Speaker 1: The verdict is in push that tush. We'll tell you why.
Speaker 1: NFL owners voted down a proposal to ban push plays
Speaker 1: today after hearing a last minute pitch from the Eagles,
Speaker 1: including a franchise legend, Brock Perdy officially has now signed
Speaker 1: his two hundred and sixty five million dollar contract excentire
Speaker 1: with the forty nine ers. Eddie is celebrating in style.
Speaker 1: Perty joins us tonight on this show to talk about
Speaker 1: getting paid, getting Christian McCaffrey back, and getting San Francisco
Speaker 1: back on top I. Meanwhile, Ota is kicking off around
Speaker 1: the league. Inst division champs from a year ago could
Speaker 1: be vulnerable. Brian Bauldier and Steve Wisch will be here
Speaker 1: to tell you who should be feeling uneasy, if not queasy.
Speaker 2: As they get back onto the field.
Speaker 1: Welcome inside with the Insiders alongside Judy Batista.
Speaker 2: I am Top Pelasera. We are live at.
Speaker 1: The Spring League meeting in Egan, Minnesota, where, yeah.
Speaker 2: Everybody left about five hours ago.
Speaker 1: These meetings are long since wrapped up, but we did
Speaker 1: get a lot of business done during the course of
Speaker 1: the past couple of days. Start out on Tuesday, with
Speaker 1: NFL owners approved a resolution allowing NFL players to participate
Speaker 1: in the twenty twenty eight Olympic Games. Today was all
Speaker 1: about some of the football playing rules onside kicks. A
Speaker 1: tweaked to that that passed. More on that in just
Speaker 1: a little bit. A playoff receiving proposal from the lines
Speaker 1: was withdrawn. That's going to gain further conversation down the line.
Speaker 1: But all anybody wanted to talk about was the tush
Speaker 1: push ban, which ended up being voted down. Everybody talking
Speaker 1: about it, including one guy who sees it twice a year.
Speaker 3: Any play that's out of the ordinary get some extra
Speaker 3: scrutiny just because of the competition in there, and so
Speaker 3: all of that, I think is now, that's the fun
Speaker 3: part of having these meetings.
Speaker 4: And here we are.
Speaker 3: The world champion is the main focus of the tush push,
Speaker 3: and here we are debating it and having to decide, well,
Speaker 3: I'm well, I'm a really against the tush push or
Speaker 3: just don't want Philadelphia to have an egg And I
Speaker 3: sit there and fight that too, which smile, smile when
Speaker 3: they're making presentation, which it for you.
Speaker 2: I don't know how flip flop.
Speaker 1: There's no question the Eagles are unbelievably effective at the
Speaker 1: play that they have popularized. Within the NFL last seedon
Speaker 1: thirty nine of fifty one on tush push plays over
Speaker 1: three quarters conversion rate for an Eagles team that continued
Speaker 1: pushing all the way to the super Bowl. But this
Speaker 1: was not solely judy about NFL owners trying to take
Speaker 1: away a play that the Eagles have made effective. This
Speaker 1: was also about a couple of other factors. One, there
Speaker 1: were people within the league who do not belie believe
Speaker 1: that this looks like a football play. They think it's
Speaker 1: more of a rugby style scrum. And number two, there
Speaker 1: were concerns, even though there's not injury data in a
Speaker 1: pretty small sample set, about the biomechanics of the play,
Speaker 1: the posture of the players lower in the heads, the
Speaker 1: additional force that is generated in a play like that.
Speaker 1: It got all the way to the point that twenty
Speaker 1: teams voted to ban the play, but they needed twenty
Speaker 1: two teams wanted to ban the play, they needed twenty four.
Speaker 2: It fell a little bit short, lot well.
Speaker 5: It fell short among other reasons because Jeff Lury, the
Speaker 5: owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, gave an impassioned plea and
Speaker 5: he also brought in his ringer Jason kelcey future Hall
Speaker 5: of Fame center, who knows this play better than anybody,
Speaker 5: and he did a little film demonstration of why he
Speaker 5: does not think the play is excessively dangerous. The doctors
Speaker 5: the medical community in the NFL disagrees with Jason kelce
Speaker 5: Doctor Allen Stills, the Chief Medical Officer, had talked to
Speaker 5: owners and said, the concern here is the possibility of
Speaker 5: a catastrophic that is the word he used, catastrophic injury
Speaker 5: on the play again, because the players are going low
Speaker 5: and the force that is being generated by the pushing.
Speaker 5: There is no injury data. There's just not enough of
Speaker 5: a sample size. Fortunately, there have not been any injuries yet.
Speaker 5: But it's unusual that this fell short, even though it
Speaker 5: fell short by just two votes, because it was unanimously
Speaker 5: endorsed by the Competition Committee and unanimously endorsed by the
Speaker 5: Health in Safety Committee and the Owner's Health and Safety Committee,
Speaker 5: So all of the committees that generally get involved with
Speaker 5: rules changers were behind banning the tush push. It fell
Speaker 5: to votes short. I'm not sure that we have heard
Speaker 5: the last of this effort. Roder Goodell, after the meeting
Speaker 5: said you know, they're going to monitor this obviously and
Speaker 5: see how it goes. But there is still concern about
Speaker 5: the safety of this play, and I suspect that we
Speaker 5: will hear more about the tush push, maybe not next season,
Speaker 5: but in off seasons to come.
Speaker 1: And this was a modified proposal that was much broader.
Speaker 1: It was any examples of pushing or pulling, including downfield,
Speaker 1: something that was on the books from nineteen twenty to
Speaker 1: two thousand and five. There are still some concerns about
Speaker 1: those things happening down the field. Rich McKay said, one
Speaker 1: thing that they're going to emphasize again this year to
Speaker 1: the officials is when you get that rugby style scrum,
Speaker 1: somebody's trying to move the pile from both sides, blow
Speaker 1: the thing dead. As for the Eagles, well, fair to
Speaker 1: say they were pleased, as Jeffrey Lourie put it as
Speaker 1: he jumped into an elevator today, that this play was
Speaker 1: not in fact banned, the team posting push on on
Speaker 1: their ex account and posting twenty six minutes of highlights
Speaker 1: of push plays on their YouTube page as well. Let's
Speaker 1: bring in our Steve Whites and Brian Baldinger to the conversation, Baldy,
Speaker 1: You're very familiar with this play. You know a lot
Speaker 1: of people in the Eagles organization. It seemed like there's
Speaker 1: been momentum, and certainly it had a lot of votes.
Speaker 1: Why in your mind did this not get across the
Speaker 1: goal line?
Speaker 6: You're right, Tom, and just low.
Speaker 7: On Sunday I talked to a prominent Eagles coach who
Speaker 7: did not think that it would pass.
Speaker 6: They thought that the play would be canceled.
Speaker 7: As of Sunday, I think Jason Kelcey and talking to
Speaker 7: players today really had a real impact in that room.
Speaker 7: When he was pleading, he said if he had to
Speaker 7: come back at a retirement and do eighty toush pushes,
Speaker 7: he would come back and do it if he could.
Speaker 7: I thought it was pretty interesting statistically that you put
Speaker 7: up earlier. They were ten for ten on fourth down
Speaker 7: to the Eagles. Tom, this is not a gimmick play.
Speaker 7: This is not a rugby scrum. This is a real
Speaker 7: play that they spend an awful lot of time working
Speaker 7: on and game planning for it. Because I'm sure Steve
Speaker 7: is going to show some plays of teams that have
Speaker 7: stopped it and how they try to do it. They
Speaker 7: study all of that. It is a lot of physics
Speaker 7: are involved. They studied the physics of it. It does
Speaker 7: help that they've got some enormous powerful offensive alignment up
Speaker 7: run that know how to play with leverage and are
Speaker 7: very strong with the point of attack.
Speaker 6: The quarterback can dead lift six hundred pounds. That helps.
Speaker 7: But this was very, very close. I was interested to
Speaker 7: know that ten teams that would not, you know, vote
Speaker 7: against it are heavy run teams including Baltimore, Detroit, Kellimore,
Speaker 7: and New Orleans did not vote against it. You can
Speaker 7: bet that Kelli Moore, Doug newsfire down in the New
Speaker 7: Orleans will probably employ the play, or at least try
Speaker 7: to employ it this year with the New Orleans Saints.
Speaker 8: We all in some of the arguments you know against Banny,
Speaker 8: where people like, just because one team does something better
Speaker 8: than the other team, we shouldn't bet it, we should
Speaker 8: just try to stop it.
Speaker 6: So I'm gonna put a lot ball.
Speaker 9: These breakdown cap guys, and let's break out some field.
