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Speaker 1: We're in the Colts radio studio now joined by Alara

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Speaker 1: Over tonight, Matt Taylor. Bobby o'kaa k is also with

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Speaker 1: us Colts linebacker in your number four. Bobby, thanks for

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Speaker 1: the time today. How are you, sir? Good brother? Appreciate

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Speaker 1: having me? Absolutely our pleasure. So talk to us about

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Speaker 1: that that Philadelphia game. How difficult is it to get

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Speaker 1: over a game like that? I know you've got the

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Speaker 1: extra day getting ready for Monday night football against the Steelers,

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Speaker 1: but a game where you got them on the ropes,

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Speaker 1: they make enough plays down the stretch. How tough is

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Speaker 1: it to deal with a game like that where you

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Speaker 1: were so close to win and played some good football

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Speaker 1: but just couldn't close the deal there? Yeah, you know, tough,

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Speaker 1: heartbreaking loss. Especially you know defensively, we thought we played

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Speaker 1: so well up and towards the end. But you know,

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Speaker 1: talk about starting fast and finishing faster, and that onus

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Speaker 1: is on everybody RealAge to you know, have greater focus,

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Speaker 1: especially you know when we're making checks and adjustments throughout

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Speaker 1: the throughout the game, just being locked in, especially towards

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Speaker 1: the end. But ultimately it's it's a team game. And defensively,

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Speaker 1: you know, we gotta stop them and make them score

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Speaker 1: less than the offense scores. And you know we didn't

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Speaker 1: do that, so we didn't help hold up on under

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Speaker 1: the bargain. Bobby, You're fresh off the practice field, first

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Speaker 1: day of the week in which you're preparing to face

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Speaker 1: the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night football at Lucas Oil Stadium,

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Speaker 1: and it was high energy out there. I know, Coach

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Speaker 1: Saturday was super vocal as you guys were getting going

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Speaker 1: like let's get to it, yelling all that really hyping

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Speaker 1: you guys up. He has said that you guys have

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Speaker 1: had great weeks of work, in particular last week leading

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Speaker 1: into the game against Philadelphia, three consecutive really up tempo days,

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Speaker 1: really well executed days of practice. What is lacking or

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Speaker 1: what can be done to better effectively translate how good

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Speaker 1: those days of work have been here at the complex

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Speaker 1: to what you're getting in terms of game production. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, we talk about effort, and you know, we

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Speaker 1: talk about heart, and we talk about hunger, and you

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Speaker 1: see that you see on the practice field, you see

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Speaker 1: it on game day. Dudes flying around, get dude straining

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Speaker 1: given the extra effort, but it really just comes down

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Speaker 1: to execution at the end of the day. And it's

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Speaker 1: such that extra extra little bit of you know, just

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Speaker 1: mental focus, mental mental forty two mental stamina, just locking

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Speaker 1: in when you know the moment gets big. And you know,

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Speaker 1: we've had a couple of games when it's come down

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Speaker 1: to the wire. You know, defensively, we've been able to

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Speaker 1: shut out three of those, you know, versus Denver, versus Raiders,

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Speaker 1: but unfortunately you know, and then versus Chiefs, but unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: you know, verse this game, we weren't able to get

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Speaker 1: the get the stop, especially you know, versus the Commanders too.

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Speaker 1: So just do a better job, you know, folks, and

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Speaker 1: mentally towards the end. It's Bobby o'kaaka with US Colts linebacker. Now,

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Speaker 1: you're having a great season, ninety four tackles, you're ninth

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Speaker 1: in the NFL and total tackles. How do you feel

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Speaker 1: like your seasons going? Are Are you satisfied with the

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Speaker 1: way that you're playing in this fourth season here with

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Speaker 1: the Colts Not satisfied? Um, you know, I'm always working

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Speaker 1: to get better every week. I think that's what Coach

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Speaker 1: Smith does a phenomenal job of, you know, just really

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Speaker 1: honing on the details fundamental and technique and you know,

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Speaker 1: pointing out where we can't get better. But you know,

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Speaker 1: I think I'm doing a great job of leadership and communication.

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Speaker 1: You know Whereking with that year, He's done a phenomenal

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Speaker 1: job this season. But uh yeah, just holding it in

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Speaker 1: that will position and just trying to be a guy.

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Speaker 1: You know, my teammates can count on to make plays

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Speaker 1: at all times. Yeah, you rot up, Zaire, He's he's

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Speaker 1: bawling out. I mean it's this classic case of just

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Speaker 1: give a guy a chance, right, and he's taken it

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Speaker 1: and running with it. Well, why do you think he's exploding?

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Speaker 1: I mean, has he always had this enemy just needed

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Speaker 1: the opportunity to be out there on a consistent back.

