October 29, 2025 • 45 mins
Segment 1: Pacers beat writer Tony East
Segment 2: ESPN.com CFB writer David Hale
Segment 3: CBS Sports announcer Ian Eagle
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
We know you're busy, bills to pay, mouths to feed,
and the man eats another favor.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
So, just in case you missed what happened, I'm a
fan today.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
We got your back, and even if you did hear
it live, you probably need to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here you go, all in one place and in just
one hour, the best of the best from today on
ninety three to five and one oh seven five the Fan.
This is instant replay this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I'm a fan Morning Show.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Tony East joins us now in the Paylosstickers Hotline. Tell
me what was your favorite kind of go to fun
TV show back in the day.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
I wasn't as cool as you, guys.
Speaker 6 (00:38):
I was just a dorky cartoon kid.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
That's all right. What cartoons?
Speaker 7 (00:41):
Did you like?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Rocket Power?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Yeah? I did like Rocket Power quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That was a good show.
Speaker 6 (00:49):
I honestly don't know if I could pick a favorite.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
This is not an easy decision.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
All right, Well, we'll get back to you on that.
Speaker 8 (00:54):
It was a guitar hero all American, Tony East, I
think it was people forget about that.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I did not know this. Can you explain the bass?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
What do you mean? Jonathan Taylor guitar.
Speaker 8 (01:05):
I really didn't know Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor had
a baby for guitars.
Speaker 9 (01:09):
It'd be Tony, Tony, can you explain this Guitar Hero tutorials?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, that's the.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
First way I made money was being one of the
best players in the game and uploading videos to YouTube.
Good times, good times.
Speaker 9 (01:22):
You are such a unique person, and I mean that
as a compliment.
Speaker 8 (01:26):
Tony, Can you play a real guitar? I asked that
in all seriousness.
Speaker 6 (01:30):
No, I cannot, which is part of the embarrassing answer
to that. Okay, I cannot.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
This didn't inspire you to actually learn how to play guitar.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
They're very different experiences. The strings go a different direction.
There's yeah, no, there's very different. I don't even know
how or why Guitar Hero became a thing in my life,
but it happened so fast.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It's crazy.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
It's crazy. What's happened to that game?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, I'll tell you.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
What also has happened so fast, Tony is the dwindling
of the roster for the Indiana Pacers, and I was
smooth transition.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
It's just getting beautiful.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It's just getting insane, though, Tony isn't it. I Mean,
we've never seen anything like this for the Pacers before,
have we?
Speaker 6 (02:11):
And that's really crazy. I mean, and and you know,
every time I'm talking about their injury situation, I'm trying
to run through all the players that are hurt, like
I forget somebody because there's so many guys. I can't
recall them all off the top of my head. And
you know, it's just it's remarkable, and specifically for their
situation now they you know, last year they had all
(02:32):
the center injuries early in the season, right everybody was
hurt at center, so in Miles would miss a game
that were just toast and they had to make all
these moves. This year it's guard and it's literally everybody.
It's not just point guards where last year was center.
It's both guards sponsored on a four guards total and
one they just signed. It's just it's crazy how much
they've already had to do something to just feel the team.
(02:52):
That makes any sense, Tony.
Speaker 8 (02:54):
We saw the mac McClung news of course yesterday. Are
they in the qualification at all for the medical hardship?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Could we see?
Speaker 8 (03:04):
And now I'm dating back to India in a fever
season this year, could we see like some a ten
day edition or two.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Yeah, the Heart the Hardship world. They are different for
NBA and WNBA. There is an NBA version. You have
to have four guys missed three games, and those four
guys have to be out for two more weeks from
the time of their missing their third game, which is
confusing for the Pacers because some of their guys who
have already missed three games may not be out for
two more weeks. We'll see what happens on that reevaluation
(03:32):
date of November nights for TJ McConnell and Cam Jones,
and some of their guys who might be out for
that that long, like Ben Matheren and Obi Todbin have
not up been out for three games quite yet. Matheren's
only missed one game in full and the same and
Topping hasn't missed any games in foll yet because he
got hurt in the most recent games. So it depends
on the return dates for some players. It's possible that
uh if if Jones is out for a long time
(03:54):
and Topping, the Mathern are out for a long time.
I think after the Golden State game on Saturday, they
could be eligible for one, but you know, if Jones
isn't set to return earlier then or set a return
close to his reevaluation day, that might not even be possible.
So it really just depends on the timelines of their
current players, and they're gonna get pretty easily. The three
of the four needed missing games, but they got to
(04:16):
get to the fourth if they actually get to get
a hardship. So it actually is hard for them that
they have so many injuries, yet none of them are
super long term, at least until now, and a lot
of them are players who are returning, like Quentin Jackson
came back like that actually makes.
Speaker 7 (04:30):
It harder for hard situation.
Speaker 6 (04:32):
So it's it's still a TVD, but it's possible that
by the end of this week they do have one.
Speaker 9 (04:36):
Well, Tony, I do know you have a direct line
of Rick Carlisle, so just you know, get his ear
a little bit and let him know that I've been
in the gym as of late. The jumper doesn't look
too great. I took a month off because of work,
but I can still get up and down the floor
and offer six files.
Speaker 6 (04:52):
Yeah, Balan has been a problem for them, so you'll
fit right in on this team this year. But man,
anybody's that bad, Like they're trying guys out already groups
And I told you guys that yesterday morning, Like anyone
who can play and is in some sort of shape,
like I do wonder how much for mcclong that he
was in camp with the Bulls and had started.
Speaker 7 (05:10):
I think he had one or.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
Two practices with the Windy CD Bowls, Like he doesn't
have to do what we saw in preseason like campaign
until on right, Like he's in game shape now that
honestly is a boon for him.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
That's gonna help.
Speaker 9 (05:23):
So to that point, Tony, and again we have Tony.
He's joining us here on the Payosicers Hotline Tony with
Mac McClung. We know him as the three time NBA
Slam Dunk Contest champion. But for those who aren't familiar
with his actual basketball career, can you give us the
backstory there? I know he went undrafted out of Texas
Tech in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Yeah, he he's played for a bunch of teams for
like two seconds right, A two way with the Lakers
where he plays.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
One game a ten day with the Bulls.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
Where he plays two games, right, so he's played for
four teams. He's only played six games, and I actually
believe that this is his first.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Standard contract ever.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Every other time he signed a contract in the NBA's
either been a ten day or a two way.
Speaker 7 (06:07):
So, you know, that's the.
Speaker 6 (06:09):
Kind of situation that he's been in his whole career,
has been like right on that edge where teams are
interested in him, like he was on a two way
last year. The Magic said that maybe he could help
them in turn situations, but not quite good enough where
a team that's caught like he could really break in
to their irritation. I'll say this, the mad has paid
the playoffs. Last year, they won their first round game.
They were looking good. They go down to Ostiola to
play The Magic's G League team and they got destroyed,
(06:31):
clobbered in the game. They gave up eighty points in
the first half. Magna Clung finished with thirty nine points
and six assists. The Magic made the G League finals. Now, granted,
there's a lot of good G League players who don't
amount to much in the NBA, but he's kind of
like right on that line of you know, in between
the G League and the pros, and some of those
guys do end up being able to do something in
the NBA, like Oshan Burssett became a multi year player
(06:53):
for the Pacers. He was kind of right in that
tier of player as well. So it's hard to project
what his IMPACT's going to be. His resume kind of
suggests that he could be inconsistent and not you know,
ready for a major NBA role, or maybe he is
and we'll have the page off the seed, but that'll
neam like he'll probably be one of their four available
guards today unless Taylan Peter has recovered, you know, more
(07:13):
than the Andrew report suggests. So there's a chance he's
already in their rotation. I think if he's able to,
you know, get off the ball and make some shots
to look good. But you can probably say that about
any guard, and so it will be a change to
see what impacts he can provide, because there's just not
a lot of evidence to say what that's going to be.
Speaker 8 (07:28):
Tony East locked on Pacers where you hear his voice.
It is a great listen and we are very very
grateful to have him in our market covering the Pacers
and Fever. Tony give our audience, a little bit of
intro to your latest endeavor, your newest endeavor. Probably the
best way to put it, Circle City Spin.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
I started my own website because I felt like I
wasn't covering the teams the right way all the time,
especially after games, or enough quite frankly in some cases,
via writing. And so I've been publishing some stuff there,
including a really long thing I wrote yesterday about a
huge question about the James Wiseman waiver that is completely
not what you think, uh if you read it, and uh,
I hope it's a better way for you to learn
(08:10):
about the Pacers and the Fever from somebody who's covered
both teams for a long time. So it's been fun
so far, and hopefully it could go somewhere fun. I'm
having a good.
Speaker 8 (08:18):
Time Circle City Spin again. Where you can find that
very simple ad Circle City Spin over and you took.
Speaker 9 (08:24):
On it, you'll see Tony East like break dancing and
spinning as the intro to the website.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
I'm actually playing guitar hero on the homepage.
Speaker 8 (08:34):
That might be my new homepage. After you say that, Tony,
last one for me, do you frequent YouTube.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Much at all?
Speaker 7 (08:42):
Uh? Sort of sort of I.
Speaker 8 (08:44):
Feel like every intro ad is a Leah Boston and
her mom. Have you come across this commercial?
Speaker 6 (08:50):
See I have seen I have seen this commercial?
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Well I played.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Is it the one where they were like sitting together
before the game in Minnesota?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Yeah, yeah, I saw that.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
One a lot during the playoffs too. Yes, it is
very popular and it's adorable. Her mom is very nice.
I've seen that all the time.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
That's literally all I have.
Speaker 8 (09:06):
I apologize for having some grand follow up on Hey,
what's the latest in w you know, league talks and
CBA this and that, but yeah, I have now signed.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Up for Circuit.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
Well, I can tell you that I would be very
very very very very.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Very surprised if there's an agreement by the deadline on Friday.
I'll tell you that it's this Friday, right, Yeah, the
thirty first.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Talking about trying to get an extent, wasn't the WNBA
talking about trying to get an extension?
