September 19, 2025 • 51 mins
Today’s Best of Features:
(00:00-15:29) – WNBA Analyst Debbie Antonelli joins Jake Query to recap an unbelievable win last night for the Indiana Fever over the Atlanta Dream. Debbie credits Stephanie White for the job she has done galvanizing this group together, comments on how important Lexie Hull is to the success of the team even if she’s not scoring and discusses the resiliency that the Fever play with.
(15:29-31:04) – Tom Noie from the South Bend Tribunes joins Query & Company to chat with Jake about the early season struggles for the Fighting Irish. Tom says that CJ Carr hasn’t been the problem with Notre Dame in either loss, believes that Marcus Freeman is more focused on his team than game planning for Purdue, and weighs in on the spread for the game.
(31:04-51:15) – Kevin Bowen from The Fan Morning Show joins the show and starts his conversation with Jake Query by wishing Eddie luck the next hour by having to deal with Jake’s pirate jokes. He also previews Sunday’s game for the Colts by labeling it as a take care of business game, accesses the defensive line production through two weeks, and discusses the two big college football games this weekend.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me now on the program, and I'm sure she's
thrilled to be doing so based on that incredulous comment
that we just had about wrestling. Debbie Antonelli is a
WNBA analyst, has worked many a Fever game, and last
night the Fever advancing by defeating the Atlanta Dream closing
on a seven nothing run. Debbie, I thought last night,
and I want your thought on this, there was a
(00:23):
about a three and a half minute period, just under
three minutes actually, period where the Fever, who had just
been chipping away and chipping away and chipping away, that
got it down to two points. It was eighty to
seventy eight for seemingly what felt like a month and
a half. But I thought that the resiliency that they
showed not only did to continue to get stops, but
(00:44):
to go offensively when there was a lid on the
basket for a while there and then tie the ballgame.
I just looked at it and I thought to myself,
they are going to win this game, because that is
the nature and the overall mentality of this team, with
every everything they've been through this year. Did that last
five to seven minutes encapsulate their season?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I think that's so well put, Jake. This is clearly
we've used it over and over. A resilient group, you're
going to face adversity at some point, whether it's a
turnover or something larger like the Fever.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Have dealt with all season with injuries.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
It just speaks to the incredible job, the character of
the individual, and that while other teams may appear to
be more talented, there doesn't seem to be anybody more connected.
And sometimes that communication, that belief, that willingness.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
To sacrifice, whatever it might be inside a single possession
or on a larger scale in preparation. The Fever have it.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
They've checked all the boxes and Stephanie White has done
a hell of a job.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Coaching this group.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You know, Debbie, It's interesting because I brought this up
to Stephanie White and she I'm not gonna say she papoos,
but I understand from a coaching standpoint, she still has
navigation to do right. So I want your thought on this.
I was curious whether or not when you look at
what the Fever have been through this year from an
(02:14):
attrition standpoint and having to get, you know, sign players
that were not on the roster at the beginning of
the year, and then even those players get hurt and
your continuing to add to the roster over the course
of the season. So you have players on your roster
that they have to have an individual resiliency just to
be playing this year. So does that not then kind
(02:37):
of carry into the team itself because of the fact
that it's one thing to sell overcoming adversity, it's another
thing to put players on the floor that had to
do that just to be on the roster within the
last month. Doesn't that seem to kind of carry over?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I don't think there's any question.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Conceptually, most teams runs something very similar with a tweak
or change, maybe it's a rhythm or an acceleration at
certain point during certain sets. But having a group of players,
and this really speaks to the larger picture.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
On where the women's game is. The players that have come.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
In are plug and play and.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Ready to go.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Conceptually, they've been at places where people run the same thing.
The vernacular might be a little different, and like I said,
the pace of the rhythm might be a little different,
But to have.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
A group of players come in and say.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You know, we're gonna run this pin down action for
Kelsey Mitchell and it's one of the best actions we
run and everybody goes, yeah, we get it because we've
been watching. We're ready, we stay ready. We know what
it's going to require and we understand. But that speaks
to a higher level of character or purpose of people
on a second chance, knowing that this is their livelihood.
(03:54):
They want to play and they want to stay. And
in order to do that, you got to play your
role to the that's of your ability. And they have
found the right characters to be able to plug in
and do that. It's really an exceptional job from the
front office all the way through Stephanie in her staff,
and to each individual player to be ready when their
number is called.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Debbie Antonelli is our guest. She, of course a WNBA
analysts here on a lot of the Indiana Fever games
over the course of the regular season, Fever advancing by
winning last night in Atlanta. They will now take on
Las Vegas, one of the best teams in the WNBA,
in the semi finals. Debbie last night at periods of
(04:34):
that game, and I think this is true at times
with the Fever, and I want your thought on it.
I understand their lightning in a bottle of nature, in
particular of their three point shooting, which which eluded them
in game number one. But do they go through periods
where they become too perimeter reliant and not balanced enough offensively.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I think there are are certain combinations on the floor
that might be better defensively, and then you simplify.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
What you're doing offensively.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I think there's combinations that Stephanie puts on the floor that.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Give them an accelerated pace.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I'm a big believer in constantly.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Changing the rhythm of the game. I do think getting a.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Piece of the paint protecting the paint. You know, there's
three levels to defense. It's fall pressure, it's protecting inside out,
and then it's.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
The ability to have some rim protection.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I do think Stephanie has some interchangeable parts.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
There are players that during.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Times of the game may leak to the perimeter more
than their physical team.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
By nature.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Aliah Boss is not afraid to get in their bang.
Natasha Howard is going to get in there and bang.
But when Prey turners on the floor, it might have
a little bit of a different look. You know, Natasha
has that combinations of slash, so playing through the paint,
getting a piece of the paint spraying once you get
it to the paint. There are a lot of ways
that you got to use the interior part of your
(06:04):
offense to be able to set up your perimeter game.
And I think there is a balance to that, and
I think it's predicated on personnel and what Stephanie thinks
she needs at the time.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Debbie, my favorite pacer, and I've talked about this on
the show, my favorite pacer is aaron NEI. Smith. And
I'll tell you why. I love aaron Ne Smith because
he'll guard, He's not worried about who he has to guard.
But more importantly, he can give you twenty without having
to orchestrate plays to get him twenty. He is perfectly
(06:35):
comfortable and capable whatever role you need from him offensively
he accepts, no matter how large nor how minimalized that
role seemingly is within the flow of an offense. And
I love I think every team needs players like that.
Who is the Fever's aaron Nie Smith?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I love aaron Neismith too because he's a Charleston kid.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I did know that you got South Carolina bias, right.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, I got a little biased too.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yes, I think he's a wonderful young man.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
He's a hard worker. He's got the character of a champion.
We saw that on display this year. Based on the
way you.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Described him, Jake, I think Lexi Hall is that person
for the Indiana fever. She doesn't get enough credit for
the role that she plays. She's a knockdown three point shooter.
