again in the Peach Bowl to advance
Speaker 3: to the National Championship Game. For Dan Lanning and the Ducks,
Speaker 3: is this a championship game advancement or bust for this
Speaker 3: group that he has this year?
Speaker 7: I think it's a team that I hate to say this,
Speaker 7: It almost doesn't matter what they do in the season,
Speaker 7: unless they lose enough games not to make the playoff,
Speaker 7: which would then be a major disappointment. But whether they
Speaker 7: win eleven, whether they win ten, it's about what they
Speaker 7: do in the playoffs, right because two years ago they
Speaker 7: were undefeated, number one team, won the Big Ten, and
Speaker 7: then they just get blasted by Ohio State this past year. Again,
Speaker 7: a really good team that just had lost to Indiana
Speaker 7: but was certainly capable of advancing in the playoff.
Speaker 6: They won two games and then Indiana blasts them.
Speaker 7: So how they perform in the playoff is really going
Speaker 7: to tape how we look at this season for Oregon,
Speaker 7: and it's a big reason why Dante Moore came back
Speaker 7: at quarterback while their entire starting defensive line has come back.
Speaker 7: I think their offensive skill will be deeper and better
Speaker 7: than it was last year.
Speaker 6: They had a lot of.
Speaker 7: Injuries at running back, receiver, and tight end. If they
Speaker 7: can stay healthy at those positions, this should be a
Speaker 7: top five offense with Dante more leading the way. So
Speaker 7: I think, yeah, anything other than the deep playoff run
Speaker 7: will be looked at. Its disappointing given what Oregon has
Speaker 7: coming back.
Speaker 3: All right, hot seat Lincoln Riley your number five, Lukewarm,
Speaker 3: the hotter seat, Matt rule in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers.
Speaker 2: Let's start with those two programs.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I don't think MAT's on the hot seat. I
Speaker 7: mean they gave him an extension when all the Penn
Speaker 7: State stuff was going on. You know, whether they end
Speaker 7: up forgetting, regretting it or not. What we'll find out,
Speaker 7: but they do not want to fire Matt Rules. So yeah,
Speaker 7: Lincoln Riley's in a really interesting place because he believes
Speaker 7: this is a team that can make the College Football Playoff.
Speaker 7: He's no longer complaining about what USC doesn't have or
Speaker 7: what he inherited from Clay Helton. They feel like this
Speaker 7: roster is certainly strong enough and doesn't have many obvious holes.
Speaker 6: And so the challenge for them is.
Speaker 7: Going to be their schedule. So they have five critical games,
Speaker 7: three at home with Washington, Oregon, and Ohio State, and
Speaker 7: then two on the road Penn State in Indiana, and
Speaker 7: so I think they'll win at least one.
Speaker 6: Of those ones at home.
Speaker 7: But if they can win two and then split the
Speaker 7: road games, I think they're going.
Speaker 6: To the College Football Playoffs.
Speaker 7: But if they go one in four or zero in
Speaker 7: five in that stretch, then USC maybe looking for a
Speaker 7: new coach. It's that simple, and why this is such
Speaker 7: a huge season for Lincoln.
Speaker 3: How about in Wisconsin and Madison with Luke Fickle in company,
Speaker 3: is this going to be a year where they do
Speaker 3: a lot more? And I'm assuming Badger fans would expect it,
Speaker 3: But what do you expect out of that program?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think they'll be better.
Speaker 7: I was up there watching them practice the spring.
Speaker 6: I think if they can.
Speaker 7: Stay healthier at key positions, namely quarterback, because they've had
Speaker 7: no health at quarterback the last two years, that they're
Speaker 7: going to be a better football team. I think the
Speaker 7: challenge is can you get through September with limited injuries
Speaker 7: and decent enough morale Because you have Notre Dame to
Speaker 7: begin with at lambeau Field at the opener. Notre Dame
Speaker 7: hasn't played since last November. They're going to be incredibly
Speaker 7: fired up for this one, and I think they'll probably
Speaker 7: win easily. And then Wisconsin also has to go to
Speaker 7: Penn State, so that if you can get through that
Speaker 7: September stretch, you have a schedule that isn't loaded with contenders.