Speaker 6 (09:31):
Yeah, they can do that. Maybe that will be something
that they agreed to. But like in these situations where
you know, deadlines are what'sper actions and get these people
to go, But what does an extension really do? Like
you're still going to be negotiating even if you don't
have a CBA. So I perhaps that's the only thing
we find out by Friday. They extend to the deadline.
But I'm not particularly confident, nor is any reporter I've
(09:53):
talked to, than anything will be done by the end.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Of the week.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Do you think anything will be done by the time
the season rolls around in late spring?
Speaker 6 (09:59):
Yeah, the season will get things going, I think, But
it's always tricky too, because they're offseason so condensed. All
these players are playing in different leagues, and the draft
is right after college is done. You know, they like
they had and there's two new teams, right, they have
a lot of like external considerations to get something done
in a certain amount of time, to let those teams
(10:21):
go and keep their lead going, especially at the time
where they have a lot of momentum. But it's not
gonna be easy.
Speaker 8 (10:25):
Tony last last one. Starting lineup for the Pacers tonight
is what.
Speaker 7 (10:29):
Oh geez? I mean?
Speaker 6 (10:30):
They've started a different group every game so far. I
think actually there's a chance they would stick with the
same group they did in Memphis, just because Dallas also
plays a little big. But Derek Lyvely and Daniel Gafford
are doubtful, so maybe Dallas actually won't be so big.
So I'll predict that one of the point guards actually
does start this time, and it's either Dennis or Jackson,
(10:50):
and then Shepherd Ne Schmith's yack them in a center.
But I would not be surprised if they stick with
that two center group again, just because it's one of
the only ways they can feel the rotation that makes
sense of players that have been on the team from
more than two seconds.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
All right, Tony, go go find some late seventies and
early eighties TV sitcoms to watch and get back to this.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Okay, congrats on Circle City, spend Man, great, great sum.
Speaker 6 (11:09):
Thank you guys.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It's the best of the best from today's broadcast lineup.
Instant replay continues in a moment on ninety three five
and one oh seven five the Fan. This is instant
replay today on Quarian Company.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
It is so weird when you talk about college football
to think Indiana and Vanderbilt are two of the major storylines,
But those we are. In the headline and a column
written by David Hale, who covers acc but also college
football for ESPN Dot com and I said, this is
a guy I want on the show, and he joins
us now on the Java House, Peel and poor guest line, David,
how are you?
Speaker 5 (11:55):
I am well, I am excited to be joining folks
in the land of my my old pal, Daniel Indiana Jones.
I support him and all of his his people out there.
Glad to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Let's begin with this, Actually, Daniel Jones. You know you've
covered the ACC and Duke football and you've seen him,
and then of course he was on the East Coast
in New York with the Giants. Are you surprised by
what we're seeing from Daniel Jones?
Speaker 5 (12:19):
Well, as an Eagles fan, I grew up an Eagles fan,
and I think anybody who gets away from the Giants
you expect big things from after that. So that goes
without saying. But now, look, Daniel Jones is a very
athletic guy. And it's funny. You know, there was the
I think it was his rookie year to play where
he just kind of got tripped by the turf Monster
and it became sort of this meme of oh, Daniel
Jones is just this awkward, you know, weird white guy
(12:42):
who can't really run. No, he's a really good athlete,
and he's a really really smart guy with a very
good arm, and so put into a system where you're
not asking him to be everything. Uh, to me, it
was a no brainer. And I felt like he was
a guy who was, you know, pretty underrated during his
time with the Giants because he was always sort of
playing with one hand tag behind his back in a
(13:05):
program that just it's not had great coaching, it's not
had a lot of great talent around him, and they're
in a division where they've been out talented by at
least one and usually two teams on an annual basis.
So look, the situation that he's in now is terrific.
I'm not you know, I'm surprised by how good it's been,
but I'm not surprised that he's found new life with
(13:26):
some fresh scenery.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Do you think there's an advantage? And I do want
to talk about your college columns. You have several things
that are that jumped out at me, David, But do
you think there is an advantage in being somebody at
the quarterbacking position that is coming out of a non
blue blood In other words, you know, if you're quarterbacking
at Duke, it's not like you're throwing to the receivers
(13:50):
that Trevor Lawrence was throwing to at Clemson, right, or
that a lot of quarterbacks at Alabama have are afforded
the opportunity to throw to. Does that help a guy,
do you think when they get to the league?
Speaker 5 (14:01):
You know, I think it can be a double edged sword.
And I'll point out it's not just that Daniel Jones
was at Duke. I mean, he was a non scholarship
guy when he got to Duke. David Cutgliff is one
of the only people who truly believed in him. But
when the guy who believes in you also was the
guy who coached the first two Manning brothers, you know,
that's not a bad guy to have in your corner.
(14:21):
And I do think it, you know, particularly at a
program like Duke, where there is the understanding of every
coach who has been there is Talent is not our advantage,
but intelligence is. And so I think you learn the
position and you learn the intricacies of it. I remember
way back in what seven six eight, talking to the
(14:41):
late great John Clayton about Matt Ryan and Matt Ryan's
numbers were not great at the time, and he's like, well, yeah,
but have you looked at who he's playing with? And
that was sort of a very reasonable point. Matt Ryan
turned out to be a pretty darn good quarterback by
elevating next to nothing at Boston College when he was there,
So yeah, think that there is. Now the flip side
of that is the NFL is a different animal and
(15:04):
you are going to be surrounded by elite talent, and
I think you need to also know how to deal
with those guys. You know, again I mentioned I'm a
Eagles fan, Like there's you're not going to run into
AJ Brown's when you're at Duke, and as a quarterback,
you know, being able to work with someone like AJ
Brown and manage that personality and the expectations that come
with it, like, you've got to be prepared for that too.
(15:26):
So I think there's there's there's certainly pluses and minuses
to it. But I do say when you go when
you play for David Cutcliff and you play at a
program like Duke, You're not coming out of there an idiot.
There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
David, Can we have you as a Weekly Guest. We're
like two minutes in and I can already tell right,
I'll the the overall everything about it, right. I like
the perspectives, I like the local tie in, and that
leads me to this. You have a column at esp
dot com you write about college football, and I want
to read an excerpt of what you wrote, because I
(15:57):
think it's great. Talking about the Heisman candidacy of Fernando
Mendoza of Indiana, you say the only potential pitfall for
Mendoza now is that many Heisman voters had not previously
been aware Indiana had a football program and are very
confused about why he doesn't play for Texas. Now. That
leads to this question, do you believe that nationally speaking
(16:21):
people truly believe that Indiana is for real?
Speaker 5 (16:25):
I think so, and I certainly wouldn't have said this
last year. You know, I think there's there's always been
a year in and year out in college football. We
have the quote unquote Cinderella story that the feel good team,
and Indiana was largely that last year. You think back to,
I mean the TCU team in twenty twenty two that
pulled out one miracle after another and got all the
(16:46):
way to the National Championship Game. But I think the
folks who watched college football and really know the game
always sort of can differentiate between, Hey, that team got
lucky a few games, had a relatively easy schedule, some
good matchups for them, great great story, they've played, punched
above their weight. Good story. But they're not gonna win.
They're not gonna win at all. They're not as good
(17:07):
as the true blue bloods of the game, the Georgia's
of the Bamas, the Ohio States. And again, I think
that was certainly the case for Indiana last year, where
they took a lot of flak for not having played
a particularly difficult schedule. But this year's Indiana team, and
I say this, you mentioned Vanderbilt off the top, I
think they're in this conversation too. They're I think they
(17:28):
have proven there more than capable of playing with anyone.
They have legitimate NFL talent on this Indiana roster, Like
this isn't a bunch of guys who were overachieving. This
is guys who are largely doing what they should be
doing because they're really talented. And when you go out
to Oregon and you win in an environment like that,
against the team that's got probably a dozen nflers that
(17:50):
are playing regular snaps for them, Like that, that tells
me that this is a team that is capable of
winning any game. And then the flip side of that
is you start looking around college football at who those
blue bloods are and yeah, I made a little joke
about Texas and they're Texas ain't good. Texas has gone
to overtime two weeks in a row with teams that
are one in twenty eight in SEC play over the
(18:11):
last two years. Like what does that tell you about Texas?
Alabama lost to Florida State and the opener like these
are not I think the great teams are still very good,
but instead of being like an A plus completely lapping
the field, they're just a little better than everybody else.
And everybody else has gotten a little better too, particularly
(18:31):
if you're a program that's willing to invest money, which
Indiana is, and has a good coach and a good
coaching staff, which Indiana does. And so I think you
add all of this up and just the narrative that
we're used to in college football because it has been
the blueprint for you know, as long as most of
us have probably been watching the sport. I think it
is markedly changed now. Is it changed for the long
haul or will it kind of the pendulum slip back.
(18:55):
I think they're the rich tend to stay getting richer
for a reason. But Indiana is sort of the proof
in the pudding of like this this can work? Now?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Is this David? When when you analyze Indiana and you
talk about, for example, you know there are NFL players
on the roster with Indiana, some of those guys might
not have been NFL prospects when they got to Indiana.
I don't know if that's you know, opportunity, maybe that's
Kurt Signetti. Maybe it's combination of both. But it seems
to me like if you look at Indiana and Vanderbilt,
(19:26):
I mean Vanderbilt, really if you look at those programs.
Am I correct in this statement? Kudos to the way
that they went about and Scott Dolson and Indiana went
about the business of turning it around and getting Kurt
Signetti and investing. But the storm was perfect for Indiana.
I can't speak to Vanderbilt and their approach, but for Indiana,
it was the perfect storm of the NIL and the
(19:49):
transfer portal availability era and Indiana was the team that
was sitting there looking for an opening in the left lane,
and it finally came open, and they blew past a
bunch of people and merged right back in and did so,
merging in with the blue bloods. Is Indiana taking advantage
of an opportunity and it's now too late for others
(20:11):
to take that same advantage.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Yeah, you know, this is fun. I've had numerous conversations
because as a journalist like I would like to know
my day is going to look like when I wake
up both the time. But you talked to like ads
and coaches and they'll tell you chaos equals opportunity. And
kudos to Indiana because they understood what was happening in
the sport when I don't think everybody else did and
(20:36):
pounced upon that opportunity. And again, I just the opportunity
wasn't there before. I mean it used to be. I
mean I'm not naive enough to suggest no one was
paying players, but it used to be where paying players
was not an easy thing to do, and so that
the the advantages that other schools had were geography and
(20:58):
money for facilities and coaches and stuff like that. Well,
you can't change your geography, and building buildings takes a
whole lot of money and a long lot of years,
and it doesn't guarantee you a whole lot of anything.