Speaker 9: First off, let's go to the NFC Championship game last year,
Speaker 9: and we all remember Frankie Louvu right going over the
Speaker 9: top getting all the penalties here where they actually threatened
Speaker 9: to let Philadelphia score because of the infraction. But let's
Speaker 9: go before that and let me show you how Washington
Speaker 9: actually made it play. Dallas Goddard, he's a touch put, sure,
Speaker 9: but you're saying Cleveland Parrell come off the edge and
Speaker 9: actually bear body, hug bear hug, got it and deny
Speaker 9: the play to come in again Washington, And speaking of
Speaker 9: coaches there, they actually employed this get the tush pusher
Speaker 9: to the ground. So let's see if other teams can
Speaker 9: successfully be as creative or come up with other ways
Speaker 9: to try to either tackle the tush pusher come over
Speaker 9: the top because as.
Speaker 8: You know this ball to you talk talked about the physics,
Speaker 8: there often is a stalemate on the initial collision at
Speaker 8: the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 5: But it's the push usually.
Speaker 8: From titan Dallas Goddard, who's super strong, that gets Jalen
Speaker 8: Hurts into the end zone or across the first down marker.
Speaker 2: And that is my White's breakdown.
Speaker 1: Okay, great stuff, Steve and Baldy. More for both of
Speaker 1: you in just a little bit a contrary to what
Speaker 1: it might seem if you turned on I don't know
Speaker 1: any sports network, even the nightly news right now, there
Speaker 1: were other things on the agenda, that includes the Lions
Speaker 1: withdrawing their proposal on playoff receiving. However, is and I
Speaker 1: report earlier today there was extended discussion in the room
Speaker 1: about the idea. There is support for potentially doing some receding,
Speaker 1: and the NFL is going to look into possible receding scenarios,
Speaker 1: whether that's in the first round, the second round, or
Speaker 1: even potentially the third round for potential changes as soon
Speaker 1: as twenty twenty six. We also had a change with
Speaker 1: regard to the on side kick, but Roger Goodell, one
Speaker 1: of his focuses was on exactly what the playoff receiving
Speaker 1: might look like.
Speaker 10: On the receding, that was something that had got a
Speaker 10: lot of discussion in March. There are different forms of receding,
Speaker 10: as you can imagine, what I wanted to look at
Speaker 10: and what we eventually got. The discussion on, where is
Speaker 10: the ownership's position on what they want us and the
Speaker 10: committees to evaluate. Is it no receding at all, some
Speaker 10: forms of receding after the second after the first week,
Speaker 10: after the second week, what is it that would be
Speaker 10: of interest to them? And I think we got some
Speaker 10: direction on that Judy.
Speaker 1: There were some things that had been misreported about what
Speaker 1: exact the Lion's proposal was. This was not a second
Speaker 1: round receiving. This was everything from go receid only by
Speaker 1: record here, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven in
Speaker 1: each conference. However, as they continue to analyze this year,
Speaker 1: there are scenarios where maybe the division winners still get
Speaker 1: the home games in round one and then you do
Speaker 1: reced in round two, or even as Gadell reference today,
Speaker 1: round three, although that we're talking about the conference championship games,
Speaker 1: that would be a pretty narrow receiving process.
Speaker 5: I think where we're headed is they withdrew this because
Speaker 5: there was nowhere near enough support for this change right now.
Speaker 5: And frankly, this change is really intended to get the
Speaker 5: NFL to a place in the eighteen game regular season,
Speaker 5: which is still a few years away. The concern for
Speaker 5: the NFL is the games we often see in the
Speaker 5: last week of the season, maybe the last two weeks
Speaker 5: of the regular season, teams that have already clinched their
Speaker 5: playoff position, their seed, and then they rest their starters.
Speaker 5: The NFL. That's a bad look for the NFL. Those
Speaker 5: are non competitive games. They don't like the competitive imbalance
Speaker 5: that that creates, and obviously, if you're going to an
Speaker 5: even longer regular season, you have the potential for even
Speaker 5: more weeks where those games could be taking place. They're
Speaker 5: basically going to go to the workshop, right. This was
Speaker 5: the sort of soft launch of this idea. There was
Speaker 5: a I would say a surprising amount of interest, even
Speaker 5: from owners who I would not have expected to embrace
Speaker 5: this idea. But they've basically told everybody, all right, put
Speaker 5: your thinking caps on and start coming up with scenarios
Speaker 5: how we could do this again. Would it be a
Speaker 5: straight receding, you know, in week one, or would they
Speaker 5: again reward the division winners like we see now where
Speaker 5: they would host a playoff game in week one and
Speaker 5: then maybe you would recede in week two. I think
Speaker 5: they're going to come up with a bunch of ideas
Speaker 5: and talk about them again. There's not really a rush
Speaker 5: to do this because this is all about getting something
Speaker 5: ready for when they get to the eighteen game regular season.
Speaker 1: This was a proposal too by the Lions, which means
Speaker 1: the Lions controlled the language of the proposal, the revisions
Speaker 1: to the proposal.
Speaker 2: You would think by having that discussion in the room today.
Speaker 1: That means the Competition Committee, which historically has a higher
Speaker 1: rate of passage, is probably going to sink their teeth
Speaker 1: into this in the months to come. The Competition Committee
Speaker 1: did raise the on side kick changes, which was actually
Speaker 1: further followed from the broader kickoff changes that we saw
Speaker 1: back in March. The changes to the on side kick
Speaker 1: are relatively narrow. It may not make a huge difference here,
Speaker 1: but essentially it's number one. You now can declare to
Speaker 1: do an on side kick as long as you're trailing
Speaker 1: anytime in the game, not just the fourth quarter of games.
Speaker 1: And also the kickoff team is going to be one
Speaker 1: yard closer to the receiving team. Last year old just
Speaker 1: three of fifty on side kicks recovered that six percent.
Speaker 1: That's below the historical averages. They don't want it suddenly, Judy,
Speaker 1: to be forty percent or even twenty five percent, but
Speaker 1: they would like it to be higher than it.
Speaker 6: Is right now.
Speaker 5: It was once explained to me that like, if they
Speaker 5: got to twelve percent recovery, that would be really good.
Speaker 5: They'd be fine with that number. They just don't want
Speaker 5: the on side kick recovery to completely disappear. They want
Speaker 5: to keep that mechanism in the game for trailing teams,
Speaker 5: so they think this very little tweak to the alignment
Speaker 5: may be enough to get them there.
Speaker 1: We will see, and we'll probably be talking about this
Speaker 1: again in twenty twenty six and beyond. There were some
Speaker 1: other big announcements today at the Spring League meeting, including
Speaker 1: for Hard Knocks, the Buffalo Bills, the rare perennial playoff
Speaker 1: team to go on the training camp version of the show.
Speaker 1: It's gonna be Bills August fifth. That's the first episode
Speaker 1: airing on HBO and Max. Also, the in season Hard
Speaker 1: Knocks edition is locked in. It's gonna be the NFC East.
Speaker 1: Absolutely no storylines there. A Giants quarterback Room year two
Speaker 1: with Jade Daniels and the Commanders touch Push Central first
Speaker 1: year Brian Schottenheimer. A lot to look forward to there.
Speaker 1: How about an award for the Big Fellas. After consultation with,
Speaker 1: among others, the Bills Dion Dawkins, the NFL announcing a
Speaker 1: new award.
Speaker 2: The per Detector of the Year.
Speaker 1: One lucky offensive lineman is going to take that award
Speaker 1: home when we get to NFL Honors in February. Also,
Speaker 1: Draft picks continuing to sign at borderline a record rate.
Speaker 5: The number one overall pick.
Speaker 1: Officially under contract, quarterback cam Ward agreeing to his four year,
Speaker 1: fully guaranteed contract with a fifth year option. Twenty of
Speaker 1: thirty two first round picks already under contract and we're
Speaker 1: still two months away from training.
Speaker 5: Camp, mister relevant twenty twenty two.
Speaker 4: Rock Purty, rock Perty is first NFL star down.
Speaker 8: Head Party, Baby, Let's go touchdown?
Speaker 6: What a throw from rock Party?
Speaker 1: Prety gonna throw for the D zone touchdown?
Speaker 11: Rock Party is the real deal.
Speaker 12: We fid time for.
Speaker 6: Party to meet party, and he was the rock star
Speaker 6: on that drive.
Speaker 1: The forty nine ers have won this crazy championship game
Speaker 1: and they are going to the super Bowl from pick
Speaker 1: two sixty two to two hundred and sixty five million.
Speaker 1: That is the journey of Brock Purty, who officially signed
Speaker 1: his new five year contract extension with the forty nine
Speaker 1: ers today and now kind enough to join us right
Speaker 1: here on the Insiders with me, Tom Pillicero and Judy Batiste.
Speaker 2: The Brock.
Speaker 1: I went back and looked at your original rookie contract,
Speaker 1: your signing bonus seventy seven twelve dollars.
Speaker 2: I know I've been around you a little bit. I
Speaker 2: know this is not all about money to you.