She's not shot it well right now.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Typically she's at one point during the season because I
was tracking this, she was the best corner of three
point shooter. She had made the most. But defensively, she.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Can guard, she gets skinny over the top, she's excellent
at top blocking to just trumpt their rhythm. I don't
think she gets enough credit defensively for.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
The role that she plays, and I think.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
She's that kind of player for Indiana right now. And
I think Sophie Cunningham is that player when she comes
back as well.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Debbie, I wanted to touch on one thing while I
have you here that relates to the fever, but not
necessarily directly to the f and that's this as I
was watching that game last night and I mentioned the
resiliency factor with the Indiana fever and how I think
fans should be happy or proud of that that it represents,
(08:12):
you know, Indianapolis, and we saw it with the Pacers
and now with the Colts in athletics in general, in sports,
you were an athlete, you know you played collegiately. You
have players on the floor that when you're away from
the floor, you realize, you know, when I didn't know
that guy or that gal before we were teammates, I
(08:34):
didn't like him, and then we became teammates and they
became one of my best friends. Or we are from
completely different worlds, completely different ideologies, completely different backgrounds, but
in between the lines, we have a common goal and
mission and we have to come together. It seems to
me that right now that is as much needed in
(08:55):
the world to be able to watch with sports not
only is our escape, but as our left and we've
gotten away from that lesson plan and we can see
so much within sport the fact that we need to
come together collectively, even with the people that typically we
might otherwise marginalize and say there's a role there, there's
(09:17):
a role there as a teammate, because in reality, we're
all on this same team. And it just seems to
me like we've gotten away from that, and that is
is it not? Debbie is the true beauty and essence
and lesson of sport.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I mean, I got chills on that, Jake. That's exactly it.
It doesn't matter where you come from, what you've done,
how much money you have, where you grew up, who
you grew up with, how you grew up. When you
come to sport and you come together and you look
across the aisle and you see somebody that wants to win,
(09:54):
it is as competitive has prepared. You can't help but
root for that person that has sweat equity in it.
You get to the playoffs, and that's the beauty of
it right there.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
And you're right about society.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
We could use a little bit more of this.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
This is where sport's supposed to play the role in
bringing people together.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
It's a galvanizing thing when you're together in the arena
and you're rooting for somebody that you don't even know
because they wear the same color uniform that you're cheering for.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
But then you learn something about them. Now that's a
fans perspective.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
The players, how hard they work, what their body language
says about serving about basketball is a servants game, Jake, I've.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Said this for a long time. I don't know if
we've talked about this. There are a lot of things
in basketball that.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Do not get stated.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
How hard you run the floor, how good you are
to close out, how good you are to box.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Out, how you get a screen assist, making the extra pass.
Some of those things don't get statted on a regular stabsheet.
But if you understand the game and you realize that
your role on the floor is ultimately to make the
game easier for your teammate, and you're all in on that,
and you've all put in the work and you've seen
(11:14):
each other do it, that's where the belief comes in.
And that's where you know that there's nothing that we
can face that.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
We can't face together, that we can't handle.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And Stephanie has done a great job managing that. Sometimes
teams go off eight, she didn't call time out.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
It depends on who's on the floor.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Sometimes they have a situation where maybe you're gonna let
it go one more possession because.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
You believe, because you know who's on the floor.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
You understand what they've done.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
They put the time in the repid. It's a really
beautiful thing.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
It's a wonderful thing to talk about too, because it's
fun to be in the playoffs watching all this happen
for the Fever, and what a season for you know,
historically for the Fever to be able to do what
they've been able to do.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Debbie, I know you've mentioned this before, but I've never asked.
I don't believe the specific on it. Okay, what does
your son Frankie do for a living? I know you
said that he works, he lives independently. What is his
job or what does he do?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Frankie has two jobs and my son Frankie lives at
Clemson after graduating from Clemson Life. He is living independently
with support. He is good for a three, four or
five hour shift that sets him up for success.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
He works at a pizza.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Place called Your Pie, which is a chain. He works
lunches there and then on the weekends he works at
a place called the Shepherd Hotel. The Shepherd Hotel conceptually
was built as a natural transition for Clemson Life graduates
to have employment after they graduate. Forty percent of the
people that work at the Shepherd Hotel. It's a boutique
(12:59):
hotel at like sixty rooms and it has a beautiful
restaurant with a rooftop bar, which I call an adult
place to hang out at Clemson. And it is that
he works at the hotel and in the restaurant.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
So those are the things that he does, basically food.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Service and frank you, for those that are unfamiliar, in
the Clemson Life Program is an extension of you know,
education and life preparation for individuals with special needs that
grew up in that sort of a curriculum. The point,
the reason I ask at Debbie is this, I didn't
know this as a younger person, and I think sports
(13:37):
allowed me to see this, and that was when I
played basketball. I wasn't a great scorer, but I could
be a good screener. And as long as I was
a good screener and I played defense, they weren't going
to take me off the floor. And guys that were
natural scorers more than myself, if they weren't scoring on
a particular day, they were on the bench. And I
(13:57):
think it's important in life to see the same way
as sport. To say, if Frankie when he is at
the Shepherd Hotel or he is working the lunch shift,
is the best version of what it is that his
role is to serve. Then that means that Frankie is
more successful than the guy that's an architect that goes
in and mails it in every day and does seventy
(14:18):
percent of what's expected of him. And I think that
we can see that in sport with a Lexi Hole
or an Aaron Nei Smith game in and game out,
and I think that we can learn a lot from
seeing that in life as well.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
You can learn a lot from watching people's body language
and how much they enjoy what they're doing, regardless of
whatever it is that they're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
But you see that pure joy, and it resonates with.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
You because you see somebody who's happy with the right attitude,
who's delivering the right body language.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Lexi does that, Aaron does it, and Frankie.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Does it in his role and his employment as well.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Jake, thank you for bringing that up.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Now. Typically when I go down to Clemson games, I
always take pride in the fact that I do a
Bondzye road trip back and I try to make it
back within eight and a half hours of the game ending.
And now I realize the I'm gonna have to stay
at the hotel, right, so now I'm down there for
an extra day.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Hey listen, then if you can get in there, that
place is one of the most popular.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Places, I'm sure, no question. It's a great town, great environment,
no question about it. Debbie. I appreciate the time as always,
and we look forward to talking to you as the
Fever continue here in the WNBA playoffs.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Thank you, Jake, Let's go Fever.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Love it. Debbie Antonelli joining us on the program. Tom
Noy is up in South ben So South Bend Tribune
and covers Notre Dame and Tom I'm going to begin
with this. We talked to you a year ago about
the fact, you know, after the Northern Illinois loss and
as we were moving towards the college football playoff, you
(15:46):
were talking about just kind of the tone of what
you saw from Marcus Freeman and having to rebound after
that game against Northern Illinois and Purdue was a big
part of that obviously to get that jump started. But
how would you compare that to the overall vibe or
atmosphere now with the Irish being zero and two.