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Speaker 1: I mean he's always had elite physical toughness, elite mental toughness,

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Speaker 1: and it really just comes down to showing it on

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Speaker 1: game day. And you know, throughout this season, you know

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Speaker 1: he's flourished in these high stress opportunities. So we're really

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Speaker 1: just excited about his play going into Monday night. You've

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Speaker 1: had a few opportunities in your career to face Pittsburgh,

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Speaker 1: but the last time the Colts beat the Steelers two

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Speaker 1: thousand and eight. Jeff Saturday, your interim head coach, was

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Speaker 1: the starting center the last time the Colts got a

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Speaker 1: victory over in Pittsburgh. How much is that a conversation

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Speaker 1: this week as you guys get ready for a much

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Speaker 1: anticipated prime time matchup. Yeah, I mean, just another another

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Speaker 1: great opportunity for a unique, unique, challenging opponent. But Monday Night,

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Speaker 1: obviously it's going to be an amazing stage at home

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Speaker 1: with Lucas Oil. Can't really ask for any of your

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Speaker 1: first home Monday night game right in your career. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, it's gonna be a raucous Environment's gonna be crazy,

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Speaker 1: but you know we're just gonna be locked in on

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Speaker 1: effort and execution, Um, and really just that mental focus

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Speaker 1: throughout the whole game. It's Bobby o'kaka with us. Going

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Speaker 1: back to another one of your your teammates, Shack Leonard,

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Speaker 1: obviously very disappointing for him all that he's been through physically,

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Speaker 1: not being able to get that that back and that

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Speaker 1: that ankle situation ironed out and taking care of had

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Speaker 1: to have another surgery a couple weeks ago. Um, have

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Speaker 1: you talked to him and what are his spirits and

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Speaker 1: how does he continue to still help and contribute to

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Speaker 1: this team from the sidelines if you will. Yeah, No,

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Speaker 1: he's he's doing a great job. Obviously tough for him,

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Speaker 1: but uh, I think a surgery, you know, gives him,

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Speaker 1: you know, the proper time to heal mentally, physically, emotionally,

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Speaker 1: get ready, you know, ramp up for for a season

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Speaker 1: that you know he's gonna feel feel comfortable with UM.

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Speaker 1: But he's done a great job, you know, throughout this

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Speaker 1: whole year, being in meetings, you know, helping guys, whether

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Speaker 1: it's texting UM, different plays he's seeing or different cues

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Speaker 1: on the sideline, like he's he's always been and two

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Speaker 1: and he's always been a great leader. And you know,

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Speaker 1: we're just very appreciative of him going up against this

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Speaker 1: Pittsburgh offense. A rookie quarterback and Kenny Pickett has had

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Speaker 1: no giveaways and back to back games, but had nine

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Speaker 1: giveaways in his first five I talked to Zaire and

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Speaker 1: Kenny Moore about this today. With a rookie quarterback, what

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Speaker 1: are the things that you can do as a veteran

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Speaker 1: experienced defense to exploit some things with a young pass

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Speaker 1: or who's still finding his footing in the league. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, try to mix up the looks for him

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Speaker 1: and make him think he's seeing one thing and lass

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Speaker 1: and post nap, you know, show him another. Obviously, you

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Speaker 1: can blitz him, you know, kind of keep him a

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Speaker 1: little skittish back there. But he's a good player, and

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Speaker 1: like you said, he's had those giveaways early on. But

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Speaker 1: you know, we feel like this is an offense you

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Speaker 1: know that's really kind of caught a rhythm and it's

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Speaker 1: playing better and better. So they're a good opponent and

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Speaker 1: a good opponent and he's a guy who can make

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Speaker 1: plays with his feet too. So like I said, it's

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Speaker 1: another unique challenge in this league. Hey, for those that

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Speaker 1: don't know, what's what's it like to be a professional

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Speaker 1: athlete on a holiday week? I mean, how do you

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Speaker 1: how do you balance Thanksgiving? Because you're working on Thanksgiving?

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Speaker 1: Like for you, it's just Thursday, right, Yeah, No, it's Thursday. Um,

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Speaker 1: we're going in, we'll have meetings, we'll have a walk through,

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Speaker 1: but we get out early in the day. Honestly, for me,

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Speaker 1: I'm happy I get to go home, I get to

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Speaker 1: take a nap, and you know, I'll hang out with

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Speaker 1: some teammates and really just call family and friends and

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Speaker 1: just you know, take that time to sit and really

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Speaker 1: think about what I'm truly thankful for, youkay, from what

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Speaker 1: I've seen, maybe trying to get an invite to Grover

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Speaker 1: Stewart's house, get the Wings, maybe that's the place I got.

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Speaker 1: Have you always been a thanksgiving guy? I mean, do

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Speaker 1: you enjoy enjoy the uh, the fair if you will

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Speaker 1: on that day? I do. I'm a big pumpkin pie guy.

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Speaker 1: So who yeah, there you go. You can't be persuaded now,

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Speaker 1: I like it. That's Bobby o'kay okay, having a fantastic

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Speaker 1: year again ninth of the NFL and Tackles spearheading this

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Speaker 1: Colts defense. Bobby, thanks so much for the time, continued

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Speaker 1: success and ball out on Monday night. All right, appreciate it. Matt,

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Speaker 1: thank you,