But being able to open up a check book and
say how much do you need? That gets the job
done quickly. And Indiana, to their credit, bought into a
(21:20):
new system. But that, you know, the flip side of
that is too, like, look at what's happening with North
Carolina right now and Bill Belichick and it's a disaster.
And that doesn't mean it can't work, but it's not
working now. And this was a little bit of Carolina
being like, oh, here's our opportunity. Let's go get this guy.
You've got to get the right guy, and they've got
to come in with the right approach, and they've got
to be the right fit for what you're doing. And
(21:41):
Signetti is all of that. Signette is a guy who
wants to punch up. He wants to come in with
a chip on his shoulder and prove himself against the
big guys who think he was never worth it in
the first place. Like he is the perfect fit for Indiana.
Indiana made their moves at the right time, and the
world the college foot well universe, the stars aligned and
(22:02):
the door opened and they walked right through.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
By the way. You taught at Eastern Kentucky? Is that right?
Speaker 5 (22:08):
That was a long time ago. But I got a
solid three semesters in there before either they wised up
or I got another job. I can't remember which name.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Did you ever just out of curiosity? Did you ever
drink al eight when you were there?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
Oh? God, yes, yep by girlfriend at the time. Wife
now hated them, but I would make us get them
every now and again, and you still got married. Well,
we disagree on everything else too. That was low on
the list.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Now, what year did you graduate from University of Delaware?
Speaker 5 (22:38):
Now, you're really making me feel old. I graduated in
one and then I went back and got a master's
degree in community in journalism at Stricus and five.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Well, listen, I'm going to make you feel young now.
In ninety three, Delaware played in the first round of
the NCAA tournament against Louisville at the Hoosier Dome, and
I went down for ACTE and I met two dudes
from Delaware that had driven all night just to come
to the game, and so I'm like, where are you
guys staying. They're like, dude, we have no idea. We
(23:09):
just drove in and go, well, you're staying at our house.
I was my parents, I mean I was in college myself,
so my parents put them up for the weekend, and
then the president of University of Delaware made me an
honorary blue hen for what that's worth.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
True this is it's like it's like finding a leprechaun
or something like that. You hope them.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Funny, I should mention, Okay, back to Indiana real quick.
I'm curious of this, and I was worried that the
rest of the country was going to see it this way.
There are certain college football programs, David that I call
them IKEA programs and other words. They look really really
good when they're from Afar, and then you really break
(23:52):
it down and you're like, yeah, this is actually just
a bunch of like plastic parts that are put together.
Nothing against Ikia, but you get what I'm saying where
they Texas Tech falls into this category for me, like
they look really good every year and then by the
end of the year you're like, yeah, they're an alamball team. Okay, fine,
you know what I mean, give me a couple of
teams that you in your mind that you categorize this
(24:13):
year with Indiana in terms of how solid they are.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Yeah, Texas Tech's are good. Ikea analogy because it's you
assemble it like one of those bookshelves, like it was
just like, I don't know if these pieces fit right
totally totally, you know, I will say I am relatively
sold on what Alabama looks like now. Like ty Simpson,
they ran into Florida State at the absolute wrong time,
(24:37):
and I think in some ways they're better as a
result of it. I think they're very good. I think
Miami is very good, and yet they're going to be
playing to an inside straight in the acc let alone
in the larger landscape of things. But I always kind
of go back to three things. Are you good on
both sides of the line of scrimmage? And do you
have your quarterback? And if you've got those three things
(24:58):
that can play at a high level, I think you
can make the rest work. And Miami's got a potentially
high level quarterback and they're very good on both sides
of the line of scrimmage. And then you know, look,
I Ohio State I'm going to go ahead and say
is really good until we see them actually play somebody
really good. You know, like this weekend they're gonna play
(25:20):
Penn State, And this was a game back in August
you would have said with a season defining game, it
means nothing. Now, Yeah, So you know, I just they're
they're so talented in so many ways, and if you
look at like who's a future draft prospect, like, they've
probably got as many NFL dudes as anybody. But you
put Indiana and Ohio State against each other, well, one's
got a freshman quarterback who has not really been asked
(25:42):
to do a whole lot, and the other one's got
a quarterback who's done a bunch and is in his
third year as a starter. And I think that can
make a big difference there. So you know, to me,
I love what Julian says done He's played wonderful, But
I'm not quite ready to buy into Ohio State's about
ready to repeat because I just I don't know that
you do that with a quarter that young. Maybe he
proves me wrong.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Better job Penn State or LSU or are we in
an era now where the size of the stadium and
the program prestige are irrelevant.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I don't think they're irrelevant. And you know, again, who
knows as the rules continue to evolve how much that
sort of strength comes back into the fray. It's funny
because I think the strength for both of those programs
is where they recruit from. LSU is basically a standalone
program in a very fertile recruiting area. Penn State is
basically the only game in town in the Northeast to
(26:35):
recruit at a high level, So it's not as good
a recruiting area, but it's a wider one. I think
they both are really good. I would probably lean Penn
State just because your path to the playoffs is not
as hard as the Big Ten as it is if
you've got to go play Alabama and Georgia and Florida
every year in the SEC, so slight lean Penn State.
If your goal is I got to get to the playoff.
(26:56):
If your goal is I want to have the best
players that I can find, he's probably a little bit better. Job.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Does Marcus Freeman stay at Notre Dame and are they
a playoff contender?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
I think he does. I think Notre Dame learned a
little bit of a lesson from how things ended with
Brian Kelly. I'm not sure they were sad to see
him go, but I think that they were embarrassed at
how it went. And I think I think the Irish
have sort of turned things. They've opened the door to
Marcus Freeman to do some things that they probably were
not doing with Brian Kelly. I think they'll keep Marcus
Freeman and I think, yeah, Look, the way CJ. Cars
(27:27):
playing is great. They lost two games to two teams
that I think are going to probably be in the
playoff to open the season. They're blowing the doors off
people now. And Jeremiah Loves one of my favorite players.
If you can only sit down and watch a handful
of players on a Saturday, go watch Jeremiah Love. He's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Is there anybody in conclusion here that Indiana would have
on that list of players that you say or must watch?
Speaker 5 (27:48):
You know, the way that Elijas Thurrat has played this year,
I was just looking this up. You know, he's one
of just four big ten wide receivers with ten touchdown
passes to eight games in the last twenty years. Like
he has a big, big play guy as there is
in college football right now at the receiver position. I've
had a ton of fun watching him. I'm not sure
I put him on the Jeremiah Loved pedestal, but he's
(28:11):
you know, he's like a little not a step below there.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
David Hale ESPN is our guest Java House peeling poor
guest line David. Spencer Dunkley was the center for Delaware
that year in ninety three, and he was drafted by
your Indiana Pacers that I know are number one in
your heart.
Speaker 5 (28:29):
I hope that that's probably the last British guy that
they've drafted there. But I love Spencer. Dupley and Alex
Cole were the stars of that team, and yeah, those
guys are great.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Spencer Duckley was in fact the guy. There was some quote,
if I'm not mistaken, he said something along the lines
or somebody said maybe it's Dick fight tal if Delaware
beats Louisville, Like I'll walk all the way to Delaware
from Indianapolis. And so we were hoping to what happened.
And I was trying to lead the Delaware guys in
cheers and everything else. And at least I got to
become an honorary blue head and now a leprechaon. So
(29:03):
there's that. Happy to have you at the club that's
we meet on Wednesdays, right, it's a huge club, David,
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Man, all right, good to talk to you guys.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Hi David Hale joining us on the Java House Peel
Andporg guest line ESPN dot com And it's the.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Best of the best from today's broadcast lineup. Instant replay
continues in a moment on ninety three to five and
one oh seven five the fan.
Speaker 7 (29:32):
You.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
This is instant replay earlier.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
This afternoon on the Ride with JMV.
Speaker 10 (29:44):
Pittsburgh Cole with the Colts and the Steelers coming up
on Sunday. He is a huge friend of this show.
Iron Eagle is with us. Hello, Ion, how are you yo?
Speaker 7 (29:55):
What's up? JMV?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Can you help us sort this out?
Speaker 10 (29:58):
Because you are such a major voice last spring with
this Pacer, this incredible Pacer run in the postseason, and
now your heavy voice in this Colts run so far
this season. Which one has been more entertaining to you
to this point, because I think they're both so far
(30:20):
special in their own way, But which one kind of
stands out to you.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
If either does, Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:26):
I would say the surprise of the Colts probably resonates
a bit more, only because we knew the Pacers would
be good.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
We knew they were well coached.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
We knew that at the time Tyres and his whole
persona within the league was growing. So I can't say
that it was shocking what took place with the Pacers
last year. I knew they would be good, and maybe
they were even a little bit better than we thought. Obviously,
going to Game seven of the NBA Finals, we got
(30:55):
right to the brink the Colts. It was such a
mystery and what happens often in the NFL, which you
do find out after the fact, but it's hard to
put your finger on it before. Sometimes it's just a
really good marriage. It's the right coach, the right quarterback,
the right system, the right supporting cast, and everything is
(31:19):
just clicking right now. And if you were dropped from
somewhere nowhere close to here into the NFL season right
now and said, hey, you don't know anything, but just watch,
watch with the eye test what certain teams are, you
would say the Indianapolis Colts have been the most explosive
(31:40):
offense in the NFL sustained explosive offense, and I don't
think there's anybody that thought that would be the case
going into the season.
Speaker 10 (31:50):
This is iron Eagle on the Andy More Automotive Group potline,
a card carrying member, an inhabitant, if you will, of
the New York metropolitan area. So if I were to
tell you back during one of the six years of
Daniel Jones in a Giants uniform under center, that he'd
be looking like this right now, would you have called
(32:13):
me crazy?
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Then?