Speaker 5 (16:05):
I think when we sat here a year ago, coming
clear of that Northern Illinois game, it was more stunned, like,
wait a minute, how can a team go into College
Station Texas the week before in front of one hundred
and three thousand people in an sec setting that nobody
in that program had played in before and come away
with a ten point victory and then turn around and
(16:27):
lose to Northern Illinois at home. So it was just like,
what in the world is going on? So it was
stunned last year. At this point, I think it's more anger, disappointment,
and just downright frustration as to were we that off
And when I say we, I say everybody around South End,
(16:50):
everybody that covers this program, everybody that follows this program,
where we've that off base with thinking what this team
could be regardless of the fact that they're at Miami
and they're playing a ranked Texas A and M team.
You score forty points in your own building, you think
you're walking out of their winners. So it's just something
where everybody's sitting here now where it's just just like,
(17:11):
what in the world, how is Notre Dame, which played
for a national championship in January, back in the position
of well, here we go again, it's win out or
you're going home from the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
You know, the easy answer here, Tom would be you've
got young quarterback play. But yet I think that's naive,
like helicopter observation, because I think their quarterbacks played pretty well.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Your thoughts first, after the first game of the season,
Now it was trunk, It was prolonged because Notre Dame
was on a bye week after that. But the first
time Marcus Freeman stepped in front of the media after
the Miami game, I think it was the first, the second,
the third, the fourth, fifth, and so on. All those
questions were about CJ. Carr and so making his first
(18:01):
start maybe a little shaky at times, maybe a little
solid at others. But it took twenty five minutes into
Marcus Freeman's thirty minute press conference on Monday before anyone
asked about CJ. Carr. This team is not zero and
two because of anything CJ. Carr has or hasn't done.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Yeah, I thought, defensively, I mean this goes without saying
when you give up forty plus points at home, right,
But more so than that, Tom, and you know you
see it more nuanced than do I. You're around it.
That final drive for example from Texas A and m
Was that about fatigue? Was that about scheme? Was that
(18:42):
about just elite athletes on the other side? I mean,
to what do we basically pin that on.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
I'm gonna go the Mike Bray routes and say and
pin it on karma, because when we watched this team
last year, whether it's Dalton, Los Angeles and the coliseum
as USC is basically getting ready to go in for
the tying touchdown or whatever game you want to pick
from twenty twenty four, when you watch that defense, you
(19:08):
sat there and thought, you know what, this looks really bad.
I don't know how Notre Dames getting out of this,
but you know what, They're just gonna find a way
to get out of it. And behold, Christian Gray goes
ninety nine yards with an interception return, and there's the
USC game, and there's the home playoff game, and that
kick starts to run to the National championship game. Now,
(19:30):
as you sit here two games in the Miami game,
late fourth quarter, last drive of the game, Texas A
and m game, late fourth quarter, last drive of the game,
you're sitting there watching Notre Dame play and thinking, I
don't know how Notre AME's gonna get out of this,
And you know what, I don't think they are, because
(19:51):
all the times that they were able to escape and
win ten straight last year and get to fourteen to
one before the Ohio State game, there's just a feel
about it where you're like, I don't know if these
guys have it in them to make that play, whether
it's defensively late against Miami and Texas A and m
(20:11):
or the drive with CJ.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Carr?
Speaker 5 (20:12):
What are you going to do with a minute to
go in hard rock in the opening games? So it's
just something where everything that everything that needed to go
right last year went right, and everything that could go
wrong for this program right now is going wrong. And
that's why they're on two.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Tom. Let's look at their schedule here, Okay, if they're
zero and too right now, and I know that it's easy.
And look, we got a ton of Notre Dame fans
in this area for sure, right and I get it.
I mean, Notre Dame is college football is better, probably
more exciting, more polarizing nationally speaking, when Notre Dame is
involved in that playoff if you look at it right now. Purdue, Arkansas,
(20:53):
Boise State, North Carolina State, USC, Boston College, Navy, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Stanford.
Is that enough that if they run the table right now,
they still find themselves ranked twenty fourth. If you buy
into that at h to two, if they run the
table with those games, does that get to wind?
Speaker 5 (21:10):
The national narrative is how in the heck can Notre
Dame not be not go into the playoff at ten
and two? The brand, the visibility, the eyeballs, the interest,
to everything that goes with it.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
I would tend to agree with that.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
I cannot disagree enough because the and you just rolled
off all those all those teams, where is the quality
win because's going to go ten and two? Like, let's
say they go ten and two, we're the only ranked
teams or the the your two best games are the
games that you've lost, not even got the benefit of
(21:47):
the doubt.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
And they dodged a huge, huge obstacle last year in
being able to still get in having basically lost the
worst game that any playoff team have lost last season.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I don't know how they're going to be able to
dodge it two years in a row. And people are
gonna now again, so much has to happen with the
sec the Big ten, the AC whatever. But at ten
and two, I just I can't see people saying, yeah,
they're one of the twelve best.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Teams in the country. You know, I'll tell you what
hurts him, Tom, what hurts them, and you're gonna laugh.
Ole Miss hurt them. Now people are going old with Jake.
What what the heck does old Miss have to do
with Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
You're an old Miss guy, aren't you.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
No, I'm a Clemson fan. I'm sorry, but I don't
like Lane Kiffin either, although I will and I thought
the tail getting and Old Miss a little overrated. But
having said that, Old Miss beat Arkansas and Arkansas is
one of those I think Notre Dame has to look
at Arkansas, USC and Boise State and at the very
(22:52):
least they need two of those three at the end
of the year to really look like good wins. Yes,
and if Arkansas, you know, Arkansas right now at two
to one, but they lost to Old Miss. Arkansas is
kind of in the same boat, you know. The SEC
slate is loaded. Though. If Arkansas can get some quality
wins and get themselves to the point of the end
of the year, it's like the NCAA tournament selection Sunday
(23:13):
at a tom At this point it is.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
And the thing is, too can they go ten and two?
Absolutely last year when they were one on one, we
were thinking it's gonna be tough, but they I can
see a pass because that defense was so good. Now
the flip side is true, they can go ten and two.
But with that defense, do you trust that defense against
(23:36):
Boise State or USC or some team that just comes
out of Note or Arkansas. If notre Ame wins tomorrow
forty one to nothing, that's still not gonna solve the
biggest issue that's gonna plague this team. Going to Fayetteville
for the first time, it's going to be how is
that defense gonna hold up in an sec atmosphere at
(23:57):
eleven am at a place they's never been. I just
I can't get to a point now where you trust
that defense to run off ten straight wins.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Hey, what what is the conversation I guess or what
has been said this week from Marcus Freeman just in
regards to Purdue. And you know, obviously, I think a
year ago you could really make the case Ryan Waltz's
fate might have been sealed anyway. But that was I
mean they licked. They would put the stamp on it
with that, right. Just this Purdue team, new coach. I
(24:30):
know they're coming off with disappointment against USC but at
the same you know, because they had a lot of
red zone turnovers. But they do look to me to
be more competent. But we still don't know exactly who
they are. What is Marcus Freeman said.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
Very little, if anything, because it's all about if we
get we've we've gotten. We've got coach speak, playbook one
on one all week. For Marcus Freeman, it's not about
who we're playing. It's about us. We need to worry
about us. There was a point in Monday's press or
when he was asked, you know, Marcus, what do you
like about your defense? And he paused and stammered and
(25:07):
fumbled over the tripped over the question and was like,
I just look at all the bad things, So this
is not this. I don't think this has any I
don't know how many times the name Purdue or or
anybody on that offense or that defense for the Boiler
Americas has been uttered this week around notre aim because
it's like, how do we fix this defense? This defense?