Speaker 7: I don't think there's Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon on that
Speaker 7: schedule either, So Wisconsin's got an opportunity to pile up
Speaker 7: some wins and start to feel.
Speaker 6: Better about a trajectory.
Speaker 7: And from talking to Luke in Chicago, I think he
Speaker 7: feels much better about the leadership. He's excited about Colton
Speaker 7: Joseph who's a different type of quarterback, dual threat coming
Speaker 7: in from Old Dominion. They think they can run the
Speaker 7: ball a lot more efficiently this year, and then defensively.
Speaker 7: He likes some of their star players there, Mason Posta
Speaker 7: among them, so they've got a chance. It's just, you know,
Speaker 7: how are they going to emerge from September with those
Speaker 7: two big games.
Speaker 3: Adam Rettenberg's with us regarding Big ten in college football.
Speaker 3: Give me a surprise team or two in your estimation,
Speaker 3: as we said here right now.
Speaker 7: You know, I don't know if Minnesota would be a surprise,
Speaker 7: but I think that they're a team that has been
Speaker 7: right on the cusp of breaking through, winning seven eight
Speaker 7: games pretty much every year. I think with a returning
Speaker 7: quarterback and Drake Lindsay, they have one of the best
Speaker 7: pass rushers in college football and Anthony Smith, a lot
Speaker 7: of other returning players, I think they're one to watch potentially.
Speaker 7: And then Washington, you know, again, they were a team
Speaker 7: that took a step forward last year. They need to
Speaker 7: play better in the big games, especially away from Seattle.
Speaker 7: But they bring back de Mont Williams junior, who briefly
Speaker 7: entered the transfer portal in January and ultimately returned, and
Speaker 7: Jed Fish was talking about the defense, you know, under
Speaker 7: the leadership of former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters, possibly
Speaker 7: being a top ten unit this year. That's how confident
Speaker 7: he feels in that side of the ball. And if
Speaker 7: that's the case, like they can be a very disruptive
Speaker 7: team they go to USC Indiana has to go there
Speaker 7: like that's gonna be a tough out if they can
Speaker 7: stay healthy.
Speaker 6: They didn't take a lot.
Speaker 7: Of transfers, which to me indicates that their coaching staff
Speaker 7: is really confident in who they have coming back. So
Speaker 7: I think Washington's a really interesting team to watch, you know,
Speaker 7: as far as others, you know, Nebraska, maybe they finally.
Speaker 5: Put it together this year.
Speaker 7: I like their quarterback transfer Anthony Silandria. Your Northwestern has
Speaker 7: Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator. Although they have a
Speaker 7: really tough schedule, so it might be tough to have
Speaker 7: major progress until year two. But I think I think
Speaker 7: Washington and Minnesota or two that I'm interested in.
Speaker 3: I'm going to ask you about this because IU kicks
Speaker 3: off their season again in defense of their national championship
Speaker 3: at home against North Texas and the Mean Green they
Speaker 3: were good a year ago. I think they lost a
Speaker 3: little bit. But there's an interesting dynamic at work here.
Speaker 3: And I'm sure you've noticed that former Hoosier and Trace
Speaker 3: Jackson Davis, who was a standout baller and in the
Speaker 3: NBA right now of IU, his younger brother, Tavian Jackson,
Speaker 3: is quarterbacking the mean Green. Does that stand out to
Speaker 3: you as one of the start to the season types
Speaker 3: of games, especially for the defending national champions.
Speaker 7: Well, you know, it's certainly interesting for Indiana fans because
Speaker 7: of the of the Jackson family ties to the school,
Speaker 7: But that situation is more common than you think because
Speaker 7: of the mobility of quarterbacks. You know, Aiden Childs, for example,
Speaker 7: left Michigan State, he's at Northwestern. Northwestern plays at Michigan
Speaker 7: State this year. Like, those situations tend to happen. But
Speaker 7: I think the real intrigue is Indiana and hey, they're
Speaker 7: defending their national championship. How are they going to look?