Speaker 7 (32:16):
I don't know. If I would have called you crazy,
I would have told you it probably wasn't going to
happen in New York because it just didn't seem to
be in the cards there. The first year with Dable,
if you remember, they found some things. They were winning
close games. They surprised a bunch of people. Jones looked
very much the quarterback that they needed him to be.
(32:39):
It wasn't above and beyond, but he was winning with
their philosophy and there were some positive things happening there,
and then unfortunately injuries took place again. They weren't catching
breaks the following two seasons, and we know what the
end result was. We talked to him a couple of
weeks ago, proud to the Charger game, and he made
(33:00):
no bones about it. He's a very humble guy, by
the way, and he always was. Even with the Giants.
He handled everything in stride. You never saw him off
his game when dealing with the media and dealing with
an assault of questions. But I think his time in
Minnesota really played a big role in seeing the light
(33:22):
at the end of the tunnel, seeing Sam Donald excel
with Kevin O'Connell, and seeing that there is life after
the disappointment in New York, Donald with the Jones, with
the Giants high expectations. The crazy part with Daniel Jones
to me is that it wasn't his fault that he
(33:43):
got taken sixth overall in twenty nineteen. That Dave Gettelman
saw something of him and thought he would be perfect
for what they were trying to do and their rebuild.
It wasn't his fault that the Giants after his big
season with Brian Dabele paid him the money that he did.
Everybody react to it, Oh, you can't, you can't give
him that kind of money top ten QB. Well, he
(34:05):
earned it and it wasn't his fault by the way
that everything fell apart. He was a part of it,
but it wasn't all on him. And now we're seeing that.
I really think he is in the perfect spot with
the perfect coach and the perfect offense, and good for him.
It really has been enjoyable to watch.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Hey, I am to win the miss right now.
Speaker 10 (34:26):
Kind of staring the echoes on former high level seasons
at the running back position that could challenge legitimately for
MVP honors because it's a rarity, but with Jonathan Taylor
this season, it seems to beyond legit.
Speaker 7 (34:41):
Yeah, you know what's funny, JAMV. I find this humorous
because it is part of the deal. We love to
talk about awards and it doesn't matter what part of
the season it.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
Is, right, we just love it.
Speaker 7 (34:53):
There's something about it and I fall victim to it
as much as anybody else. Literally three weeks into the year,
if you went back now and saw some reactions from people,
it would have been on you know, he's having an
MVP like you like, Oh no, he's had an MVP
like month. But here we are at the midway point,
(35:14):
and to answer your question, yes, we are at that point,
and I think part of it is that there's no
QB that's having the type of year that Josh Allen
or Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes has had in recent years,
and that has opened the door a bit. But it
really shouldn't be just that Jonavan Taylor has been the
(35:34):
most valuable player in the NFL through eight weeks. That's
the fact. I don't know how else to say it
other than directly. Now does that keep up? Is there
someone that emerges in the second half. I don't know,
but it does connect to team results and then personal objectives,
(35:57):
and he's checking every single box. And then there's the
other part of it. There's that other vibe and feel
that you get when someone is just dominating their position.
That's what he's doing. So if Adrian Peterson was the
last guy to do it at the running back position
in twenty twelve, it's time to open our minds up again.
(36:19):
And I can tell you that my broadcast partner JJ
Watt has believed it now. For the last month. He
was saying this leading up to our Charger game and
wanted to make sure that we were doing our part
to indicate what kind of season this man is putting together,
whether it's graphically or whether it's something that we cover ourselves.
And I would expect more of the same on Sunday.
Speaker 10 (36:41):
That is I an eagle right there quoting in Vogue
for your mind and the rest will follow regarding the
running back position. That's well done out of you. I
did not know that you were a big in Vogue
fan growing up.
Speaker 5 (36:53):
No One.
Speaker 7 (36:53):
Yeah, I have a deep bag. I have a deep bag, jamv.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
That's awesome. I had Eagle is with us.
Speaker 10 (37:00):
When you look at Pittsburgh, do you look at them
more for who they have or who they have and
the age that they are, because that's the one thing
I can't get away from. You have such high level
performing individuals, but a little bit longer in the tooth,
as we've noticed.
Speaker 7 (37:22):
Yeah, I had them in the season opener. So I
remember going through all the notes and that week one,
you're just trying to wrap your brain on the amount
of information it's out there, what you think is pertinent,
what makes sense, what's digestible for the audience. And I
remember a particular note. I don't want to quote the
exact number, but it was high. They have the most
(37:46):
combined pro Bowls in the NFL. If you go through
their roster, it's the most or it was the most
that were added during the offseason, one.
Speaker 5 (37:56):
Or the other.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
The reality is all the Pro Bowls, I mean very
little when you line up on Sunday and someone else
is on the other side and doesn't care about your
resume or doesn't care what you did six years ago.
And unfortunately for the Steelers, just because you put on
that uniform doesn't mean you automatically have a top seven
(38:19):
defense in the NFL. And what they have found out
the hard way is that teams are not intimidated by
them defensively right now. It doesn't mean it can't get better,
but it has not stabilized, and there were issues early.
They seem to at least solve some of those issues
for a few weeks, but they are rearing their ugly
(38:39):
head once again. The last couple of weeks have been
rough and that secondary in particular has been exposed. So
it all works in concert with one another. They're not
getting the pass rush that they normally get, which thinkings
that they're asking more of their defensive backs than maybe
they haven't previous years, and it's gone sideways on them
(39:00):
and now on their schedule, is the number one scoring
offense in the NFL, the number one total offense in
the NFL. And as I witnessed in person, an ultra
confident group just talking to the Colts, these are not
just numbers on paper. This is real. They believe in
what they've got. They believe that they can do this
(39:24):
for the entire season, not just a stretch and not
just flashes. This is who they think they are. So
every team's got to contend with that on a weekly basis.
A team that is so synchronized and believes in who
they are and what they are, and the proof has
been in the pudding.
Speaker 10 (39:42):
I'd say, you've got to take advantage of things when
you can, and for the Colts it is this season.
You can think about next year in the year after
that later and we have I think going on right
now here. I am because you paid close attention to
this as well. The greatest example here recently is that
of the Pacers, because look, ever since that seven minute
(40:04):
mark of Game seven, in the first quarter, and it
has been nothing but a downhill slide. And they had
a long way to fall, considering the heights in which
they reached of excitement certainly last year into the late
spring and early summer. And it's why you got to
take advantage of things now because you're not promised anything
next year.
Speaker 7 (40:25):
Yeah, nothing is guaranteed JMV in sports. And then the
other part that you realize very quickly, nobody pities you.
There's no pity. That's just how it is when you're
talking about competition. There's nobody around the NBA right now saying, man,
too bad. The Pacers can't catch a break. They just
see it as a potential win on their schedule, and
(40:48):
the only way you change that is by going out
and proving them wrong. And at this point with the Colts,
the role that they're in is so different than what
it's been in recent years that it takes an adjustment
period sometimes for fans to realize it. I felt, I
don't know how you felt. You were you were in it,
(41:10):
so you might have felt differently. But leading into the
Charger Week, everything that I saw, everything that I heard,
everything that I read, everything that I sensed was all right,
We're going to find out if the Colts are any good.
They got to go to LA. They already lost in
LA to the rams. They got to play this Charger
team and we'll see.
Speaker 5 (41:33):
We'll see.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
Man. Within the first twenty minutes of the game, you
could tell what they were all about, and then what happens,
You flip a switch, and that Monday morning it felt
like not a one to eighty because people were very
impressed by the Colts even before the Charger game, but
it felt very different in how people around the NFL
(41:57):
were reacting out of nowhere. You had people coming out
of the woodwork, you know what, I think the Colts
might be for real. I saw some of that. Yeah, dude,
they're for real. It's no longer a surprise, nice little story.
They have the best record in the NFL for a reason.
Speaker 10 (42:15):
It's funny you mentioned that too, because there are still
people around here are kind of waiting on things not
to look as they have, you know, thinking maybe this
is just kind of a specter, if you will, wondering
if it's going to be in Pittsburgh or maybe with
a long venture to Berlin, or you know, certainly after
the bye week when they go to Arrowhead, you're just
(42:36):
kind of waiting for this not to be real. But man,
this is like going to King's Island in Cincinnati. You
just got to jump in there and strap it down
and hang on for the rod and have a fun ride,
because it's not been like this forever around here.
Speaker 7 (42:49):
Yeah, and I obviously remember the Paydon Manning years, remember
them well. It just happened to coincide when I started
working in the NFL on CBS, and I do remember
that ninety eight to ninety nine mental shift. Now you
had the number one overall pick. You've figured that this
(43:10):
guy was going to figure it out and eventually he
was going to be a player. And it turned out
that way. Year one to year two was a huge jump.
I think it was three wins to thirteen wins if
I remember correctly. And Jim Mora and that group figured
out what they were and everyone blossomed at the same
(43:31):
time with the move of Marshall Fox drafting Edger and
James Marvin Harrison becoming a Hall of Fame wide receiver,
a good tight ends that were a part of this thing.
Defense that was good enough, that was part of the deal.
But if you make that transition in the NFL, you
can quickly put the other stuff behind you. And my
(43:53):
point now with the Colts, with Shane Steiken and with
what is still a young group. There is young that's
the biggest difference. Normally when a team turns it around,
they have switched their core completely that they just recognized, hey,
we gotta we gotta blow it up and redo it.
They didn't really do that, so they knew they had
(44:16):
good players. They just had to address certain areas. And
then I think the head coach is outstanding, by the way, Yes,
he is a really good one.
Speaker 10 (44:24):
And you can tell he and the quarterback benefit one another,
maybe as best as any duo like that we have
seen so far this season on that NFL landscape. By
the way, I'm getting a rip right now because I
uh get in vogue and not George Clinton in Parliament.
Speaker 7 (44:39):
My bad, you somehow you get shrapnels. I'm doing to
make a connection.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
I do, buddy.
Speaker 10 (44:47):
Oh man, Hey, it's great to have you back on here.
Let's do this again soon. You got it, cham you
guys have you have a great call in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 10 (44:54):
I an eagle on the Anymore Auto Motive Group potline.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
Thanks again for listening to instant replay, because second helpings
are always best when the main course is still fresh.