(25:30):
Because the offensively. This team's fine.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
The CJ.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
Carr. Maybe you want to get Jeremiah Love a little
more involved, Maybe you want to get Jane Greadhouse more involved.
But I think Marcus Freeman has spend in every waking
moment right now worried about how in the world we're
going to fix this defense, and not worried about what
Purdue may or may not do on Saturday afternoon over
at in other Aam stadium.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Interesting thing, Tom, in college football is you have a
handful of programs. I would put Alabama in the category
I'm about to mention, I would put maybe Oklahoma in
this category. I'm about to mention in probably Ohio State.
And that is completely irrational fans when it comes to
(26:11):
coaching stability. Okay, in other words, a team loses back
to back games and it's like a hot seat. This
is terrible, you know, et cetera, et cetera. I don't
think notre Names season is going to collapse, But as
Marcus Freeman, is there a situation. Is there any possibility
this year that it could go south to the point
(26:33):
where conversations begin.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
I don't know about conversations as far as concerns like
there were concerns last year coming clear in Northern Illinois.
We'll go back to that game. After that game, it.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
Wasn't I don't know if he's the guy, because this
just keeps happening in September, and this was before the
one and two start. You had Northern Illinois, you had Marshall,
you had Stanford, you had a no at Louisville. He
had a no show at Clemson, and so after.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Northern Illinois it was I don't know. The jury is
still out of Marcus streaman bangy rips off ten wins
in a row, he gets a massive contract extension. He
can't do anything wrong in anybody's eyes. Now it's it's
not I don't know if Marcus Freeman's the guy. It's
you just got to fire Chris ash yesterday. But if
(27:24):
this goes south, then we're which is which is why
it made Saturday so disappointing. And what I basically wrote
about Saturday night Sunday morning was they were supposed to
be beyond this, like well, Notre Dame, they played for
national championship. Maybe this year they can get back and
win a national championship. Not this cute, this this start
(27:45):
and stop and start and stop and spluttering of really
big wins and really baffling losses. So unless this goes
completely off the tracks, every the one person in the
crosshairs of every fan is not Marcus Scream, then it's
Chris Ash.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
I wanted to ask you one. I think Tom Noy
is our guest by the way from the South, Ben
trim Mune, Purdue and Notre Dame tomorrow. Tom, I never
asked you about this, I don't think. And we had
you on a lot, which I appreciate during the playoffs
last year after the Indiana game, and I don't think
I brought this up to you. If I did, I
was going to bring it back up. You know, Indiana
right now finds themselves in the spot where they are unbeaten.
(28:24):
They go in with Illinois tomorrow night, a big one.
Might be the biggest home game in a long time
Immemorial Stadium history. And I think there were those Everybody
loved Kurt Signetti and still does from an Indiana standpoint,
and the bravada and the just the confidence at times brash, right,
(28:45):
But I think there is some thought that going on
game day on the field, while Notre Dame is warming
up in the background and showing that same Kurt Signetti Bravada.
I really did, for a split second think that because
Pat McAfee was on that stage, that for a split
(29:05):
second Signetti actually thought he was doing the McAfee show
as opposed to the Game day show, and he almost
lost sight of that filter. And I thought he went
to the Roulett wheel one too many times on the
push the chest out on a stage where finally the
moment was bigger than the check he could write, is
there any in your thought accuracy to that assessment.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
One thousand percent? Like, that's great, that's great if you're
going to talk again a good game like that, but
you better back it up and not let Jeremiah Love
go ninety eight yards sixteen seconds or whatever it was
into the game and then you're down and it's that
game was basically over by halftime. So it's Kurt Signetti
did the same thing that Notre Dame did the other
(29:50):
night against Texas A and M. They puffed out their chest.
They stood next to Texas A and M as there
as the Aggies were running off to the field toward
their tunnel pregame, and as there was some barking and
some wolfing and this and that, and it's like afterward,
I said, that's great that Notre Dame can do something
like that, but if you're gonna do that, and you're
(30:10):
gonna go that far out on the ledge, you better
back it up. And Signetti certainly did not, and Notre
Dame obviously did not. The other night against A and M.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Tom, appreciate the time as always, three point thirty tomorrow,
Perdue and Notre Dame. And I was, look, I get it.
I guess I thought twenty five and a half for
twenty six and a half or whatever. I was a
little surprised by the size of that spread, just because
it's a Power five school. I am I giving Purdue
too much credit.
Speaker 5 (30:38):
I thought, that's the same thing this morning, Like that's
a lot of points for a big ten team, A
lot of.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Points, right, and again I mean a big ten team
at the very least. I guess we say with Barry
odom with you know, a new attitude. But we'll see
whether or not that backs up. But it should be
fun tomorrow. Appreciate the time as always. Tom, You got
brother seby Grede weekd you too, Tom Nooy joining us
South Bend Tribune Colts and Titans coming up in Nashville
(31:09):
on Sunday, and for the Colts for the most part,
looking pretty good from a health standpoint. Tyler Warren yesterday
was limited in practice leat too lot. Looks like is
going to be a go joining us now on the show,
and a guy that I am fairly certain because I
think he only had to endure one or two. Matter
(31:30):
of fact, I think he got a reprieve because one
of the years that we were doing the morning show together,
I believe Talk Like a Pirate Day fell on the weekend,
so he was spared in that regard. The other time,
I think he and Mark tried to keep it from me,
but word got out from a small pirate parrot that
on the shoulder. Let me know, Kevin Voe, I'm sure
thrilled to not be doing the show today with me
on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Hi, Kevin, Yeah, happy hours starting earlier on this Friday,
after I'd just got wind of that.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Did you say a happy hour by the.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Way, Yeah, gos go ahead.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
No, I was just going to say, I mean, if
you for you know, you might just say get yourself
a coke that obviously goes with them, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
Eddie Garrett said, I'm thinking about your brother.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I'm just thankful you have a hung up. You're helping
me get through this.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Yeah, the final hour.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Here we are, Kevin. I thought last night, I I
was curious, and I know that we're only two weeks
into the season, but Miami last night and maybe, you know,
maybe Buffalo schematically took things off the gas. I don't know,
but I thought that it was an encouraging sign for
(32:43):
the Colts because I mean, the Colts absolutely annihilated Miami.
I mean, Miami was never in that game. And it's
the opening week, so you just don't know. But with
each week you're trying to find out more and more
how legitimate the perceptions are of a team. And I
thought last night what that showed was that, you know what,
(33:05):
maybe the Colts are legit, because you know, maybe Miami
is in fact more competent than we give them credit.