Speaker 1: When you're you're getting there to sign that paper, just
Speaker 1: take me through the emotions of what you're reflecting on
Speaker 1: in that moment.
Speaker 13: Yeah, man, my rookie contract signing it actually right here
Speaker 13: in this room. I was just grateful to have an
Speaker 13: opportunity to be able to go and compete for an
Speaker 13: NFL team in camp and try to make the team.
Speaker 13: But now sitting here having done my second contract, man,
Speaker 13: it's it's it's such a blessing. I'm just grateful, man,
Speaker 13: more than anything. My family, friends, my teammates, this organization
Speaker 13: to be able to believe in me and keep going.
Speaker 13: And man, just grateful more than anything.
Speaker 5: You know, a lot of guys when they're getting ready
Speaker 5: to negotiate what they know is going to be a
Speaker 5: big contract, they get like really uncomfortable. It's kind of
Speaker 5: nerve wracking. It's a sort of a strange situation. How
Speaker 5: did you get yourself ready for this negotiation? Did anybody
Speaker 5: give you any advice?
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean all the guys in the locker room,
Speaker 13: you know, Kittle, Fred Warner, Bosa, like all those guys
Speaker 13: sort of just gave me a heads up on hey, man,
Speaker 13: like you know this is you know how it goes.
Speaker 13: It's a business. But you know, obviously you just got
Speaker 13: to keep going after it with your off season and
Speaker 13: allow your agent and everybody that's on their side of
Speaker 13: things be able to handle it, and trust in them,
Speaker 13: and and just focus on what you can control and
Speaker 13: don't get caught up in the little things and taking
Speaker 13: things personal and being dramatic with some stuff like allow
Speaker 13: them to handle it, keep being who you are and
Speaker 13: and have faith that it'll get done. And so sure
Speaker 13: enough it did, and and so here we are.
Speaker 1: So let's spend this thing forward now, Brock. Obviously a
Speaker 1: disappointing season and injury riddled season for the forty nine
Speaker 1: ers a year ago, what's the mindset in that building
Speaker 1: right now? Your receiver corp is gonna look a little
Speaker 1: bit different. This team's gonna look a little bit different.
Speaker 1: What do you make of the twenty twenty five forty
Speaker 1: nine ers?
Speaker 13: Man? I'm excited, you know, everybody came back for phase
Speaker 13: one of OTAs and everything, and from that moment on,
Speaker 13: like the energy with the young guys being here, although
Speaker 13: obviously Vets there's just been this energy here where it's
Speaker 13: you know, we got to have the chip on our
Speaker 13: shoulder again and we got to go work and prove
Speaker 13: to ourselves that we're the forty nine ers and we
Speaker 13: are who we are and have that culture that's been
Speaker 13: established here, get a little bit more refined with the
Speaker 13: new faces and free agents and rookies that have come in.
Speaker 13: And but I could say that, you know, it's it
Speaker 13: feels good here right now, and everyone's really really excited
Speaker 13: to keep competing and for camp the season to come around,
Speaker 13: We're pumped.
Speaker 5: What do you want to work on personally in your
Speaker 5: game this offseason?
Speaker 13: I think for me it's it's going back to the
Speaker 13: fundamentals and for you know, cheesy as that sounds, I
Speaker 13: think for me, I went back and watched some rookie
Speaker 13: tape with Kyle Shanahan and r O. C. Kubiak and
Speaker 13: Mick Lombardy, Like we've we've watched how when I first
Speaker 13: came in, how just automatic I was with my foot,
Speaker 13: my feet and my eyes and getting the ball out
Speaker 13: on time. And I want to sink back into that
Speaker 13: and keeping things simple and execute how I'm being coached.
Speaker 13: I feel like last year there were some times where
Speaker 13: I was, you know, pretty comfortable and and going through reads,
Speaker 13: but it wasn't on top of it like I could
Speaker 13: have been. And there was some moments where I definitely,
Speaker 13: you know, was obviously showing some some flash and highlights
Speaker 13: that I usually do, but there's also moments where I
Speaker 13: was like, Man, I got to get back to the
Speaker 13: basics and be hard on myself and and watch the
Speaker 13: film and be real that, hey, I got get better
Speaker 13: in certain areas, and so I'm excited about that. And
Speaker 13: I've applied that to the field this offseason with the
Speaker 13: new guys and stuff, so, you know, excited to get
Speaker 13: after this year.
Speaker 1: There was a video of the forty nine ers posted
Speaker 1: on social media one of the first days you guys
Speaker 1: were on the field, and most people's takeaway I was
Speaker 1: seen on social media was hey, brock Perty's out there.
Speaker 2: He's going through this contract thing. He showed up.
Speaker 1: My takeaway was he's handed off to Christian McCaffrey, a
Speaker 1: guy who we really haven't seen a whole lot of
Speaker 1: in the past year. What does Christian look like everything
Speaker 1: he went through with the Achilles a year ago, what
Speaker 1: do you anticipate getting from him in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 13: Man, I'm so excited, you know, Christian being back and
Speaker 13: healthy and getting in and out of cuts and obviously
Speaker 13: throwing him out of the backfield and in the slot.
Speaker 13: Like Christian's a true Swiss army knife man, he could
Speaker 13: do it all. And so to be able to have
Speaker 13: him back healthy, and even just seeing him pour into
Speaker 13: these young guys in the locker room and our culture
Speaker 13: here and speaking up in meetings with certain things. Man,
Speaker 13: Christian is ready to roll. And I'm so excited to
Speaker 13: obviously have him I can play with him, but more
Speaker 13: than anything too, just having him in the locker room
Speaker 13: around the guys and you know, his wisdom and expertise
Speaker 13: on certain things. Man, It's he's like no other. He's unique.
Speaker 13: And so love having Christian as a teammate and as
Speaker 13: a brother and excited to play with him this year.
Speaker 1: By one disappointment in this interview is Fred Warner promised
Speaker 1: after signing this contract you were going to be iced out,
Speaker 1: you were going to have changed, You were going to
Speaker 1: drop a few million on an upgrading. Is anything about
Speaker 1: brock Purty gonna change?
Speaker 6: Are you?
Speaker 1: Are you gonna allow yourself to make maybe a couple
Speaker 1: of little purchases here.
Speaker 13: Uh, for the most part, I'm pretty sure we're just
Speaker 13: gonna keep it simple.
Speaker 6: My wife and I and uh, I don't know.
Speaker 13: I was talking about maybe buying a bass fishing boat
Speaker 13: down the road, and that's something that I've always wanted
Speaker 13: since I was a kid. So you might see us
Speaker 13: fishing more often.
Speaker 2: So awesome, man.
Speaker 1: Well, congratulations again, Brock. We appreciate you being here.
Speaker 14: Man.
Speaker 2: Can't wait to see on the field in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 13: Sir, thank you, Go Niners.
Speaker 2: Rock Purty Big.
Speaker 1: I'm Deil big time guest right here on The Insiders,
Speaker 1: and this show rolls on. Cameron Wolf is going to
Speaker 1: be joining us next. He spent some time at the
Speaker 1: Dolphins Ota today. What are his expectations for that team
Speaker 1: into twenty twenty five. Also, what's the latest on Jalen
Speaker 1: Ramsey contract talks. We will discuss all that next on
Speaker 1: The Insiders.
Speaker 5: Welcome back to The Insiders. New today, Well, there are
Speaker 5: quite a few things new today here at the spring meeting,
Speaker 5: Tush push lives. The vote fel too short of banning
Speaker 5: the Tush push, So we've got one more season at
Speaker 5: least of the Eagles running a play that appears to
Speaker 5: be completely unstoppable. The Lions withdrew their proposal on playoff reseating,
Speaker 5: but that is not the last we're going to hear
Speaker 5: of that. The NFL had a long discussion about playoff
Speaker 5: reseating today and they basically told everybody put on your
Speaker 5: thinking caps and come up with scenarios. We are probably
Speaker 5: still a few seasons away from playoff receding, but that
Speaker 5: is something they are interested in doing. And the onside
Speaker 5: kick has been tweaked. If you are a trailing team,
Speaker 5: you can now declare an on sidekick attempt anytime in
Speaker 5: the game. They also tweet the formation the alignment for
Speaker 5: the on sidekick. They're hoping to generate more on sidekick recoveries.
Speaker 5: Not that many more, but just a few more. They
Speaker 5: don't want the play to completely disappear from the game.
Speaker 5: And the Miami Dolphins, this is like football, real football.
Speaker 5: Their OTAs begin right after Memorial Day. But they are
Speaker 5: on the field. They got some stuff to work on,
Speaker 5: they got some issues on their plate, and we've got
Speaker 5: our very own cam will fear to discuss the Miami Dolphins,
Speaker 5: all right. They are going to be on the field
Speaker 5: next week for OTA's cam what should we be keeping
Speaker 5: our eyes on.