Instant replay on ninety three five and one oh seven
five The Fan
We know you're busy, bills to pay, mouths to feed,
and the man eats another favor.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
So, just in case you missed what happened, I'm a
fan today.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
We got your back, and even if you did hear
it live, you probably need to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here you go, all in one place and in just
one hour, the best of the best from today on
ninety three to five and one oh seven five the Fan.
This is instant replay this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I'm a fan Morning Show.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Tony East joins us now in the Paylosstickers Hotline. Tell
me what was your favorite kind of go to fun
TV show back in the day.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
I wasn't as cool as you, guys.
Speaker 6 (00:38):
I was just a dorky cartoon kid.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
That's all right. What cartoons?
Speaker 7 (00:41):
Did you like?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Rocket Power?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Yeah? I did like Rocket Power quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That was a good show.
Speaker 6 (00:49):
I honestly don't know if I could pick a favorite.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
This is not an easy decision.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
All right, Well, we'll get back to you on that.
Speaker 8 (00:54):
It was a guitar hero all American, Tony East, I
think it was people forget about that.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I did not know this. Can you explain the bass?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
What do you mean? Jonathan Taylor guitar.
Speaker 8 (01:05):
I really didn't know Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor had
a baby for guitars.
Speaker 9 (01:09):
It'd be Tony, Tony, can you explain this Guitar Hero tutorials?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, that's the.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
First way I made money was being one of the
best players in the game and uploading videos to YouTube.
Good times, good times.
Speaker 9 (01:22):
You are such a unique person, and I mean that
as a compliment.
Speaker 8 (01:26):
Tony, Can you play a real guitar? I asked that
in all seriousness.
Speaker 6 (01:30):
No, I cannot, which is part of the embarrassing answer
to that. Okay, I cannot.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
This didn't inspire you to actually learn how to play guitar.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
They're very different experiences. The strings go a different direction.
There's yeah, no, there's very different. I don't even know
how or why Guitar Hero became a thing in my life,
but it happened so fast.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It's crazy.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
It's crazy. What's happened to that game?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, I'll tell you.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
What also has happened so fast, Tony is the dwindling
of the roster for the Indiana Pacers, and I was
smooth transition.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
It's just getting beautiful.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It's just getting insane, though, Tony isn't it. I Mean,
we've never seen anything like this for the Pacers before,
have we?
Speaker 6 (02:11):
And that's really crazy. I mean, and and you know,
every time I'm talking about their injury situation, I'm trying
to run through all the players that are hurt, like
I forget somebody because there's so many guys. I can't
recall them all off the top of my head. And
you know, it's just it's remarkable, and specifically for their
situation now they you know, last year they had all
(02:32):
the center injuries early in the season, right everybody was
hurt at center, so in Miles would miss a game
that were just toast and they had to make all
these moves. This year it's guard and it's literally everybody.
It's not just point guards where last year was center.
It's both guards sponsored on a four guards total and
one they just signed. It's just it's crazy how much
they've already had to do something to just feel the team.
(02:52):
That makes any sense, Tony.
Speaker 8 (02:54):
We saw the mac McClung news of course yesterday. Are
they in the qualification at all for the medical hardship?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Could we see?
Speaker 8 (03:04):
And now I'm dating back to India in a fever
season this year, could we see like some a ten
day edition or two.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Yeah, the Heart the Hardship world. They are different for
NBA and WNBA. There is an NBA version. You have
to have four guys missed three games, and those four
guys have to be out for two more weeks from
the time of their missing their third game, which is
confusing for the Pacers because some of their guys who
have already missed three games may not be out for
two more weeks. We'll see what happens on that reevaluation
(03:32):
date of November nights for TJ McConnell and Cam Jones,
and some of their guys who might be out for
that that long, like Ben Matheren and Obi Todbin have
not up been out for three games quite yet. Matheren's
only missed one game in full and the same and
Topping hasn't missed any games in foll yet because he
got hurt in the most recent games. So it depends
on the return dates for some players. It's possible that
uh if if Jones is out for a long time
(03:54):
and Topping, the Mathern are out for a long time.
I think after the Golden State game on Saturday, they
could be eligible for one, but you know, if Jones
isn't set to return earlier then or set a return
close to his reevaluation day, that might not even be possible.
So it really just depends on the timelines of their
current players, and they're gonna get pretty easily. The three
of the four needed missing games, but they got to
(04:16):
get to the fourth if they actually get to get
a hardship. So it actually is hard for them that
they have so many injuries, yet none of them are
super long term, at least until now, and a lot
of them are players who are returning, like Quentin Jackson
came back like that actually makes.
Speaker 7 (04:30):
It harder for hard situation.
Speaker 6 (04:32):
So it's it's still a TVD, but it's possible that
by the end of this week they do have one.
Speaker 9 (04:36):
Well, Tony, I do know you have a direct line
of Rick Carlisle, so just you know, get his ear
a little bit and let him know that I've been
in the gym as of late. The jumper doesn't look
too great. I took a month off because of work,
but I can still get up and down the floor
and offer six files.
Speaker 6 (04:52):
Yeah, Balan has been a problem for them, so you'll
fit right in on this team this year. But man,
anybody's that bad, Like they're trying guys out already groups
And I told you guys that yesterday morning, Like anyone
who can play and is in some sort of shape,
like I do wonder how much for mcclong that he
was in camp with the Bulls and had started.
Speaker 7 (05:10):
I think he had one or.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
Two practices with the Windy CD Bowls, Like he doesn't
have to do what we saw in preseason like campaign
until on right, Like he's in game shape now that
honestly is a boon for him.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
That's gonna help.
Speaker 9 (05:23):
So to that point, Tony, and again we have Tony.
He's joining us here on the Payosicers Hotline Tony with
Mac McClung. We know him as the three time NBA
Slam Dunk Contest champion. But for those who aren't familiar
with his actual basketball career, can you give us the
backstory there? I know he went undrafted out of Texas
Tech in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Yeah, he he's played for a bunch of teams for
like two seconds right, A two way with the Lakers
where he plays.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
One game a ten day with the Bulls.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
Where he plays two games, right, so he's played for
four teams. He's only played six games, and I actually
believe that this is his first.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Standard contract ever.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Every other time he signed a contract in the NBA's
either been a ten day or a two way.
Speaker 7 (06:07):
So, you know, that's the.
Speaker 6 (06:09):
Kind of situation that he's been in his whole career,
has been like right on that edge where teams are
interested in him, like he was on a two way
last year. The Magic said that maybe he could help
them in turn situations, but not quite good enough where
a team that's caught like he could really break in
to their irritation. I'll say this, the mad has paid
the playoffs. Last year, they won their first round game.
They were looking good. They go down to Ostiola to
play The Magic's G League team and they got destroyed,
(06:31):
clobbered in the game. They gave up eighty points in
the first half. Magna Clung finished with thirty nine points
and six assists. The Magic made the G League finals. Now, granted,
there's a lot of good G League players who don't
amount to much in the NBA, but he's kind of
like right on that line of you know, in between
the G League and the pros, and some of those
guys do end up being able to do something in
the NBA, like Oshan Burssett became a multi year player
(06:53):
for the Pacers. He was kind of right in that
tier of player as well. So it's hard to project
what his IMPACT's going to be. His resume kind of
suggests that he could be inconsistent and not you know,
ready for a major NBA role, or maybe he is
and we'll have the page off the seed, but that'll
neam like he'll probably be one of their four available
guards today unless Taylan Peter has recovered, you know, more
(07:13):
than the Andrew report suggests. So there's a chance he's
already in their rotation. I think if he's able to,
you know, get off the ball and make some shots
to look good. But you can probably say that about
any guard, and so it will be a change to
see what impacts he can provide, because there's just not
a lot of evidence to say what that's going to be.
Speaker 8 (07:28):
Tony East locked on Pacers where you hear his voice.
It is a great listen and we are very very
grateful to have him in our market covering the Pacers
and Fever. Tony give our audience, a little bit of
intro to your latest endeavor, your newest endeavor. Probably the
best way to put it, Circle City Spin.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
I started my own website because I felt like I
wasn't covering the teams the right way all the time,
especially after games, or enough quite frankly in some cases,
via writing. And so I've been publishing some stuff there,
including a really long thing I wrote yesterday about a
huge question about the James Wiseman waiver that is completely
not what you think, uh if you read it, and uh,
I hope it's a better way for you to learn
(08:10):
about the Pacers and the Fever from somebody who's covered
both teams for a long time. So it's been fun
so far, and hopefully it could go somewhere fun. I'm
having a good.
Speaker 8 (08:18):
Time Circle City Spin again. Where you can find that
very simple ad Circle City Spin over and you took.
Speaker 9 (08:24):
On it, you'll see Tony East like break dancing and
spinning as the intro to the website.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
I'm actually playing guitar hero on the homepage.
Speaker 8 (08:34):
That might be my new homepage. After you say that, Tony,
last one for me, do you frequent YouTube.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Much at all?
Speaker 7 (08:42):
Uh? Sort of sort of I.
Speaker 8 (08:44):
Feel like every intro ad is a Leah Boston and
her mom. Have you come across this commercial?
Speaker 6 (08:50):
See I have seen I have seen this commercial?
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Well I played.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Is it the one where they were like sitting together
before the game in Minnesota?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Yeah, yeah, I saw that.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
One a lot during the playoffs too. Yes, it is
very popular and it's adorable. Her mom is very nice.
I've seen that all the time.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
That's literally all I have.
Speaker 8 (09:06):
I apologize for having some grand follow up on Hey,
what's the latest in w you know, league talks and
CBA this and that, but yeah, I have now signed.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Up for Circuit.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
Well, I can tell you that I would be very
very very very very.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Very surprised if there's an agreement by the deadline on Friday.
I'll tell you that it's this Friday, right, Yeah, the
thirty first.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Talking about trying to get an extent, wasn't the WNBA
talking about trying to get an extension?
Speaker 6 (09:31):
Yeah, they can do that. Maybe that will be something
that they agreed to. But like in these situations where
you know, deadlines are what'sper actions and get these people
to go, But what does an extension really do? Like
you're still going to be negotiating even if you don't
have a CBA. So I perhaps that's the only thing
we find out by Friday. They extend to the deadline.