But this week, in terms of Week three, is going
to tell us a lot, because I don't think Tennessee's
very good at all. Right, But wouldn't it be the
sign of a young team to start out two and
(33:25):
ohero or a team feeling its way and then go
down and stub their toe. This this could be a
real opportunity for them to go three and oh. I
just want your thoughts on what you think of Tennessee
and in addition, just what you think of the Colts
approach going into it. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
I think it's a big just kind of take care
of business week game, you know, be a professional, be disciplined.
That's the word changed that I can to use the
whole time this week. You know, it's not one of
these I don't like de ol'bron A lot of this
is a trap game. I'm like, Week three trap game.
Your your first road game of the year, your first
divisional game of the year. I can't play like a
(34:02):
to me. In order for you to have trap games
on your schedule, that means you need to have been
good in recent years, good to great. You know. I
kind of look at trap games as hey, it's a
ten week grind and in week seven or eight, you know,
Sandwich the Jets around the Eagles and the Chiefs, or
you know, the Eagles and the Bill something like that.
So I don't view it in that light, but I
(34:24):
do view it in. You are a road favorite, it
is a rookie quarterback. You are going to be in
an atmosphere that I would call one of the least
hostile in the NFL. You need to go down there,
and you know, again, just take care of business. And
the NFL presents some of these on the schedule. It's
not maybe the greatest January indicator, but it counts as
one of the w's or one of the l's. And
(34:44):
when you only have seventeen of them, all of them
carry some weight, and the division ones carry.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
You know, more weight.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
So yeah, I think it's just kind of, you know,
a little business approach from the Colts here coming up
Sunday at one o'clock.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Let's get to the I guess the health status, Kevin.
I mean I mentioned the two big ones in Warren
and Leatu. Where else do we stand in terms of,
you know, who's expected to be in, who may be out,
et cetera.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Well, no Colts player was ruled out for the game,
so that's obviously a good sign. Chaverius Ward has a
clearance from an independent neurologist and that is his final step.
So assuming he's good to go there, he should be back,
and I guess kind of the question now becomes, you know,
with Tyler Warren, with you know, maybe Josh Downsis laugh
(35:32):
too OTSU. You know, for the it looked like all
these guys practice the final two days of a week.
That's usually a great sign that they'll play in the game.
I think now the question becomes how much do they
play in the game? Like Tyler Warren played sixty six
snaps on Sunday against the Broncos. That is a massive
number for a tight end. So you know, are you
comfortable giving him that number again on Sunday if needed?
(35:57):
Or do you know, kind of hold him back and
maybe hitch count them a little bit more? Same thing
with lots of you know, are you keeping him to
only third down reps? Are you all you know first
and second him as well? So I think those are
some of the questions. But you know, unless you know,
a lot two probably is the one given it the
hamstring and you know he's only been out for a week,
(36:18):
you know, unless they don't feel comfortable throwing him out there,
I would think the Colts are going to be pretty
healthy here in Week three. It more just comes down
to U, you know, how many plays they want to
give some of those guys.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Kevin Bowen is our guest. You of course hear him
in the morning along with jeff Rickord and James Boyd
on the Fan Morning Show, also on WISH Television with
Anthony Calhoun weekly talking about the Colts and in that vein,
I have seen Kevin that you have been very bullish
on and I know it's just two games on Daniel
Jones and what he's done, and I think still you
(36:49):
find yourself like like rubbing your eyes, like is this
is this? I'm really seeing this here because the level
of play that he has played, is it sustainable?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:59):
That kind of I thought the analogy was you know
pretty well that you just did. They are pretty good
and in the sense of it is kind of like
rub your eyes you know the culture too and l
I don't think that's like the most shocking element. It's
more of how are they two and oh? And they're
largely two and ol because of Daniel Jones and because
of their offense, because of Shane Saken's play calling. All
(37:21):
of that that I think is what is truly truly impressive.
I thought the Denver game was a big step in
the Oh my gosh, he's making some of these throws
that are not just clean pockets. You know, you brought
up Miami earlier. I thought that Miami game he just
benefited Daniel Jones, that is, from such a clean operation
in front of them. I mean that's not always going
(37:41):
to be the case. And you know, you go back
to that first throw of the game on Sunday, I
mean that is a muddy pocket. He hangs in there
and delivers one day hushdowns for a huge play. I mean,
those are some of the plays where you start to
you know, teer out quarterbacks and you know, you start
to kind of rank them a little bit. That's what
separates a lot of these guys. And now the question is,
all right, more film is out there. You know, how
(38:04):
are you gonna deliver on the road. How are you
going to liver you know, in third down two minutes?
You know, But with how the game played out, Jane
Sigon didn't have him throw the whole ball a whole
lot there in the final you know, five or ten
minutes of that game. But you know, obviously as the
season plays along, he's going to be in more and
more of those moments and he's going to have to deliver.
So I would take Game two for me, bless you
(38:25):
by the way, I would say Game two for me
showed a little bit more on the Wow. This you
know might be something, But you know, as we know
of the NFL, it's September nineteenth, and there'll be a
whole lot more checkpoints and a whole lot more can
you string it together? Can you do it away from home?
A lot more on the evaluation cards? So don't know
if I can kind of slam me, uh you know,
(38:47):
build a statue next to Peyton yet. But I have
been wildly impressed by the first two weeks.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
You know the do you believe Kevin that as we
go along here that they will more open up the
offense for Daniel Jones. And because you know they are starting,
we're starting to see he does have arm and he's
not afraid to show that. But does is Shane Stiken
played this close to the best so far? Offensively?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (39:15):
No, I mean I think he's I think dandel Joe,
I mean, outside of like designed runs that Anthony Richardson
you would have, I think Danda Jones allows him to
tap into much more of the cheesecake factory playbook menu
than the you know whatever steak and shake menu that
you know, Anthony Richardson might have available to him. And
I think he trusts him to have, you know, a
(39:35):
ton of plays with the line of scrimmage. And yeah,
I think Daniel Jones is pretty football nerdy and Shane
ssyke In is uber football nerdy. So I think he
really enjoys that, and I think he really tries to
tap into that. And I think the Colts feel like
they have a big advantage chess match wise X and
o's Monday through Saturday even someday. Some of the pre
(39:56):
staff stuff and identifying things and knowing what coverage just
coming and boom, here's the first read and you know,
here are the answers if we get this sort of coverage. So,
you know, again, in the football nerdy atmosphere, I think quarterback,
head coach, play callerwise, I think the Colts feel like
they walk in they walk into games here in twenty
twenty five with the advantage more often than not.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Do you consider yourself football nerdy?
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (40:22):
I mean I think I'm a nerd, but no, I
mean not the I mean paink Shane Steichel, Shane Shane
stikeens that you know he's in he's in Oxford or
he's at you know, some IVY league level.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
I mean that man, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
I mean his football intellect is you know, you with
whatever Indy five hundred history, or you with cologns or watches.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Fair enough. I actually take that as a compliment. Kevin.
I'm not gonna lie to you. By the way, somebody
said you were making fun of me yesterday. Did you
guys do the mayonnaise thing again?
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
We did the well, we didn't do the actual Mayo plot,
but we played the audio of the plot, just a
great acoustic if yes, thank you, gosh, ed you were
on that, Thank you? Can I hear that one more time?