Speaker 14: Yeah, I can't wait to see Devon Chan, running back
Speaker 14: who has been a star of the first two years,
Speaker 14: and he could be in line for even more this year.
Speaker 14: Rare he mostered left to go to Vegas, and now
Speaker 14: he's got an opportunity to be the clear number one
Speaker 14: player in that backfield. And he has been very loud
Speaker 14: and clear about his goals. He said, I can be
Speaker 14: a thousand yard rusher and a five hundred yard receiver
Speaker 14: if you draft him in fantasy football. Last year he
Speaker 14: was a top ten PPR player for you there and
Speaker 14: he could be that guy again. And I got a
Speaker 14: chance to talk with his running back coach, Eric Stutisville
Speaker 14: today up at the Dolphins facility, and the question that
Speaker 14: a lot of people had about eight Chan is he's small.
Speaker 14: He's five to nine one hundred and eighty some pounds.
Speaker 14: Can he handle the workload Studentsville's answers, Yes, he can
Speaker 14: handle whatever we give him. I've never viewed him as
Speaker 14: a small back, and he says he wants more. We're
Speaker 14: preparing to give him more, and so he could end
Speaker 14: up being even bigger part of that offense than people envision.
Speaker 14: Of course, they have Jalen Wright, their rookie back last year.
Speaker 14: He'll come in and fill some of those roles. And
Speaker 14: they drafted Ali Gordon as a big back laid in
Speaker 14: the draft. But this is devine A Chan's opportunity to
Speaker 14: own that backfield, to be able to run the ball.
Speaker 14: And he said he left a lot of yards out
Speaker 14: there on the table that he wants to get. And
Speaker 14: another interesting thing, Judy, you mentioned some of the talk
Speaker 14: this offseason about the Dolphins. He said, we have heard
Speaker 14: some people throw around the soft word, talk about our toughness,
Speaker 14: and I hope they keep that same energy when they
Speaker 14: come about this year. And so these guys are having
Speaker 14: some maternal motivation. They say it's a different team and
Speaker 14: they think it'll start with the running game with a
Speaker 14: Chan and better blocking up front to be able to
Speaker 14: have that success in December and January where they failed
Speaker 14: in the past.
Speaker 5: All Right, we are almost to the Memorial Day weekend
Speaker 5: and maybe surprisingly, Jalen Ramsey is still a Miami Dolphin.
Speaker 5: Where do things stand with both of their sides attempts
Speaker 5: to trade them.
Speaker 14: Yeah, Judy, I checked in with a couple of people
Speaker 14: on the Jalen Ramsey situation this week, and I was
Speaker 14: told nothing is imminent. There have been conversations draft weekend
Speaker 14: and throughout May in regards to Jalen Ramsey. There's interest,
Speaker 14: but right now there's nothing. There's nothing closing at this moment.
Speaker 14: It has been relatively quiet. But one thing I was told
Speaker 14: is to keep an eye on that July first date.
Speaker 14: The Dolphins would take a over twenty five million dollar
Speaker 14: cap hit if they traded him before July first. That
Speaker 14: number drops to under seven million dollars if they trade
Speaker 14: him after July first. And a lot of people were
Speaker 14: looking at saying Jayalen Ramsey's one of their best players,
Speaker 14: He's been elite. All these things are true. But I
Speaker 14: talk with their defensive coording under Anthony Weaver today about
Speaker 14: the situation, and his quote kind of sums up why
Speaker 14: the Dolphins and Ramseys are here. He said that Ramsey's
Speaker 14: been a great player for us, but relationships are hard,
Speaker 14: and he's chosen to move on. This isn't about a
Speaker 14: guy who wants more money or a guy who can't
Speaker 14: play anymore. This is just a simp situation where relationships
Speaker 14: are hard and the relationship between the Dolphins and Ramsey
Speaker 14: has essentially run out. I expect him to get traded
Speaker 14: at some point in June or July. They have talked
Speaker 14: to a lot of teams. I'm told the Dolphins are
Speaker 14: aware of teams that Ramsey would be interested in. We've
Speaker 14: heard the La Rams and their coaching and GM staff
Speaker 14: talk and rave about Jayalen Rams. There's other places where
Speaker 14: he has had coaches he has loved to play for
Speaker 14: in the past, whether it be Rae Morris and Atlanta
Speaker 14: or a giro verro in Carolina. We'll kind of see
Speaker 14: how the money factors in. That's going to be a
Speaker 14: big part of it. But for the Dolphins, they're already
Speaker 14: planning to move on. They're speaking in the past, he's
Speaker 14: not going to be at OTAs and for them, they're
Speaker 14: planning on developing their young corners, including Cam Smith, their
Speaker 14: third year player, to try to replace a Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 5: It's going to be really interesting to see what happens
Speaker 5: if Jalen Ramsey is still on the roster. As we
Speaker 5: inch closer and closer to training camp opening at the
Speaker 5: end of July, camp Thank you very much.
Speaker 1: Bears in their second day of OTA practices, in their
Speaker 1: first off season under new head coach Ben Johnson, who
Speaker 1: had to answer some questions based on a recent article
Speaker 1: about the Bears' history with quarterbacks, one that he certainly
Speaker 1: hopes changes with Caleb Williams.
Speaker 15: I love it.
Speaker 6: I love it.
Speaker 15: I love the opportunity come on in and change that narrative.
Speaker 15: That's where great stories are written, and so we're looking
Speaker 15: to write a new chapter here twenty twenty five Chicago
Speaker 15: Bears and looking forward to the future.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to the insiders.
Speaker 1: Tom Pelaserro Judi Batista here at the Spring league meeting,
Speaker 1: joined once again by Brian Baldinger and Steve White. Judy
Speaker 1: you got a call him up NFL dot com slash
Speaker 1: Batista about potentially vulnerable division winners from a year ago.
Speaker 2: Let's start right there in the NFC North. What do
Speaker 2: you make it the lines.
Speaker 5: I think they're vulnerable in large part because of the
Speaker 5: quality competition in that division. Don't forget that division came
Speaker 5: down to the very last game of the regular season
Speaker 5: last year. Three teams out of the NFC North went
Speaker 5: to the playoffs last year. And it just so happens
Speaker 5: that the Detroit Lions have the second hardest strength of
Speaker 5: schedule this season, and they lost both of their coordinators
Speaker 5: this offseason. That's an awful lot to deal with. And
Speaker 5: the Chicago Bears should also be improved this season. So
Speaker 5: the quality of the competition in the division is certainly
Speaker 5: a factor here. And you know, adjusting to losing two
Speaker 5: coordinators in one off season not easy for any team.
Speaker 7: I would agree with you, Judy losing the quarters. I've
Speaker 7: often said this that it's more difficult to replace good
Speaker 7: coordinators and Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson that it is
Speaker 7: great players.
Speaker 6: It might be the case. We'll find out.
Speaker 7: We'll see what Dan Campbell has in store for us,
Speaker 7: how they kind of restore the order.
Speaker 6: But in addition, you know, it was more than the
Speaker 6: loss of Aden Hutchinson.
Speaker 7: But this was not a good defensive team down the stretch,
Speaker 7: and their last two losses to Buffalo they give up
Speaker 7: forty eight points and a playoff loss at home, they
Speaker 7: give up forty five points to the Washington Commanders, and
Speaker 7: so they were leaking oil at the end of the season.
Speaker 7: Last year, they did win fifteen games, take nothing away
Speaker 7: from that.
Speaker 6: They've won the division a couple of years in a row.
Speaker 7: But the competition is fierce, and we all believe that
Speaker 7: Ben Johnson in Chicago is going to make that outfit
Speaker 7: a lot more competitive than what we have seen, so
Speaker 7: I would agree with you.
Speaker 6: I think they are vulnerable to repeating his division champ
Speaker 6: right now.
Speaker 1: Baldy, thank you very much, Steve. We will get to
Speaker 1: you shortly here, but first we need to bring you
Speaker 1: some breaking news, and it is very sad news out
Speaker 1: of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Ersay has died at the
Speaker 1: age of sixty five. The team announcing this just a
Speaker 1: short time ago, team releasing a statement staying in part,
Speaker 1: we are devastated to announce our beloved owner and CEO,
Speaker 1: Jim Ersay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon.
Speaker 1: Jim's dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition
Speaker 1: to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly,
Speaker 1: his love for his family, were unsurpassed. Our deepest sympathies
Speaker 1: go to his daughter's Carlie Ersay, Gordon Casey Foyt, Kaylin Jackson,
Speaker 1: and his entire family as we grieve with them. Judy
Speaker 1: Jim Rsay was one of the great characters among NFL
Speaker 1: owners He's somebody that I certainly knew on some level.
Speaker 1: You spend a lot of time around him as well.