But I'm not particularly confident, nor is any reporter I've
(09:53):
talked to, than anything will be done by the end.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Of the week.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Do you think anything will be done by the time
the season rolls around in late spring?
Speaker 6 (09:59):
Yeah, the season will get things going, I think, But
it's always tricky too, because they're offseason so condensed. All
these players are playing in different leagues, and the draft
is right after college is done. You know, they like
they had and there's two new teams, right, they have
a lot of like external considerations to get something done
in a certain amount of time, to let those teams
(10:21):
go and keep their lead going, especially at the time
where they have a lot of momentum. But it's not
gonna be easy.
Speaker 8 (10:25):
Tony last last one. Starting lineup for the Pacers tonight
is what.
Speaker 7 (10:29):
Oh geez? I mean?
Speaker 6 (10:30):
They've started a different group every game so far. I
think actually there's a chance they would stick with the
same group they did in Memphis, just because Dallas also
plays a little big. But Derek Lyvely and Daniel Gafford
are doubtful, so maybe Dallas actually won't be so big.
So I'll predict that one of the point guards actually
does start this time, and it's either Dennis or Jackson,
(10:50):
and then Shepherd Ne Schmith's yack them in a center.
But I would not be surprised if they stick with
that two center group again, just because it's one of
the only ways they can feel the rotation that makes
sense of players that have been on the team from
more than two seconds.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
All right, Tony, go go find some late seventies and
early eighties TV sitcoms to watch and get back to this.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Okay, congrats on Circle City, spend Man, great, great sum.
Speaker 6 (11:09):
Thank you guys.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It's the best of the best from today's broadcast lineup.
Instant replay continues in a moment on ninety three five
and one oh seven five the Fan. This is instant
replay today on Quarian Company.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
It is so weird when you talk about college football
to think Indiana and Vanderbilt are two of the major storylines,
But those we are. In the headline and a column
written by David Hale, who covers acc but also college
football for ESPN Dot com and I said, this is
a guy I want on the show, and he joins
us now on the Java House, Peel and poor guest line, David,
how are you?
Speaker 5 (11:55):
I am well, I am excited to be joining folks
in the land of my my old pal, Daniel Indiana Jones.
I support him and all of his his people out there.
Glad to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Let's begin with this, Actually, Daniel Jones. You know you've
covered the ACC and Duke football and you've seen him,
and then of course he was on the East Coast
in New York with the Giants. Are you surprised by
what we're seeing from Daniel Jones?
Speaker 5 (12:19):
Well, as an Eagles fan, I grew up an Eagles fan,
and I think anybody who gets away from the Giants
you expect big things from after that. So that goes
without saying. But now, look, Daniel Jones is a very
athletic guy. And it's funny. You know, there was the
I think it was his rookie year to play where
he just kind of got tripped by the turf Monster
and it became sort of this meme of oh, Daniel
Jones is just this awkward, you know, weird white guy
(12:42):
who can't really run. No, he's a really good athlete,
and he's a really really smart guy with a very
good arm, and so put into a system where you're
not asking him to be everything. Uh, to me, it
was a no brainer. And I felt like he was
a guy who was, you know, pretty underrated during his
time with the Giants because he was always sort of
playing with one hand tag behind his back in a
(13:05):
program that just it's not had great coaching, it's not
had a lot of great talent around him, and they're
in a division where they've been out talented by at
least one and usually two teams on an annual basis.
So look, the situation that he's in now is terrific.
I'm not you know, I'm surprised by how good it's been,
but I'm not surprised that he's found new life with
(13:26):
some fresh scenery.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Do you think there's an advantage? And I do want
to talk about your college columns. You have several things
that are that jumped out at me, David, But do
you think there is an advantage in being somebody at
the quarterbacking position that is coming out of a non
blue blood In other words, you know, if you're quarterbacking
at Duke, it's not like you're throwing to the receivers
(13:50):
that Trevor Lawrence was throwing to at Clemson, right, or
that a lot of quarterbacks at Alabama have are afforded
the opportunity to throw to. Does that help a guy,
do you think when they get to the league?
Speaker 5 (14:01):
You know, I think it can be a double edged sword.
And I'll point out it's not just that Daniel Jones
was at Duke. I mean, he was a non scholarship
guy when he got to Duke. David Cutgliff is one
of the only people who truly believed in him. But
when the guy who believes in you also was the
guy who coached the first two Manning brothers, you know,
that's not a bad guy to have in your corner.
(14:21):
And I do think it, you know, particularly at a
program like Duke, where there is the understanding of every
coach who has been there is Talent is not our advantage,
but intelligence is. And so I think you learn the
position and you learn the intricacies of it. I remember
way back in what seven six eight, talking to the
(14:41):
late great John Clayton about Matt Ryan and Matt Ryan's
numbers were not great at the time, and he's like, well, yeah,
but have you looked at who he's playing with? And
that was sort of a very reasonable point. Matt Ryan
turned out to be a pretty darn good quarterback by
elevating next to nothing at Boston College when he was there,
So yeah, think that there is. Now the flip side
of that is the NFL is a different animal and
(15:04):
you are going to be surrounded by elite talent, and
I think you need to also know how to deal
with those guys. You know, again I mentioned I'm a
Eagles fan, Like there's you're not going to run into
AJ Brown's when you're at Duke, and as a quarterback,
you know, being able to work with someone like AJ
Brown and manage that personality and the expectations that come
with it, like, you've got to be prepared for that too.
(15:26):
So I think there's there's there's certainly pluses and minuses
to it. But I do say when you go when
you play for David Cutcliff and you play at a
program like Duke, You're not coming out of there an idiot.
There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
David, Can we have you as a Weekly Guest. We're
like two minutes in and I can already tell right,
I'll the the overall everything about it, right. I like
the perspectives, I like the local tie in, and that
leads me to this. You have a column at esp
dot com you write about college football, and I want
to read an excerpt of what you wrote, because I
(15:57):
think it's great. Talking about the Heisman candidacy of Fernando
Mendoza of Indiana, you say the only potential pitfall for
Mendoza now is that many Heisman voters had not previously
been aware Indiana had a football program and are very
confused about why he doesn't play for Texas. Now. That
leads to this question, do you believe that nationally speaking
(16:21):
people truly believe that Indiana is for real?
Speaker 5 (16:25):
I think so, and I certainly wouldn't have said this
last year. You know, I think there's there's always been
a year in and year out in college football. We
have the quote unquote Cinderella story that the feel good team,
and Indiana was largely that last year. You think back to,
I mean the TCU team in twenty twenty two that
pulled out one miracle after another and got all the
(16:46):
way to the National Championship Game. But I think the
folks who watched college football and really know the game
always sort of can differentiate between, Hey, that team got
lucky a few games, had a relatively easy schedule, some
good matchups for them, great great story, they've played, punched
above their weight. Good story. But they're not gonna win.
They're not gonna win at all. They're not as good
(17:07):
as the true blue bloods of the game, the Georgia's
of the Bamas, the Ohio States. And again, I think
that was certainly the case for Indiana last year, where
they took a lot of flak for not having played
a particularly difficult schedule. But this year's Indiana team, and
I say this, you mentioned Vanderbilt off the top, I
think they're in this conversation too. They're I think they
(17:28):
have proven there more than capable of playing with anyone.
They have legitimate NFL talent on this Indiana roster, Like
this isn't a bunch of guys who were overachieving. This
is guys who are largely doing what they should be
doing because they're really talented. And when you go out
to Oregon and you win in an environment like that,
against the team that's got probably a dozen nflers that
(17:50):
are playing regular snaps for them, Like that, that tells
me that this is a team that is capable of
winning any game. And then the flip side of that
is you start looking around college football at who those
blue bloods are and yeah, I made a little joke
about Texas and they're Texas ain't good. Texas has gone
to overtime two weeks in a row with teams that
are one in twenty eight in SEC play over the
(18:11):
last two years. Like what does that tell you about Texas?
Alabama lost to Florida State and the opener like these
are not I think the great teams are still very good,
but instead of being like an A plus completely lapping
the field, they're just a little better than everybody else.
And everybody else has gotten a little better too, particularly
(18:31):
if you're a program that's willing to invest money, which
Indiana is, and has a good coach and a good
coaching staff, which Indiana does. And so I think you
add all of this up and just the narrative that
we're used to in college football because it has been
the blueprint for you know, as long as most of
us have probably been watching the sport. I think it
is markedly changed now. Is it changed for the long
haul or will it kind of the pendulum slip back.
(18:55):
I think they're the rich tend to stay getting richer
for a reason. But Indiana is sort of the proof
in the pudding of like this this can work? Now?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Is this David? When when you analyze Indiana and you
talk about, for example, you know there are NFL players
on the roster with Indiana, some of those guys might
not have been NFL prospects when they got to Indiana.
I don't know if that's you know, opportunity, maybe that's
Kurt Signetti. Maybe it's combination of both. But it seems
to me like if you look at Indiana and Vanderbilt,
(19:26):
I mean Vanderbilt, really if you look at those programs.
Am I correct in this statement? Kudos to the way
that they went about and Scott Dolson and Indiana went
about the business of turning it around and getting Kurt
Signetti and investing. But the storm was perfect for Indiana.
I can't speak to Vanderbilt and their approach, but for Indiana,
it was the perfect storm of the NIL and the
(19:49):
transfer portal availability era and Indiana was the team that
was sitting there looking for an opening in the left lane,
and it finally came open, and they blew past a
bunch of people and merged right back in and did so,
merging in with the blue bloods. Is Indiana taking advantage
of an opportunity and it's now too late for others
(20:11):
to take that same advantage.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Yeah, you know, this is fun. I've had numerous conversations
because as a journalist like I would like to know
my day is going to look like when I wake
up both the time. But you talked to like ads
and coaches and they'll tell you chaos equals opportunity. And
kudos to Indiana because they understood what was happening in
the sport when I don't think everybody else did and
(20:36):
pounced upon that opportunity. And again, I just the opportunity
wasn't there before. I mean it used to be. I
mean I'm not naive enough to suggest no one was
paying players, but it used to be where paying players
was not an easy thing to do, and so that
the the advantages that other schools had were geography and
(20:58):
money for facilities and coaches and stuff like that. Well,
you can't change your geography, and building buildings takes a
whole lot of money and a long lot of years,
and it doesn't guarantee you a whole lot of anything.