Speaker 1 (41:10):
That he.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Gosh, that's just beautiful? Just a ring in my ear. Yeah,
so will Levis of course Mayo and his coffee. For
those unfamiliar with that story, I believe Jake and I
and Mark decided that well, I think it was Mark
and I mainly decided. We tried to kind of peer
pressure Jake into it to have to drink coffee with
Mayo in it.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
If Will Levis.
Speaker 4 (41:35):
Started a game against the colts. I want to say
you started too, so I think we had two instances,
and I want to say you did one of those
faking COVID things like you did, like you know, I
remember when you fake COVID.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah, that they had COVID. Remember during the ship beating contest,
I did the mayonnaise. I did it.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Did you do it both times?
Speaker 6 (41:55):
No?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
You guys only did it? Did you do it twice?
I did it once.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
I think we did it.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Yeah, yeah, Well, and you know, back then, I've never
liked coffee, And then I started getting samples at IndyCar
races from Java House, and now I drink Java House
like it's going out of style, just for what it's worth.
But not with mayonnaise, because mayonnaise is horrific.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
Right, Uh shout out to the head carpenter Ray King
at say the top of that coffee with the mayonnaise,
it looked like a it looked like it was like
a State Fair porter party. On Data fourteen.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
It was rough, man, it was rough. I remember. I
believe Mark's line was that'll put some lead in your pencil.
It was it was rough. I remember I believe you
took the first stip. So will Levis. That was you know,
during that to rehash that, Yes, he was rubored to
be coming to the Colts. When you did it, Mark,
(42:50):
I remember you saying like, oh gosh, it like curdled
right away, right Oh.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Yeah, my gaggery, I mean like gagory flush.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
I can feel myself all of a sudden refles right now.
I was not that I root for injury for any player,
but when will Levis I saw was going to miss
the whole season due to a shoulder injury.
Speaker 3 (43:08):
Let's just say it wasn't into the world.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Thinking about having to consume anymore Mayo in the in
the coffee.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
How many games in the NFL in his career remaining
do you believe will Levis starts?
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Oh boy, that's a good one. I will say over
under of three and a half.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I was gonna say over under a five. I mean,
Malik Willis still gets a start here and there. You know,
I could see him in that kind of a role.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Right yeah, I mean somebody's back up. I mean it's
wa mean, Carson went six straight years. There's got to
be a Fitzpatrick or McCown still hanging around somewhere. I mean,
I feel like Jacoby Verssettz turned into the new one. Yeah,
of like, you know, he's now just made great money
as his backup quarterback. So uh yeah, Levi is certainly
not in Tennessee, but you know somebody will bring him
(43:55):
in and you know somebody will get hurt.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
Marcus Mariota's become that guy as well.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Yeah, he's starting on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, he is starting in Washington, hadn't he right?
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yeah, yeah, Eddie, you had a defensive question.
Speaker 8 (44:07):
Yeah, keV Jake and I were talking about this Monday,
and I think you and I touched on it on
the Monday Recap pod. But you look at this Colts
defense specifically on the line, and I'm going to get
into a little bit of a nerdy statistic here, so
bear with me. ESPN has like past what past rush
win rate percentages and run stop win rate percentages according
(44:29):
to their you know, however they evaluate these things. The
Colts rank thirty second nineteen percent pass rush win rate
and twenty fifth in the NFL twenty seven percent a
run stop win right, if that's something this Colts defensive
line can't do on Sunday against cam Wood, like like
Los Angeles and Denver has so far. I think that's
(44:51):
where the trap game element that you were talking about,
which it comes into play, just because this may be
the one time in his career so far where Ward
may have some time in the pocket to find the
open guy or they may be able to start running
the ball effectively with Tony Pollard.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think from a word standpoint about
Sunday would be this Pollard I think has forced the
most of miss tackles in the league so far of
any running back. I don't need to bring up the
infamous third and nineteen touchdown Tony Pollard scored last year
where the Colts just tackled horrifically on the play probably
honestly ended the Gush Bradley tenure. And they can't Ward.
You know, you saw the touchdown last week. You know
(45:28):
it has the backyard element to it. You know, that
would probably be the one thing. But you know, maybe
the most disappointing aspect of the Colts season so far
is probably the pass rush and just in general, Eddie,
I'd say the defensive front and their playmaking. You know,
I just cannot count and linebackers are including this, I
just can't. I don't remember many plays at all in
(45:50):
the first two weeks, so I don't think that's an
area where tennessee their O line is not good. And
I think if you asked the Colts, they would have
a whole lot of yes, we have a wide grin
and big ol' lies thinking about the possibilities of getting
after cam Ward. So kind of a get right game there. Again,
go back to the first point we had. I don't
(46:10):
know if like that all of a sudden means oh,
the pass rush is fixed. You'ren't have to bring some
things together and prove it weekend and week out, but
you play what shows up on Sunday, and this is
what the opportunity is.
Speaker 8 (46:21):
I ask you that because in Week one J T.
Truy Molola, who they just used a second round pick
on in the April draft, was a healthy scratch. He
was active last week because of Law two being sidelined
with the hammy. He played five snaps. What does a
player like him have to do to get on the field.
Just because this isn't a guy they took in the
fifth or the sixth round. This is a guy that
they used a premium pick on who not only was
(46:42):
not playing at some non power five directional school. He
was playing at Ohio State and he was productive for
the national champions.
Speaker 4 (46:50):
Yeah. I think that's a great point. The final point
that you bring there, I mean three year starter and
I mean had a great run through their playoffs. Yeah,
I mean, to further that point, it's not like some
of these pass rushers you see draft that high.
Speaker 5 (47:00):
They're a little bit of a project.
Speaker 4 (47:02):
You know, they maybe didn't have the eye popping stats
and you know maybe the only started for one year.
That's not three model out at all, and he can
line up with multiple spots and I think you saw
that in camp in the preseason. So it is confusing
to me. Lou An Rumo has never been a big
play the young guys guy, So I you know, maybe
I'm reading too much into that, but I do think
(47:23):
I just think the Colts, frankly, have just have a
bunch of power rushers. They don't have a lot of
speed and lots who is probably the one kind of
speed bending edge rusher that you would have, So you know,
his absence last week was clearly so. But definitely that
is a big storyline I think moving forward, when you
play you know, Kyler Murray and you play Justin Herbert,
(47:44):
and you play Patrick Mahomes and you play You'll see
j Strouds and these other quarterbacks on the schedule. You know,
can your passers show up? Because it's been pretty pretty
absent to the first two weeks.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Kevin, which do you which game is a more intrigue
to you? Kevin Bow and our guest Indiana Illinois. I
heard you talking about this morning or Produe Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (48:05):
I don't ask some questions. I mean, you know you're
talking to it.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Well, let me rephrase that. I mean I'm not talking
about from a fan perspective, which one you're like more
excited about? Like, which game do you actually think has
the more intriguing storyline?
Speaker 4 (48:19):
Yeah? Easily Saturday Night. I mean yeah, obviously I was
speaking very selfishly out of my out of my fandom.