Speaker 1: He obviously had dealt with a lot from a personal perspective,
Speaker 1: from a health perspective in recent years.
Speaker 5: Tragic news tonight, Just terrible news. I saw one of
Speaker 5: his daughters here today. Just terrible and stunning news. He
Speaker 5: was sort of a hippie, but really an old soul.
Speaker 5: As an owner, he was mentored by some of the
Speaker 5: legendary owners of the game. Wellington Marra from the Giants,
Speaker 5: Dan Rooney from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those were the people
Speaker 5: who guided him when he was a young man. When
Speaker 5: he took over the franchise from his own father, they
Speaker 5: moved the team to Indianapolis, and he had a really
Speaker 5: soft touch. He was the one who his father was
Speaker 5: a little bit more rough around the edges, and when
Speaker 5: employees would be upset, or players would be upset, or
Speaker 5: fans would be upset, it was Jim who went to
Speaker 5: them and apologized and smooth things over. He was a
Speaker 5: lovely man. He was an enormous music aficionado. He had
Speaker 5: the scroll to on the Road he owned that. He
Speaker 5: owned many guitars, and he loved, loved the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 5: He wanted to win so very badly. You know, he
Speaker 5: was so proud of how they had turned Indiana and
Speaker 5: Indianapolis from a basketball place to a football place. They
Speaker 5: built a spectacular stadium downtown largely because of Peyton Manning's success,
Speaker 5: and he wanted so much to replicate that kind of success.
Speaker 5: In recent years, they haven't quite gotten there. Just a terrible,
Speaker 5: terrible loss for the Indianapolis Colts, the Indianapolis community, and
Speaker 5: the NFL.
Speaker 1: Jim Mersey's children, particularly Carl Ursay, have been very involved
Speaker 1: with the team in recent years, Carl Ersay touching all
Speaker 1: aspects of that organization, much as Jim did under his father,
Speaker 1: Robert Ursay versus the Colts general manager and succeeding his
Speaker 1: late father In Nightieen ninety seven.
Speaker 2: Here's more on the life of Jim Irsay.
Speaker 4: The Indianapolis Colts football revival occurred under the guidance of
Speaker 4: Jim Ersay, a man who overcame obstacles of his own.
Speaker 11: I had a tough childhood. I mean, you know, I
Speaker 11: lost both my brother and sister. You know, my sister
Speaker 11: died in the car crash when I was eleven, a
Speaker 11: state trooper came knocking on the door, and you know,
Speaker 11: your sister's dad, you know, and your brother is severely
Speaker 11: handicapped at birth and eventually dies at an early age.
Speaker 11: And so you know, out a three year the only
Speaker 11: one left. My dad died of alcoholism. My grandfather died
Speaker 11: of alcoholism.
Speaker 4: Ers would struggle against similar substance dependencies throughout much of
Speaker 4: his life, often at a heavy price. But in the
Speaker 4: early days of Colts football in the Hoosier State, Jim
Speaker 4: was very much in con control of his father's team
Speaker 4: as its youthful general manager. At the age of twenty seven,
Speaker 4: he put together a ten player blockbuster deal that brought
Speaker 4: in star running back Eric Dickerson, a move that ended
Speaker 4: a decade of futility Dickerson.
Speaker 16: Trying to get outside cuts up to the thirty piece
Speaker 16: At the twenty five.
Speaker 3: Twenty ten.
Speaker 5: Thirty four years per.
Speaker 16: The Colts went in twenty four to six and had
Speaker 16: the playoffs for the first time in ten years. From
Speaker 16: last place to park.
Speaker 4: A decade later, Ersay made the draft choice that turned
Speaker 4: the Colts into an NFL powerhouse.
Speaker 17: With the first pick of the draft, the Indianapolis Colts
Speaker 17: select quarterback University of Tennessee Peyton Manna.
Speaker 4: From this began a golden era of colts football under
Speaker 4: Ersay twenty two game winning streak. That's a record even
Speaker 4: in this decade. That's a record.
Speaker 11: Looking at all other teams in the last century in
Speaker 11: all sports.
Speaker 6: This is really special.
Speaker 16: Nine straight seasons when tenor ball wins nine straight playoff
Speaker 16: appearances ties a lake record.
Speaker 4: In two thousand and eight, Hers opened a showplace stadium
Speaker 4: for his Thoroughbred team, after having already built his reputation
Speaker 4: among league owners with a steady stream of progressive head
Speaker 4: coaching hires.
Speaker 6: We want to go get this, and.
Speaker 7: Anyone who doesn't want more than one of these, you know,
Speaker 7: shouldn't wear a horse shoe.
Speaker 11: I walk in the locker room on Sunday, and you know,
Speaker 11: we gather hands and pray and then get ready to
Speaker 11: go on the field.
Speaker 6: WHOA Ready? Whoa?
Speaker 11: Every single player has to know that I did everything
Speaker 11: I can to give us a chance to win.
Speaker 6: Wait a pipe, babequait a pipe.
Speaker 1: Jim Irsay loved his Indianapolis Colts, and there were many
Speaker 1: people who loved him. Jim Irsay passing away today at
Speaker 1: the age of sixty five. Sad news tonight from Indianapolis,
Speaker 1: the Colts announcing just a short time ago that their
Speaker 1: owner and CEO, Jim Ersay, passed away peacefully in his
Speaker 1: sleep this afternoon. He was sixty five years old. Team
Speaker 1: staying in part. Jim's generosita can be felt all over Indianapolis,
Speaker 1: the state of Indiana, and the country. He made philanthropy
Speaker 1: a daily endeavor. He never hesitated to help countless organizations
Speaker 1: and individuals live better lives. Music was one of Jim's passions,
Speaker 1: and the ability to share his band and collection with
Speaker 1: millions of people across the world brought him tremendous joy.
Speaker 1: Simply put, he wanted to make the world a better place,
Speaker 1: and that philosophy never wavered. Jim will be deeply missed
Speaker 1: by his family, the Colts organization, and bands everywhere. We
Speaker 1: remain inspired by his carrying and unique spirit. Colts players
Speaker 1: weighing in on social media within the past few minutes,
Speaker 1: including their defensive linemen to Forest Buckner setting up prayers
Speaker 1: for Jim Ersay and the Ersay family. Welcome back to
Speaker 1: the Insiders, Tom Pellisio and Judy Batista here at the
Speaker 1: Spring League meeting which wrapped up earlier today, joined by
Speaker 1: Steve Whites as well as Brian Baldinger, who is of
Speaker 1: course one of our analysts and also a former Indianapolis
Speaker 1: Colts player. Baldy, I imagine that you have some personal
Speaker 1: memories of Jim, irsay.
Speaker 7: I do, and everything that has been echoed so far,
Speaker 7: I share the same tremendous generosity. But I came to
Speaker 7: the Colts with Jim's dad, Robert Ursay nineteen eighty eight
Speaker 7: had played four years there.
Speaker 6: And whether it's myself.
Speaker 7: Peyton Manning, DeForest Buckner, on and on and on, anybody
Speaker 7: that played for the Colts played for a first class organization.
Speaker 7: Jim Marsay was dead set on that, whether it was
Speaker 7: you know, a brand new stadium that they have built.
Speaker 7: When I first came to the Colts tom.
Speaker 6: This time of the year, in the middle of May.
Speaker 7: This was race month in Indianapolis. This was about the
Speaker 7: Indy five hundred race car drivers AJ Foyd. They would
Speaker 7: come over to the Colts facility, they get treatment, you know,
Speaker 7: for the injuries and things that they sustained. And then
Speaker 7: Jim Mersey hired Tony Dungeon, and he hired and signed
Speaker 7: Peyton Manning and this state, which was a heavy college
Speaker 7: basketball state. It was the Hoosier State. It was Bob
Speaker 7: it was Bobby Knight in Bloombyton, it was the race
Speaker 7: car month in the month of May. It became a
Speaker 7: true football powerhouse. And Jim really guided that whole thing.
Speaker 7: Bill Polly came in, ran the organization. He hired great people.
Speaker 7: But to this day, to this day, you go to
Speaker 7: that facility on fifty sixth Street in Indianapolis right now,
Speaker 7: I know that there's still people that work in the
Speaker 7: equipment room, in the training room that Jim hired thirty
Speaker 7: and forty years ago that still worked him. This is
Speaker 7: a place where it feels like home. No matter how
Speaker 7: long you played, you feel like you were at home
Speaker 7: when you went back to visit for whatever reason, whether
Speaker 7: you're back for a game, an alumnia function, or whatever
Speaker 7: it was, you really felt like you're coming back to
Speaker 7: a place where they really wanted you to be around
Speaker 7: and to come back. And that was all the philanthropy
Speaker 7: of Jim Mercy. You can't go downtown Indianapolis and not
Speaker 7: see the marks that Jim Ersay has left on this
Speaker 7: town and his ability to give back. And I know, Steve,
Speaker 7: you're close to the organization and covering this league. I
Speaker 7: know that you share some of the same sentiments that
Speaker 7: I have as a former player.