But being able to open up a check book and
say how much do you need? That gets the job
done quickly. And Indiana, to their credit, bought into a
(21:20):
new system. But that, you know, the flip side of
that is too, like, look at what's happening with North
Carolina right now and Bill Belichick and it's a disaster.
And that doesn't mean it can't work, but it's not
working now. And this was a little bit of Carolina
being like, oh, here's our opportunity. Let's go get this guy.
You've got to get the right guy, and they've got
to come in with the right approach, and they've got
to be the right fit for what you're doing. And
(21:41):
Signetti is all of that. Signette is a guy who
wants to punch up. He wants to come in with
a chip on his shoulder and prove himself against the
big guys who think he was never worth it in
the first place. Like he is the perfect fit for Indiana.
Indiana made their moves at the right time, and the
world the college foot well universe, the stars aligned and
(22:02):
the door opened and they walked right through.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
By the way. You taught at Eastern Kentucky? Is that right?
Speaker 5 (22:08):
That was a long time ago. But I got a
solid three semesters in there before either they wised up
or I got another job. I can't remember which name.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Did you ever just out of curiosity? Did you ever
drink al eight when you were there?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
Oh? God, yes, yep by girlfriend at the time. Wife
now hated them, but I would make us get them
every now and again, and you still got married. Well,
we disagree on everything else too. That was low on
the list.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Now, what year did you graduate from University of Delaware?
Speaker 5 (22:38):
Now, you're really making me feel old. I graduated in
one and then I went back and got a master's
degree in community in journalism at Stricus and five.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Well, listen, I'm going to make you feel young now.
In ninety three, Delaware played in the first round of
the NCAA tournament against Louisville at the Hoosier Dome, and
I went down for ACTE and I met two dudes
from Delaware that had driven all night just to come
to the game, and so I'm like, where are you
guys staying. They're like, dude, we have no idea. We
(23:09):
just drove in and go, well, you're staying at our house.
I was my parents, I mean I was in college myself,
so my parents put them up for the weekend, and
then the president of University of Delaware made me an
honorary blue hen for what that's worth.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
True this is it's like it's like finding a leprechaun
or something like that. You hope them.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Funny, I should mention, Okay, back to Indiana real quick.
I'm curious of this, and I was worried that the
rest of the country was going to see it this way.
There are certain college football programs, David that I call
them IKEA programs and other words. They look really really
good when they're from Afar, and then you really break
(23:52):
it down and you're like, yeah, this is actually just
a bunch of like plastic parts that are put together.
Nothing against Ikia, but you get what I'm saying where
they Texas Tech falls into this category for me, like
they look really good every year and then by the
end of the year you're like, yeah, they're an alamball team. Okay, fine,
you know what I mean, give me a couple of
teams that you in your mind that you categorize this
(24:13):
year with Indiana in terms of how solid they are.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Yeah, Texas Tech's are good. Ikea analogy because it's you
assemble it like one of those bookshelves, like it was
just like, I don't know if these pieces fit right
totally totally, you know, I will say I am relatively
sold on what Alabama looks like now. Like ty Simpson,
they ran into Florida State at the absolute wrong time,
(24:37):
and I think in some ways they're better as a
result of it. I think they're very good. I think
Miami is very good, and yet they're going to be
playing to an inside straight in the acc let alone
in the larger landscape of things. But I always kind
of go back to three things. Are you good on
both sides of the line of scrimmage? And do you
have your quarterback? And if you've got those three things
(24:58):
that can play at a high level, I think you
can make the rest work. And Miami's got a potentially
high level quarterback and they're very good on both sides
of the line of scrimmage. And then you know, look,
I Ohio State I'm going to go ahead and say
is really good until we see them actually play somebody
really good. You know, like this weekend they're gonna play
(25:20):
Penn State, And this was a game back in August
you would have said with a season defining game, it
means nothing. Now, Yeah, So you know, I just they're
they're so talented in so many ways, and if you
look at like who's a future draft prospect, like, they've
probably got as many NFL dudes as anybody. But you
put Indiana and Ohio State against each other, well, one's
got a freshman quarterback who has not really been asked
(25:42):
to do a whole lot, and the other one's got
a quarterback who's done a bunch and is in his
third year as a starter. And I think that can
make a big difference there. So you know, to me,
I love what Julian says done He's played wonderful, But
I'm not quite ready to buy into Ohio State's about
ready to repeat because I just I don't know that
you do that with a quarter that young. Maybe he
proves me wrong.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Better job Penn State or LSU or are we in
an era now where the size of the stadium and
the program prestige are irrelevant.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I don't think they're irrelevant. And you know, again, who
knows as the rules continue to evolve how much that
sort of strength comes back into the fray. It's funny
because I think the strength for both of those programs
is where they recruit from. LSU is basically a standalone
program in a very fertile recruiting area. Penn State is
basically the only game in town in the Northeast to
(26:35):
recruit at a high level, So it's not as good
a recruiting area, but it's a wider one. I think
they both are really good. I would probably lean Penn
State just because your path to the playoffs is not
as hard as the Big Ten as it is if
you've got to go play Alabama and Georgia and Florida
every year in the SEC, so slight lean Penn State.
If your goal is I got to get to the playoff.
(26:56):
If your goal is I want to have the best
players that I can find, he's probably a little bit better. Job.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Does Marcus Freeman stay at Notre Dame and are they
a playoff contender?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
I think he does. I think Notre Dame learned a
little bit of a lesson from how things ended with
Brian Kelly. I'm not sure they were sad to see
him go, but I think that they were embarrassed at
how it went. And I think I think the Irish
have sort of turned things. They've opened the door to
Marcus Freeman to do some things that they probably were
not doing with Brian Kelly. I think they'll keep Marcus
Freeman and I think, yeah, Look, the way CJ. Cars
(27:27):
playing is great. They lost two games to two teams
that I think are going to probably be in the
playoff to open the season. They're blowing the doors off
people now. And Jeremiah Loves one of my favorite players.
If you can only sit down and watch a handful
of players on a Saturday, go watch Jeremiah Love. He's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Is there anybody in conclusion here that Indiana would have
on that list of players that you say or must watch?
Speaker 5 (27:48):
You know, the way that Elijas Thurrat has played this year,
I was just looking this up. You know, he's one
of just four big ten wide receivers with ten touchdown
passes to eight games in the last twenty years. Like
he has a big, big play guy as there is
in college football right now at the receiver position. I've
had a ton of fun watching him. I'm not sure
I put him on the Jeremiah Loved pedestal, but he's
(28:11):
you know, he's like a little not a step below there.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
David Hale ESPN is our guest Java House peeling poor
guest line David. Spencer Dunkley was the center for Delaware
that year in ninety three, and he was drafted by
your Indiana Pacers that I know are number one in
your heart.
Speaker 5 (28:29):
I hope that that's probably the last British guy that
they've drafted there. But I love Spencer. Dupley and Alex
Cole were the stars of that team, and yeah, those
guys are great.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Spencer Duckley was in fact the guy. There was some quote,
if I'm not mistaken, he said something along the lines
or somebody said maybe it's Dick fight tal if Delaware
beats Louisville, Like I'll walk all the way to Delaware
from Indianapolis. And so we were hoping to what happened.
And I was trying to lead the Delaware guys in
cheers and everything else. And at least I got to
become an honorary blue head and now a leprechaon. So
(29:03):
there's that. Happy to have you at the club that's
we meet on Wednesdays, right, it's a huge club, David,
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Man, all right, good to talk to you guys.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Hi David Hale joining us on the Java House Peel
Andporg guest line ESPN dot com And it's the.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Best of the best from today's broadcast lineup. Instant replay
continues in a moment on ninety three to five and
one oh seven five the fan.
Speaker 7 (29:32):
You.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
This is instant replay earlier.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
This afternoon on the Ride with JMV.
Speaker 10 (29:44):
Pittsburgh Cole with the Colts and the Steelers coming up
on Sunday. He is a huge friend of this show.
Iron Eagle is with us. Hello, Ion, how are you yo?
Speaker 7 (29:55):
What's up? JMV?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Can you help us sort this out?
Speaker 10 (29:58):
Because you are such a major voice last spring with
this Pacer, this incredible Pacer run in the postseason, and
now your heavy voice in this Colts run so far
this season. Which one has been more entertaining to you
to this point, because I think they're both so far
(30:20):
special in their own way, But which one kind of
stands out to you.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
If either does, Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:26):
I would say the surprise of the Colts probably resonates
a bit more, only because we knew the Pacers would
be good.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
We knew they were well coached.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
We knew that at the time Tyres and his whole
persona within the league was growing. So I can't say
that it was shocking what took place with the Pacers
last year. I knew they would be good, and maybe
they were even a little bit better than we thought. Obviously,
going to Game seven of the NBA Finals, we got
(30:55):
right to the brink the Colts. It was such a
mystery and what happens often in the NFL, which you
do find out after the fact, but it's hard to
put your finger on it before. Sometimes it's just a
really good marriage. It's the right coach, the right quarterback,
the right system, the right supporting cast, and everything is
(31:19):
just clicking right now. And if you were dropped from
somewhere nowhere close to here into the NFL season right
now and said, hey, you don't know anything, but just watch,
watch with the eye test what certain teams are, you
would say the Indianapolis Colts have been the most explosive
(31:40):
offense in the NFL sustained explosive offense, and I don't
think there's anybody that thought that would be the case
going into the season.
Speaker 10 (31:50):
This is iron Eagle on the Andy More Automotive Group potline,
a card carrying member, an inhabitant, if you will, of
the New York metropolitan area. So if I were to
tell you back during one of the six years of
Daniel Jones in a Giants uniform under center, that he'd
be looking like this right now, would you have called
(32:13):
me crazy?
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Then?