That probably needs to be checked a little bit, But yes,
Saturday Night. I mean, Jake, you know that campus, you
know that atmosphere full well, I mean I just can't
recall a game that you know has this, and I
get Michigan last year kind of had it, but this
(48:41):
to me is different because the opponent also has a
ton at stake, and you know, both of these programs
are not really used to these types of games. Frankly, so, yeah,
forty two years, I think it's the sad or not
forty two, but eighty seven I believe the last time
you got to go back to that for Top twenty
matchup in Mton. So and this is it really from
(49:02):
a home schedule, you know when you look at a
lot of the big games the rest of the year
are more on the road side of it for Indiana.
So what an atmosphere, I mean college towns like this
is what you dream of. Is the home night college
football game. Frankly, I think college game they should be there.
I think it's a joke, it's not so yeah. And
then and then on top of all of that, it
(49:23):
is the playoff ramifications with it as well. So cannot
wait for Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (49:28):
Certainly be a lot of fun and we will certainly
look forward to hearing on Monday. James Boyd, I know,
was chirping pretty loud from that Illinois standpoint. You mentioned
the RCAA Dome Illinois fans traveling I L I and
I against Notre Damen basketball some twenty years ago. We
we'll see what happened Saturday night and as well Notre
Damen perdue on Saturday afternoon. Kevin. Oh, by the way,
(49:52):
your son makeers pick yet he did?
Speaker 4 (49:54):
Yeah, I still need to post it. He went left
hand Tongs and he went Colts because the they're the
away too. We went outdoors, you know, mother nature for Sunday,
so the elements led him to the Colts. The Titans
helmet as you know, nothing too great, he thought. He
called it the Broncos. He's confused, clearly.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
But what's Max's raccoon now? On the season?
Speaker 4 (50:16):
So for you, well, one on one he split. I
think he's twenty one and fifteen overall. And the next
week Rams, I actually pulled that helmet out last night
to get ready for next week.
Speaker 5 (50:25):
That's just a stripe on it.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
So so yeah, I would expect him to pick Colts
here in the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
We've got to remember we.
Speaker 8 (50:31):
Have the asterisks next to the Miami Dolphins on the
lost side, Kevin, because it was influenced by his mom.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
Did she she did come it?
Speaker 6 (50:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (50:41):
Yeah, Well, to be honest, I mean he loves dolphins
more than again, Jake loves cologne. I think he was
going Dolphins no matter what they're.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
You know, I'm kind of more on a watch kick
than a cologne kick, just so you know.
Speaker 4 (50:54):
Oh well, Dooley noted here. Whatever, whenever you and I
crossed pass on air again, I'll make.
Speaker 5 (51:01):
Sure to, you know, bump that up to the Jake
Query set up topics.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
That's right, I do like colognes though, Kevin, enjoy the weekend.
Enjoy the games too. Should be a good weekend of
games all the way around. Boys have a great weekend,
all right, Kevin Bowen joining us on the program.
Joining me now on the program, and I'm sure she's
thrilled to be doing so based on that incredulous comment
that we just had about wrestling. Debbie Antonelli is a
WNBA analyst, has worked many a Fever game, and last
night the Fever advancing by defeating the Atlanta Dream closing
on a seven nothing run. Debbie, I thought last night,
and I want your thought on this, there was a
(00:23):
about a three and a half minute period, just under
three minutes actually, period where the Fever, who had just
been chipping away and chipping away and chipping away, that
got it down to two points. It was eighty to
seventy eight for seemingly what felt like a month and
a half. But I thought that the resiliency that they
showed not only did to continue to get stops, but
(00:44):
to go offensively when there was a lid on the
basket for a while there and then tie the ballgame.
I just looked at it and I thought to myself,
they are going to win this game, because that is
the nature and the overall mentality of this team, with
every everything they've been through this year. Did that last
five to seven minutes encapsulate their season?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I think that's so well put, Jake. This is clearly
we've used it over and over. A resilient group, you're
going to face adversity at some point, whether it's a
turnover or something larger like the Fever.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Have dealt with all season with injuries.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
It just speaks to the incredible job, the character of
the individual, and that while other teams may appear to
be more talented, there doesn't seem to be anybody more connected.
And sometimes that communication, that belief, that willingness.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
To sacrifice, whatever it might be inside a single possession
or on a larger scale in preparation. The Fever have it.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
They've checked all the boxes and Stephanie White has done
a hell of a job.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Coaching this group.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You know, Debbie, It's interesting because I brought this up
to Stephanie White and she I'm not gonna say she papoos,
but I understand from a coaching standpoint, she still has
navigation to do right. So I want your thought on this.
I was curious whether or not when you look at
what the Fever have been through this year from an
(02:14):
attrition standpoint and having to get, you know, sign players
that were not on the roster at the beginning of
the year, and then even those players get hurt and
your continuing to add to the roster over the course
of the season. So you have players on your roster
that they have to have an individual resiliency just to
be playing this year. So does that not then kind
(02:37):
of carry into the team itself because of the fact
that it's one thing to sell overcoming adversity, it's another
thing to put players on the floor that had to
do that just to be on the roster within the
last month. Doesn't that seem to kind of carry over?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I don't think there's any question.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Conceptually, most teams runs something very similar with a tweak
or change, maybe it's a rhythm or an acceleration at
certain point during certain sets. But having a group of players,
and this really speaks to the larger picture.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
On where the women's game is. The players that have come.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
In are plug and play and.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Ready to go.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Conceptually, they've been at places where people run the same thing.
The vernacular might be a little different, and like I said,
the pace of the rhythm might be a little different,
But to have.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
A group of players come in and say.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You know, we're gonna run this pin down action for
Kelsey Mitchell and it's one of the best actions we
run and everybody goes, yeah, we get it because we've
been watching. We're ready, we stay ready. We know what
it's going to require and we understand. But that speaks
to a higher level of character or purpose of people
on a second chance, knowing that this is their livelihood.
(03:54):
They want to play and they want to stay. And
in order to do that, you got to play your
role to the that's of your ability. And they have
found the right characters to be able to plug in
and do that. It's really an exceptional job from the
front office all the way through Stephanie in her staff,
and to each individual player to be ready when their
number is called.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Debbie Antonelli is our guest. She, of course a WNBA
analysts here on a lot of the Indiana Fever games
over the course of the regular season, Fever advancing by
winning last night in Atlanta. They will now take on
Las Vegas, one of the best teams in the WNBA,
in the semi finals. Debbie last night at periods of
(04:34):
that game, and I think this is true at times
with the Fever, and I want your thought on it.
I understand their lightning in a bottle of nature, in
particular of their three point shooting, which which eluded them
in game number one. But do they go through periods
where they become too perimeter reliant and not balanced enough offensively.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I think there are are certain combinations on the floor
that might be better defensively, and then you simplify.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
What you're doing offensively.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I think there's combinations that Stephanie puts on the floor that.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Give them an accelerated pace.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I'm a big believer in constantly.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Changing the rhythm of the game. I do think getting a.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Piece of the paint protecting the paint. You know, there's
three levels to defense. It's fall pressure, it's protecting inside out,
and then it's.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
The ability to have some rim protection.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I do think Stephanie has some interchangeable parts.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
There are players that during.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Times of the game may leak to the perimeter more
than their physical team.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
By nature.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Aliah Boss is not afraid to get in their bang.