Speaker 8: We waal when we broke into this broadcast with the
Speaker 8: news of his death. I mean, it was a gut punch.
Speaker 8: I mean, the win came at me. I'll do me,
Speaker 8: you know, and Tom and Junior are there at the
Speaker 8: league meetings there in Minnesota.
Speaker 2: And I can't tell you how many years you.
Speaker 8: Know of seeing Jim Irsay at these meetings and having
Speaker 8: conversations with him, because he was always very outspoken about
Speaker 8: whatever the big topic of the season was, whether it
Speaker 8: was a rule change, whether it was the potential ouster
Speaker 8: of Dan Snyder is the owner of the Washington Commanders.
Speaker 6: He had something to say.
Speaker 8: He was a fearless owner who spoke up for his club,
Speaker 8: for his community, for so many people, and you know,
Speaker 8: just you know, I've heard from somebody for the culture
Speaker 8: right now. This is a devastating blow to that organization
Speaker 8: in so many ways. But you've talked about the philanthropy, Baldy.
Speaker 8: I remember a couple of years ago when Darius Leonard,
Speaker 8: the linebacker there, started his foundation. How Jim irsay, just
Speaker 8: gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to kick this off
Speaker 8: of the ground because it was a mental health ordeal.
Speaker 8: And after everything Jim had been through in his life
Speaker 8: well documented in that obituary, a lot of the medical
Speaker 8: issues that he'd been through, the back surgery's, leg surgeries,
Speaker 8: the respiratory issues, this mental illness thing was huge for him.
Speaker 8: The culture, the leaders in the NFL, with their players
Speaker 8: and people who work there speaking out on this.
Speaker 6: So again, he had a heart of gold.
Speaker 8: Anyone would tell you that, as quirky as he was
Speaker 8: the late night social media post whatever, but this is
Speaker 8: somebody in his heart of hearts and you know, this
Speaker 8: baldy is about the betterment of mankind. So again, this
Speaker 8: is a very human blow. As very much as we
Speaker 8: talk about him being an NFL owner and things like that, but.
Speaker 7: He's also Steve an NFL owner that played college football,
Speaker 7: played ATMU for Ron Meyer, Like he knew a little
Speaker 7: bit about what this whole industry is about.
Speaker 6: Not at the professional level, but he played for the.
Speaker 7: Mustangs there in Dallas and ended up bringing Ron Meyer
Speaker 7: after he was outed at you know, at New England.
Speaker 7: He brought him on board to run the organization and
Speaker 7: made the big trade for Eric Dickerson. I blocked for
Speaker 7: Eric there for a couple of years. We won the
Speaker 7: rushing title one season. I know Jim was extremely proud.
Speaker 7: I'd see him in the weight room. He was lifting
Speaker 7: weights with all the players back in those days, like
Speaker 7: he wanted. He wanted to be a part of the
Speaker 7: whole success of this organization. But just a class class
Speaker 7: organization from the top down, and it's still run in
Speaker 7: the same manner today because of the guidance of Jim Mersay.
Speaker 1: We certainly covered in that obituary to Jim Irsay Judy
Speaker 1: some of the issues that he dealt with in his life.
Speaker 1: There were not just health issues. There were substance abuse issues.
Speaker 1: There were personal issues, but there were no question about
Speaker 1: two things. He was a gregarious character and he was
Speaker 1: someone who absolutely wanted to win with the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 5: Wanted to win and has been preparing his daughters now
Speaker 5: four years he has three daughters four years to take
Speaker 5: over the franchise. He has been working on succession planning
Speaker 5: for a long time. Steve mentioned Dan Snyder. It was
Speaker 5: Jim Ursay who was the first owner to come out
Speaker 5: and say on the record publicly that the NFL had
Speaker 5: to remove Dan Snyder from the league one way or
Speaker 5: the other. No other owner would say it publicly. He
Speaker 5: cared very very much about the integrity of the NFL
Speaker 5: and of the Indianapolis Colts. Just a terrible loss for
Speaker 5: all of us.
Speaker 1: So once again Sad News Tonight out of Indianapolis, Jim Ersay,
Speaker 1: the Colts CEO and owner passing away at the age
Speaker 1: of sixty five. A man who meant a great deal
Speaker 1: to the people of Indianapolis, meant a great deal to
Speaker 1: his family, certainly will be missed.
Speaker 2: By the NFL community. Much more to come on this
Speaker 2: edition of the.
Speaker 1: Insiters Sad News Tonight out of Indianapolis, where the Indianapolis
Speaker 1: Colts have announced within the past several minutes that their
Speaker 1: owner and CEO, Jim Ersay, has passed away at the
Speaker 1: age of sixty five. Colts releasing a statement saying in
Speaker 1: part that their started to announce their beloved owner and CEO,
Speaker 1: Jim Mersay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon.
Speaker 1: Jim's dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition
Speaker 1: to his generosity commitment to the community, and more importantly,
Speaker 1: his love for his family were unsurpassed. Our deepest sympathies
Speaker 1: go to his daughter's Carli Erce, Gordon Casey, Foyd, Kaylin Jackson,
Speaker 1: and his entire family as we grieve with them more
Speaker 1: now on the life of Jim Irsa.
Speaker 4: The Indianapolis Colts football revival occurred under the guidance of
Speaker 4: Jim Ursay, a man who overcame obstacles of his own.
Speaker 11: I had a tough childhood. I mean, you know, I
Speaker 11: lost both my brother and sister. You know, my sister
Speaker 11: died in the car crash when I was eleven. A
Speaker 11: state trooper came knocking.
Speaker 6: On the door. And you know.
Speaker 11: Your sister's dad, you know, and your brother is severely
Speaker 11: handicapped at birth and eventually died at an early age.
Speaker 11: And so you know, a three year the only one left.
Speaker 11: My dad died of alcoholism. My grandfather died of alcoholism.
Speaker 4: Ers would struggle against similar substance dependencies throughout much of
Speaker 4: his life, often at a heavy price. But in the
Speaker 4: early days of colts football in the Hoosier State, Jim
Speaker 4: was very much in control of his father's team as
Speaker 4: its youthful general manager. At the age of twenty seven,
Speaker 4: he put together a ten player blockbuster deal that brought
Speaker 4: in star running back Eric Dickerson, a move that ended
Speaker 4: a decade of futility Dickerson.
Speaker 16: Trying to get outside cuts up to the thirty piece
Speaker 16: at the twenty.
Speaker 7: Five twenty he did thirty four years.
Speaker 16: The Colts went in twenty four to six that had
Speaker 16: the playoff for the first time in ten years, from
Speaker 16: last twice to part.
Speaker 4: A decade later, Ersay made the draft choice that turned
Speaker 4: the Colts into a an NFL powerhouse.
Speaker 17: With the first pick in the draft, the Indianapolis Colts
Speaker 17: select quarterback University of Tennessee Peyton Manna.
Speaker 4: From this began a golden era of Colts football. Under
Speaker 4: ersa twenty two game winning streak. That's a record one
Speaker 4: and fourteen in this decade. That's a record.
Speaker 11: Looking at all other teams in the last century in
Speaker 11: all sports.
Speaker 6: This is really special.
Speaker 16: Nine straight seasons when tenor ball wins, nine straight playoff
Speaker 16: appearances ties a lake record.
Speaker 4: In two thousand and eight, hers opened a showplace stadium
Speaker 4: for his thoroughbred team. After having already built his reputation
Speaker 4: among league owners with a steady stream of progressive head
Speaker 4: coaching hires.
Speaker 6: We want to go get this, and.
Speaker 7: Anyone who doesn't want more than one of these, you know,
Speaker 7: shouldn't wear.
Speaker 6: A horse shoe.
Speaker 11: I walk in the locker room on Sunday, and you know,
Speaker 11: we gather hands and pray and then get ready to
Speaker 11: go on the field.
Speaker 9: WHOA, very whoa.
Speaker 11: Every single player has to know that I did everything
Speaker 11: I can to give us a chance to win.
Speaker 2: Wait a pipe, babe, Wait a pipe.
Speaker 1: Current and former Colts players waiting in tonight on the
Speaker 1: passing of Jim Mersey at the age of sixty five.
Speaker 1: That includes one of the franchise legends, Reggie Wayne, who
Speaker 1: wrote on social media, this hurts my soul certainly, Judy.
Speaker 1: There are a lot of people around the NFL who
Speaker 1: have similar sentiments.
Speaker 6: Here.