Speaker 7 (32:16):
I don't know. If I would have called you crazy,
I would have told you it probably wasn't going to
happen in New York because it just didn't seem to
be in the cards there. The first year with Dable,
if you remember, they found some things. They were winning
close games. They surprised a bunch of people. Jones looked
very much the quarterback that they needed him to be.
(32:39):
It wasn't above and beyond, but he was winning with
their philosophy and there were some positive things happening there,
and then unfortunately injuries took place again. They weren't catching
breaks the following two seasons, and we know what the
end result was. We talked to him a couple of
weeks ago, proud to the Charger game, and he made
(33:00):
no bones about it. He's a very humble guy, by
the way, and he always was. Even with the Giants.
He handled everything in stride. You never saw him off
his game when dealing with the media and dealing with
an assault of questions. But I think his time in
Minnesota really played a big role in seeing the light
(33:22):
at the end of the tunnel, seeing Sam Donald excel
with Kevin O'Connell, and seeing that there is life after
the disappointment in New York, Donald with the Jones, with
the Giants high expectations. The crazy part with Daniel Jones
to me is that it wasn't his fault that he
(33:43):
got taken sixth overall in twenty nineteen. That Dave Gettelman
saw something of him and thought he would be perfect
for what they were trying to do and their rebuild.
It wasn't his fault that the Giants after his big
season with Brian Dabele paid him the money that he did.
Everybody react to it, Oh, you can't, you can't give
him that kind of money top ten QB. Well, he
(34:05):
earned it and it wasn't his fault by the way
that everything fell apart. He was a part of it,
but it wasn't all on him. And now we're seeing that.
I really think he is in the perfect spot with
the perfect coach and the perfect offense, and good for him.
It really has been enjoyable to watch.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Hey, I am to win the miss right now.
Speaker 10 (34:26):
Kind of staring the echoes on former high level seasons
at the running back position that could challenge legitimately for
MVP honors because it's a rarity, but with Jonathan Taylor
this season, it seems to beyond legit.
Speaker 7 (34:41):
Yeah, you know what's funny, JAMV. I find this humorous
because it is part of the deal. We love to
talk about awards and it doesn't matter what part of
the season it.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
Is, right, we just love it.
Speaker 7 (34:53):
There's something about it and I fall victim to it
as much as anybody else. Literally three weeks into the year,
if you went back now and saw some reactions from people,
it would have been on you know, he's having an
MVP like you like, Oh no, he's had an MVP
like month. But here we are at the midway point,
(35:14):
and to answer your question, yes, we are at that point,
and I think part of it is that there's no
QB that's having the type of year that Josh Allen
or Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes has had in recent years,
and that has opened the door a bit. But it
really shouldn't be just that Jonavan Taylor has been the
(35:34):
most valuable player in the NFL through eight weeks. That's
the fact. I don't know how else to say it
other than directly. Now does that keep up? Is there
someone that emerges in the second half. I don't know,
but it does connect to team results and then personal objectives,
(35:57):
and he's checking every single box. And then there's the
other part of it. There's that other vibe and feel
that you get when someone is just dominating their position.
That's what he's doing. So if Adrian Peterson was the
last guy to do it at the running back position
in twenty twelve, it's time to open our minds up again.
(36:19):
And I can tell you that my broadcast partner JJ
Watt has believed it now. For the last month. He
was saying this leading up to our Charger game and
wanted to make sure that we were doing our part
to indicate what kind of season this man is putting together,
whether it's graphically or whether it's something that we cover ourselves.
And I would expect more of the same on Sunday.
Speaker 10 (36:41):
That is I an eagle right there quoting in Vogue
for your mind and the rest will follow regarding the
running back position. That's well done out of you. I
did not know that you were a big in Vogue
fan growing up.
Speaker 5 (36:53):
No One.
Speaker 7 (36:53):
Yeah, I have a deep bag. I have a deep bag, jamv.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
That's awesome. I had Eagle is with us.
Speaker 10 (37:00):
When you look at Pittsburgh, do you look at them
more for who they have or who they have and
the age that they are, because that's the one thing
I can't get away from. You have such high level
performing individuals, but a little bit longer in the tooth,
as we've noticed.
Speaker 7 (37:22):
Yeah, I had them in the season opener. So I
remember going through all the notes and that week one,
you're just trying to wrap your brain on the amount
of information it's out there, what you think is pertinent,
what makes sense, what's digestible for the audience. And I
remember a particular note. I don't want to quote the
exact number, but it was high. They have the most
(37:46):
combined pro Bowls in the NFL. If you go through
their roster, it's the most or it was the most
that were added during the offseason, one.
Speaker 5 (37:56):
Or the other.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
The reality is all the Pro Bowls, I mean very
little when you line up on Sunday and someone else
is on the other side and doesn't care about your
resume or doesn't care what you did six years ago.
And unfortunately for the Steelers, just because you put on
that uniform doesn't mean you automatically have a top seven
(38:19):
defense in the NFL. And what they have found out
the hard way is that teams are not intimidated by
them defensively right now. It doesn't mean it can't get better,
but it has not stabilized, and there were issues early.
They seem to at least solve some of those issues
for a few weeks, but they are rearing their ugly
(38:39):
head once again. The last couple of weeks have been
rough and that secondary in particular has been exposed. So
it all works in concert with one another. They're not
getting the pass rush that they normally get, which thinkings
that they're asking more of their defensive backs than maybe
they haven't previous years, and it's gone sideways on them
(39:00):
and now on their schedule, is the number one scoring
offense in the NFL, the number one total offense in
the NFL. And as I witnessed in person, an ultra
confident group just talking to the Colts, these are not
just numbers on paper. This is real. They believe in
what they've got. They believe that they can do this
(39:24):
for the entire season, not just a stretch and not
just flashes. This is who they think they are. So
every team's got to contend with that on a weekly basis.
A team that is so synchronized and believes in who
they are and what they are, and the proof has
been in the pudding.
Speaker 10 (39:42):
I'd say, you've got to take advantage of things when
you can, and for the Colts it is this season.
You can think about next year in the year after
that later and we have I think going on right
now here. I am because you paid close attention to
this as well. The greatest example here recently is that
of the Pacers, because look, ever since that seven minute
(40:04):
mark of Game seven, in the first quarter, and it
has been nothing but a downhill slide. And they had
a long way to fall, considering the heights in which
they reached of excitement certainly last year into the late
spring and early summer. And it's why you got to
take advantage of things now because you're not promised anything
next year.
Speaker 7 (40:25):
Yeah, nothing is guaranteed JMV in sports. And then the
other part that you realize very quickly, nobody pities you.
There's no pity. That's just how it is when you're
talking about competition. There's nobody around the NBA right now saying, man,
too bad. The Pacers can't catch a break. They just
see it as a potential win on their schedule, and
(40:48):
the only way you change that is by going out
and proving them wrong. And at this point with the Colts,
the role that they're in is so different than what
it's been in recent years that it takes an adjustment
period sometimes for fans to realize it. I felt, I
don't know how you felt. You were you were in it,
(41:10):
so you might have felt differently. But leading into the
Charger Week, everything that I saw, everything that I heard,
everything that I read, everything that I sensed was all right,
We're going to find out if the Colts are any good.
They got to go to LA. They already lost in
LA to the rams. They got to play this Charger
team and we'll see.
Speaker 5 (41:33):
We'll see.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
Man. Within the first twenty minutes of the game, you
could tell what they were all about, and then what happens,
You flip a switch, and that Monday morning it felt
like not a one to eighty because people were very
impressed by the Colts even before the Charger game, but
it felt very different in how people around the NFL
(41:57):
were reacting out of nowhere. You had people coming out
of the woodwork, you know what, I think the Colts
might be for real. I saw some of that. Yeah, dude,
they're for real. It's no longer a surprise, nice little story.
They have the best record in the NFL for a reason.
Speaker 10 (42:15):
It's funny you mentioned that too, because there are still
people around here are kind of waiting on things not
to look as they have, you know, thinking maybe this
is just kind of a specter, if you will, wondering
if it's going to be in Pittsburgh or maybe with
a long venture to Berlin, or you know, certainly after
the bye week when they go to Arrowhead, you're just
(42:36):
kind of waiting for this not to be real. But man,
this is like going to King's Island in Cincinnati. You
just got to jump in there and strap it down
and hang on for the rod and have a fun ride,
because it's not been like this forever around here.
Speaker 7 (42:49):
Yeah, and I obviously remember the Paydon Manning years, remember
them well. It just happened to coincide when I started
working in the NFL on CBS, and I do remember
that ninety eight to ninety nine mental shift. Now you
had the number one overall pick. You've figured that this
(43:10):
guy was going to figure it out and eventually he
was going to be a player. And it turned out
that way. Year one to year two was a huge jump.
I think it was three wins to thirteen wins if
I remember correctly. And Jim Mora and that group figured
out what they were and everyone blossomed at the same
(43:31):
time with the move of Marshall Fox drafting Edger and
James Marvin Harrison becoming a Hall of Fame wide receiver,
a good tight ends that were a part of this thing.
Defense that was good enough, that was part of the deal.
But if you make that transition in the NFL, you
can quickly put the other stuff behind you. And my
(43:53):
point now with the Colts, with Shane Steiken and with
what is still a young group. There is young that's
the biggest difference. Normally when a team turns it around,
they have switched their core completely that they just recognized, hey,
we gotta we gotta blow it up and redo it.
They didn't really do that, so they knew they had
(44:16):
good players. They just had to address certain areas. And
then I think the head coach is outstanding, by the way, Yes,
he is a really good one.
Speaker 10 (44:24):
And you can tell he and the quarterback benefit one another,
maybe as best as any duo like that we have
seen so far this season on that NFL landscape. By
the way, I'm getting a rip right now because I
uh get in vogue and not George Clinton in Parliament.
Speaker 7 (44:39):
My bad, you somehow you get shrapnels. I'm doing to
make a connection.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
I do, buddy.
Speaker 10 (44:47):
Oh man, Hey, it's great to have you back on here.
Let's do this again soon. You got it, cham you
guys have you have a great call in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 10 (44:54):
I an eagle on the Anymore Auto Motive Group potline.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
Thanks again for listening to instant replay, because second helpings
are always best when the main course is still fresh.
Instant replay on ninety three five and one oh seven
five The Fan
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