Speaker 7: How's Josh Houver going to look? Is it going to
Speaker 7: feel the same as it did last year when they
Speaker 7: were so dominant really from start to finish in these
Speaker 7: non conference games, or are they going to get off
Speaker 7: to a slow start. But yeah, at the Quarterback Reunion,
Speaker 7: even though it does happen around.
Speaker 6: College football, it's always.
Speaker 7: Another layer to you know, it doesn't look like a
Speaker 7: superbly exciting game to start the season for IU.
Speaker 3: Adam Rittenberg of ESPN on ESPN dot com. I know
Speaker 3: you've been riding a lot regarding I you and your
Speaker 3: coverage of Chicago on the Big Ten media days. What's
Speaker 3: on the horizon for you, Adam?
Speaker 7: Yeah, some national pieces coming out, one on quarterbacks and
Speaker 7: talking to coaches around the country on what they think
Speaker 7: of some of the top returning quarterbacks have have I
Speaker 7: actually do working on a piece about the next Indiana
Speaker 7: and really diving into profiles of universities and programs that
Speaker 7: maybe we overlooked. I mean, I for one, did not
Speaker 7: realize how large the Indiana alumni base was and how
Speaker 7: capable it was and who else might have those ingredients
Speaker 7: along with the coach and administration and support to break through.
Speaker 7: So that'll be another piece that we'll have out in August.
Speaker 3: So yeah, that that dynamic and the Big Ten and
Speaker 3: IU and the SEC that is pretty awesome because these
Speaker 3: are all scenarios where you never really thought you'd be
Speaker 3: having this discussion.
Speaker 2: Yet Adam, here we are. It's awesome.
Speaker 5: It is.
Speaker 7: And again, you know, as someone who's covered the Big
Speaker 7: Ten for many years, when it was down, you really.
Speaker 6: Couldn't say anything right.
Speaker 7: The SEC would would would talk its talk, and the
Speaker 7: Big Ten just had to kind of take it. And
Speaker 7: now the SEC is making these ridiculous arguments about depth,
Speaker 7: and now their schedule is too hard. It's just laughable
Speaker 7: from a big I loved what SIGG said, like like,
Speaker 7: when when the Big Ten is down, we take it,
Speaker 7: and when you're down, you guys cry about it, Like
Speaker 7: that's absolutely what you thought would happen if the.
Speaker 6: Table's ever turned, and now they have.
Speaker 7: And I don't know how long it's gonna last, but
Speaker 7: I'll tell you this, if Oregon wins the national title
Speaker 7: and it's four to four with four.
Speaker 6: Different teams and the SEC is not in that game.
Speaker 7: It's going to be a really rough offseason for for
Speaker 7: folks down south.
Speaker 3: Do you have a selection for the Big Ten title
Speaker 3: game right now?
Speaker 7: You know, it's hard not to think it's some combination
Speaker 7: of Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, although again, as I know,
Speaker 7: the Penn State because of their schedule, could be sitting there,
Speaker 7: you know, at ten and two, eleven and one with
Speaker 7: really a chance to squeak in there because they're skill.
Speaker 7: Sedule just isn't as tough as.
Speaker 6: Some of those other teams.
Speaker 7: But you're curious if usc can can can really back
Speaker 7: up with Lincoln is saying and some of these other
Speaker 7: contenders Washington, Michigan and so forth. But I think it'll
Speaker 7: be some combo of IU, Oregon and Ohio State again.
Speaker 3: Adam will do it again soon, man. I appreciate the time.
Speaker 3: Good stuff, all right, thanks for having me, Adam Rittenberg
Speaker 3: of esp and espn dot com. A college football Big
Speaker 3: Ten resource that was outstanding right there, really was
Speaker 2: All over the map,