Speaker 1: Jim Merseys we just documented there in that obituary. With
Speaker 1: someone who bat a lot in his personal life medically
Speaker 1: substance abuse, was also a gregarious character. He was certainly
Speaker 1: one of one as a human being, and he absolutely
Speaker 1: loved and wanted to win with his Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 5: I was very lucky to spend time with him and
Speaker 5: talk to him frequently, and also visited him in his
Speaker 5: office multiple times. I am certain he is the only
Speaker 5: NFL owner who had a picture of Jimmy Hendrix in
Speaker 5: his office. For example, he had the original scroll of
Speaker 5: Jack Kerouax on the Road in his office. He had
Speaker 5: pictures of Martin Luther King. He had candles burning in
Speaker 5: his office. He would get on stage and jam with
Speaker 5: his friends like Steven Stills and John Mellencamp. He was
Speaker 5: a very unique character, but a very much old school
Speaker 5: NFL owner. He was mentored by people like Wellington Mara
Speaker 5: and Art Rooney and Pete Roselle, old school owners Lamar Hunt.
Speaker 5: He wanted to lead his team that way. When he
Speaker 5: was getting prepared to move the Colts on from the
Speaker 5: Peyton Manning era, he studied how the Dallas Cowboys moved
Speaker 5: on from their great era in the nineties. He believed
Speaker 5: very much in maintaining the integrity not just of the team,
Speaker 5: but of the league. He was the first owner to
Speaker 5: say publicly on the record that the NFL had to
Speaker 5: get Dan Snyder out of the league. Other owners had
Speaker 5: whispered it behind the scenes, but he put himself out there.
Speaker 5: The NFL did not know he was going to do it.
Speaker 5: They were stunned, but it certainly got the ball rolling.
Speaker 5: He was an extraordinary person. We should make the point
Speaker 5: that the team is going to be run and has
Speaker 5: really been run in recent years by his three daughters.
Speaker 5: Jim Orsay took a lot of time and care in
Speaker 5: preparing his daughters for this role. He wanted them to
Speaker 5: have the team, he wanted them to run the team,
Speaker 5: and he prepared them for this. I saw one of
Speaker 5: his daughters here today, only a few hours ago at
Speaker 5: the meeting. His loss is a shock to all of us.
Speaker 5: Have been communicating with some members of the organization who
Speaker 5: are stunned as we all are. He was an extraordinary
Speaker 5: figure in the NFL. He brought football. He and his
Speaker 5: father brought football to Indianapolis and turned what was certainly
Speaker 5: a basketball state into a football state.
Speaker 1: Certainly you mentioned his daughters have been heavily involved in running. Really,
Speaker 1: all aspects get to touch different portions of the organization.
Speaker 1: No statement from the Colts at this time about who
Speaker 1: the controlling owner will be, what the ownership structured succession
Speaker 1: plan will be. They're going to keep the focus right
Speaker 1: now on Jim or say the time will come for
Speaker 1: everything else. We also have a new statement from NFL
Speaker 1: Commissioner Roger Goodell, who wrote, in part, were deeply sad
Speaker 1: and to learn of Jim Orsay's passing today. Jim was
Speaker 1: a friend and a man deeply committed to his family,
Speaker 1: the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community. He spent
Speaker 1: his life and career in the National Football League, starting
Speaker 1: as a team as a Colts ball boy, he learned
Speaker 1: every position in the organization before assuming leadership of the
Speaker 1: Colts approximately thirty years ago. Jim's Colts won the Super Bowl,
Speaker 1: hosted another, and built Lucas Oil Stadium. Within the league,
Speaker 1: Jym was an active chairman of the Legislative Committee and
Speaker 1: member of the Finance Committee. He led with integrity, passion,
Speaker 1: and care for the Colts players, coaches, and staff, and
Speaker 1: his courageous work and support of mental health will be
Speaker 1: a lasting legacy. Outside of football, he was a talented
Speaker 1: musician and built an extraordinary collection of historical and musical
Speaker 1: artifacts that he shared with people across the country on
Speaker 1: behalf of the entire NFL. I extend my heartfelt condolences
Speaker 1: to Jim's daughters and their families, and to his many
Speaker 1: friends throughout the NFL. Let's welcome in our Steve Whites
Speaker 1: as well as Brian Baldinger for more on this story. Baldy,
Speaker 1: you not only knew Jim Mersay, you played for the Colts.
Speaker 1: You know how Jim Rsey felt about his family of players.
Speaker 1: Tell me your memories of the man you knew, Jim Irsay.
Speaker 6: I love the man. And this is tough. This is
Speaker 6: really tough. Never expected this, Nobody did. So it's a shot,
Speaker 6: but I'm just reminiscing the stories.
Speaker 7: I left Dallas in nineteen eighty seven and came to
Speaker 7: the Colts in nineteen eighty eight. And I had a choice.
Speaker 7: I could have gone to the Houston Texans. I could
Speaker 7: have gone to the Colts. I went to the Colts
Speaker 7: in large part. Ron Meyer was the coach that Jim
Speaker 7: Irsay brought in. His father was running the team then
Speaker 7: Robert Ursay. But I fell in love with the team
Speaker 7: and with the community and still feel that way about
Speaker 7: it and everybody that plays there, whether you're a Peyton
Speaker 7: manning you're a superstar, or whether you just wore the horseshoe,
Speaker 7: it felt special, and Jim made you feel special. He
Speaker 7: made you feel included. My first introduction to Jim Mercy
Speaker 7: was in the weight and he was lifting weights with
Speaker 7: all the players back and he was still young. He
Speaker 7: was a former college football player at Elish at SMU
Speaker 7: with Ron Meyer, and you know, he mingled with the
Speaker 7: players and he wanted to get to know you and
Speaker 7: we could talk about the philanthropy because you can't go
Speaker 7: downtown Indianapolis not see Lucas Oil Stadium not seeing museums
Speaker 7: that he put his money and his interest behind in
Speaker 7: along the river there downtown Indianapolis.
Speaker 6: His mark has been left everywhere. And I feel like.
Speaker 7: Everybody that played there knew that they played for a
Speaker 7: first class organization and they treated you that way, in
Speaker 7: large part because of the man of your screen right there,
Speaker 7: Jim Merseesh, it's a tough day for all of us
Speaker 7: that wore a horseshoe, all of us that spent time
Speaker 7: in Indianapolis, a real world class city, brought a super
Speaker 7: Bowl to that town, brought a brand new stadium. And look,
Speaker 7: the month of May when I got there, was race month.
Speaker 7: It was about the Indy five hundred, and that's what
Speaker 7: we celebrated. It was Collins basketball from Notre Dame to
Speaker 7: Purdue to South Bend, all the way down to blooming
Speaker 7: Tim and Bobby Knight, and that changed when they drafted
Speaker 7: Man and it became a football town.
Speaker 6: And it still is in large part because of Jim Mercy.
Speaker 8: Yeah, Baldy, Juty and time so weird. Now I'm kind
Speaker 8: of just taking all this whole day in right. We
Speaker 8: started out talking about the tush push and flag football,
Speaker 8: and we have just got the ultimate humanity check right
Speaker 8: here because a man we all know who had to
Speaker 8: be I don't have everyone's bio here, but he has
Speaker 8: to be one of the younger owners in the NFL
Speaker 8: was just pronounced dead, you know, not too long ago.
Speaker 8: It's again, this was a gut punch. I'm scrolling through
Speaker 8: social media seeing someone like mcbaldy just said, so many
Speaker 8: of his former players, so many players from other teams.
Speaker 18: Who knew him.
Speaker 8: Just his impact on the human aspect. And we know
Speaker 8: of when we dealt with him as an owner, some
Speaker 8: of his quirkiness, of his late night social media post,
Speaker 8: some of the videos he made outside of his private airplane.
Speaker 8: But in conversations we have with him, let's make care
Speaker 8: deeply about his players, about people in that organ Again,
Speaker 8: I can't think a couple of years ago when Darius
Speaker 8: Shack Leonard, their inside linebacker, launched his foundation which really
Speaker 8: centered around the well being of the human mind, the
Speaker 8: mental health element of things, and how much that meant
Speaker 8: to Jim and how much this was his and his
Speaker 8: family's crusade. They've been a big push behind a lot
Speaker 8: of initiatves with the NFL about mental health and how
Speaker 8: important it is. And we saw one of his players,
Speaker 8: Andrew Luck, step away from the game because he said
Speaker 8: he would go into dark places with his mental health.
Speaker 8: So with just so much of that impact and how
Speaker 8: much that meant to him, how much that meant to him,
Speaker 8: and how much he cared for his players. You know,
Speaker 8: just trying to digest everything that Jim ursay meant to
Speaker 8: this league, in that community and his team.
Speaker 18: It's a lot right now.
Speaker 8: I mean, this is very much of a gut.
Speaker 1: Punch, certainly sad news around the NFL tonight.
Speaker 2: We continue to hear the tributes pour in.
Speaker 1: We'll speak with one of the other former Colts players,
Speaker 1: Brandon Stokely, in just a short time. Once again, if
Speaker 1: you are just joining us Sad News tonight from Indianapolis,
Speaker 1: the Colts owner and CEO, Jim Ursay has passed away.
Speaker 1: He was just sixty five years old. Devastating news tonight
Speaker 1: out of Indianapolis, the Colts announcing within the past hour
Speaker 1: that their owner and CEO, Jim Irsay has died at
Speaker 1: the age of sixty five, a story that we're continuing
Speaker 1: to follow here with some of the voices who knew
Speaker 1: Jim Irsay. Well, that includes our next guests. Former Colts
Speaker 1: wide receiver Brandon Stokely is with us, Tom Pellicero and
Speaker 1: Judy Batista here at the.
Speaker 2: Spring League meeting.
Speaker 1: Brandon, we know that Jim Irsay had had many challenges,
Speaker 1: including health challenges in recent years, but still the shock
Speaker 1: of the news tonight. What were your emotions when you
Speaker 1: heard that Jim Mersey has passed away.
Speaker 12: Yeah, my son texted me and that's that's how I
Speaker 12: got the news.
Speaker 18: And it hurts it really does.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 18: Jim Mercy was a great owner. He was a great person.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 12: He loved his players, He took care of his players
Speaker 12: and uh, very.
Speaker 18: You talk about generous guys, you know.
Speaker 12: Every year, you know, for Christmas, Uh, we were every
Speaker 12: every player would have a gift on their locker. You
Speaker 12: talk about great gifts, you know, TVs. You know, when
Speaker 12: the PlayStation new PlayStations came out, we'd have a PlayStation,
Speaker 12: so you talk and even after you were done playing
Speaker 12: for him, just such a generous guy. He was a
Speaker 12: great owner, and he loved the Colts obviously, But just
Speaker 12: just awful news hearing of his passing the day because
Speaker 12: he was he was a great guy. And that's what
Speaker 12: I want people to remember about Jim Mercy was he
Speaker 12: was a great guy with a big heart. Uh did
Speaker 12: so many great things for charities and gave so much
Speaker 12: to so many people in the Indiana region.
Speaker 18: And he loved his players, he loved the Colts.
Speaker 12: So yeah, just a just a tough day for everyone
Speaker 12: involved with the Colts.
Speaker 5: Brandon, you were obviously with the team at its very height,
Speaker 5: at his best days, and I wonder if you could
Speaker 5: tell us how much that meant to him, the success
Speaker 5: of the team and trying to keep that success going.
Speaker 6: Yeah, that was what.
Speaker 12: It was all about for for mister Iersay was was
Speaker 12: the Colts and winning, winning, you know, that's what he
Speaker 12: was all about. As a player, That's all you could
Speaker 12: ask for, is you wanted your owner to be committed.
Speaker 12: You wanted your owner to want to commit to winning
Speaker 12: and that was mister Irsay, and that's what he did.
Speaker 12: And so being able to be there and win that
Speaker 12: Super Bowl was so special. And you know, he was
Speaker 12: just a he was a he was a great man,
Speaker 12: a great person that did a lot of great things
Speaker 12: and and and really for me, that's that's that's that's
Speaker 12: his legacy was just how Genersy was to so many
Speaker 12: people and what a special person he was.
Speaker 18: And so, yeah, it's a tough day. It is anytime you.
Speaker 12: Lose somebody like mister Ersay, it's it's a it's a
Speaker 12: really tough day.
Speaker 1: I'm sure that if Jim Mersay were with us, he'd
Speaker 1: be saying that one of his proudest moments was bringing
Speaker 1: that Super Bowl to Indianapolis. After the two thousand and
Speaker 1: six season, I know that you were battling injuries that year,
Speaker 1: you weren't able to play as much as you would
Speaker 1: have liked. But take me back to that moment in
Speaker 1: time in Colt's history, that team led by Peyton Manning
Speaker 1: and Jim Mersey overseeing it all.
Speaker 18: Yeah, finally you know, able to get over the hump there.
Speaker 12: And you know, I wasn't able to be on the
Speaker 12: football field because I tore my achilles, but they treated
Speaker 12: me like I was a part of the team. And
Speaker 12: that's the way mister Arthsay treated all his players. Like
Speaker 12: I said, he was first class all the way, even
Speaker 12: when you're done playing, and the tradition will continue with
Speaker 12: his daughters and they're the same way.
Speaker 13: So.
Speaker 12: But being able to win that Super Bowl finally to
Speaker 12: get over the hump, I know that was special for
Speaker 12: him and his family and also for all the coach fans.
Speaker 11: Uh.
Speaker 12: But certainly that's what it was all about, and that's
Speaker 12: what he was all about, and that's what he did.
Speaker 18: He wanted to win. And when you have it, like
Speaker 18: I said, when you have an owner.
Speaker 12: Like that, as committed to winning and doing whatever it
Speaker 12: takes to winning as a player, you know that that's
Speaker 12: all you can ask for. And mister Ursay set the
Speaker 12: example for the Colts and he was He was a
Speaker 12: special person, He really was, and he did so many
Speaker 12: great things, not only you know, for the players, but
Speaker 12: you know, for the community. And I think that's what
Speaker 12: that's what people need to remember, is what he did
Speaker 12: for for for the state of Indiana and for all
Speaker 12: the charities that he supported. He was so generous, and
Speaker 12: I think that's his lasting legacy here is.
Speaker 6: Yeah, he was a great.
Speaker 18: Owner, special owner for all of us players.
Speaker 12: But he gave so much back to the state of
Speaker 12: Indiana and did so many things for charities that you
Speaker 12: didn't go notice. And he was a special person and
Speaker 12: he was a great owner.
Speaker 1: Brandon appreciated you on a tough night and on short
Speaker 1: notice here join us.
Speaker 18: We do appreciate it. Thanks Tom, Thanks Judy. I appreciate y'all.
Speaker 6: Thank you.
Speaker 18: Once again.
Speaker 1: The breaking news and very sad news tonight. Jim Ersay,
Speaker 1: the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, a man
Speaker 1: who was a ball boy for the team, was the
Speaker 1: general manager, eventually became the principal owner after his father's
Speaker 1: passing in nineteen ninety seven, has passed away himself. Jim
Speaker 1: Orsay was sixty five years old. Breaking and devastating news tonight, ontime.
Speaker 1: Colts owner Jim Ersay has passed away at the age
Speaker 1: of sixty five. His Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning
Speaker 1: weighing in on Instagram a short time ago, saying I
Speaker 1: am heartbroken to hear about Jim Ursay's passing. He was
Speaker 1: an incredibly generous and passionate owner, and I will always
Speaker 1: be indebted to him for giving me my start in
Speaker 1: the NFL. Words that have been echoed by many former
Speaker 1: Colts players and others who knew Jim Orsay well, welcome back,
Speaker 1: Tom Pella, Sero, Judy Batista, and Steve Whitz, joined also
Speaker 1: by another former Colts player, Brian Baldinger, who has many
Speaker 1: memories of the former Colts owner Paldi.
Speaker 7: You know, I think if Peyton could go on and
Speaker 7: on and on right now, he would talk about the
Speaker 7: loyalty that Jim Ersay had to employees in the building.
Speaker 7: We all know a lot of buildings in this league.
Speaker 7: They are not very patient when they change coaches. But
Speaker 7: Pete Ward and the front office is still there. Dave
Speaker 7: Hammer is still running the equipment, the training room, Hunter Smith,
Speaker 7: who was running the training room for as long as
Speaker 7: he was needed to be there, wanted to be there.
Speaker 7: Guys that won the video the video department, they're still there.
Speaker 7: The equipment managers are still there, incredibly loyal to the
Speaker 7: people that work there underneath Jim Mercy. And if they
Speaker 7: had a voice on this show right now, Tom and
Speaker 7: I'm sure they're sharing it. Sharing it right now on
Speaker 7: a variety of formats out there, they would feel the
Speaker 7: same way and be very thankful for the loyalty that
Speaker 7: Jim Mersey showed people in that organization. You go there
Speaker 7: to fifty sixth Street right now, you run into those
Speaker 7: very sane people that I work for and commiserated with
Speaker 7: forty years ago, thirty.
Speaker 6: Five years ago.
Speaker 5: Paldy I would echo that he was tremendously loyal to
Speaker 5: his franchise, tremendously loyal to his city. You know, when
Speaker 5: the team moved from Baltimore, obviously they left a lot
Speaker 5: of fans behind and a lot of employees behind, and
Speaker 5: he apologized to many of them. He was a warm,
Speaker 5: wonderful owner, a credit to the NFL, to Indianapolis, a
Speaker 5: tremendous loss. Jim Orsay dead tonight at the age of
Speaker 5: sixty five.