Natasha Howard is going to get in there and bang.
But when Prey turners on the floor, it might have
a little bit of a different look. You know, Natasha
has that combinations of slash, so playing through the paint,
getting a piece of the paint spraying once you get
it to the paint. There are a lot of ways
that you got to use the interior part of your
(06:04):
offense to be able to set up your perimeter game.
And I think there is a balance to that, and
I think it's predicated on personnel and what Stephanie thinks
she needs at the time.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Debbie, my favorite pacer, and I've talked about this on
the show, my favorite pacer is aaron NEI. Smith. And
I'll tell you why. I love aaron Ne Smith because
he'll guard, He's not worried about who he has to guard.
But more importantly, he can give you twenty without having
to orchestrate plays to get him twenty. He is perfectly
(06:35):
comfortable and capable whatever role you need from him offensively
he accepts, no matter how large nor how minimalized that
role seemingly is within the flow of an offense. And
I love I think every team needs players like that.
Who is the Fever's aaron Nie Smith?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I love aaron Neismith too because he's a Charleston kid.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I did know that you got South Carolina bias, right.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, I got a little biased too.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yes, I think he's a wonderful young man.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
He's a hard worker. He's got the character of a champion.
We saw that on display this year. Based on the
way you.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Described him, Jake, I think Lexi Hall is that person
for the Indiana fever. She doesn't get enough credit for
the role that she plays. She's a knockdown three point shooter.
She's not shot it well right now.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Typically she's at one point during the season because I
was tracking this, she was the best corner of three
point shooter. She had made the most. But defensively, she.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Can guard, she gets skinny over the top, she's excellent
at top blocking to just trumpt their rhythm. I don't
think she gets enough credit defensively for.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
The role that she plays, and I think.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
She's that kind of player for Indiana right now. And
I think Sophie Cunningham is that player when she comes
back as well.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Debbie, I wanted to touch on one thing while I
have you here that relates to the fever, but not
necessarily directly to the f and that's this as I
was watching that game last night and I mentioned the
resiliency factor with the Indiana fever and how I think
fans should be happy or proud of that that it represents,
(08:12):
you know, Indianapolis, and we saw it with the Pacers
and now with the Colts in athletics in general, in sports,
you were an athlete, you know you played collegiately. You
have players on the floor that when you're away from
the floor, you realize, you know, when I didn't know
that guy or that gal before we were teammates, I
(08:34):
didn't like him, and then we became teammates and they
became one of my best friends. Or we are from
completely different worlds, completely different ideologies, completely different backgrounds, but
in between the lines, we have a common goal and
mission and we have to come together. It seems to
me that right now that is as much needed in
(08:55):
the world to be able to watch with sports not
only is our escape, but as our left and we've
gotten away from that lesson plan and we can see
so much within sport the fact that we need to
come together collectively, even with the people that typically we
might otherwise marginalize and say there's a role there, there's
(09:17):
a role there as a teammate, because in reality, we're
all on this same team. And it just seems to
me like we've gotten away from that, and that is
is it not? Debbie is the true beauty and essence
and lesson of sport.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I mean, I got chills on that, Jake. That's exactly it.
It doesn't matter where you come from, what you've done,
how much money you have, where you grew up, who
you grew up with, how you grew up. When you
come to sport and you come together and you look
across the aisle and you see somebody that wants to win,
(09:54):
it is as competitive has prepared. You can't help but
root for that person that has sweat equity in it.
You get to the playoffs, and that's the beauty of
it right there.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
And you're right about society.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
We could use a little bit more of this.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
This is where sport's supposed to play the role in
bringing people together.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
It's a galvanizing thing when you're together in the arena
and you're rooting for somebody that you don't even know
because they wear the same color uniform that you're cheering for.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
But then you learn something about them. Now that's a
fans perspective.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
The players, how hard they work, what their body language
says about serving about basketball is a servants game, Jake, I've.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Said this for a long time. I don't know if
we've talked about this. There are a lot of things
in basketball that.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Do not get stated.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
How hard you run the floor, how good you are
to close out, how good you are to box.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Out, how you get a screen assist, making the extra pass.
Some of those things don't get statted on a regular stabsheet.
But if you understand the game and you realize that
your role on the floor is ultimately to make the
game easier for your teammate, and you're all in on that,
and you've all put in the work and you've seen
(11:14):
each other do it, that's where the belief comes in.
And that's where you know that there's nothing that we
can face that.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
We can't face together, that we can't handle.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
And Stephanie has done a great job managing that. Sometimes
teams go off eight, she didn't call time out.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
It depends on who's on the floor.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Sometimes they have a situation where maybe you're gonna let
it go one more possession because.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
You believe, because you know who's on the floor.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
You understand what they've done.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
They put the time in the repid. It's a really
beautiful thing.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
It's a wonderful thing to talk about too, because it's
fun to be in the playoffs watching all this happen
for the Fever, and what a season for you know,
historically for the Fever to be able to do what
they've been able to do.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Debbie, I know you've mentioned this before, but I've never asked.
I don't believe the specific on it. Okay, what does
your son Frankie do for a living? I know you
said that he works, he lives independently. What is his
job or what does he do?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Frankie has two jobs and my son Frankie lives at
Clemson after graduating from Clemson Life. He is living independently
with support. He is good for a three, four or
five hour shift that sets him up for success.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
He works at a pizza.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Place called Your Pie, which is a chain. He works
lunches there and then on the weekends he works at
a place called the Shepherd Hotel. The Shepherd Hotel conceptually
was built as a natural transition for Clemson Life graduates
to have employment after they graduate. Forty percent of the
people that work at the Shepherd Hotel. It's a boutique
(12:59):
hotel at like sixty rooms and it has a beautiful
restaurant with a rooftop bar, which I call an adult
place to hang out at Clemson. And it is that
he works at the hotel and in the restaurant.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
So those are the things that he does, basically food.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Service and frank you, for those that are unfamiliar, in
the Clemson Life Program is an extension of you know,
education and life preparation for individuals with special needs that
grew up in that sort of a curriculum. The point,
the reason I ask at Debbie is this, I didn't
know this as a younger person, and I think sports
(13:37):
allowed me to see this, and that was when I
played basketball. I wasn't a great scorer, but I could
be a good screener. And as long as I was
a good screener and I played defense, they weren't going
to take me off the floor. And guys that were
natural scorers more than myself, if they weren't scoring on
a particular day, they were on the bench. And I
(13:57):
think it's important in life to see the same way
as sport. To say, if Frankie when he is at
the Shepherd Hotel or he is working the lunch shift,
is the best version of what it is that his
role is to serve. Then that means that Frankie is
more successful than the guy that's an architect that goes
in and mails it in every day and does seventy
(14:18):
percent of what's expected of him. And I think that
we can see that in sport with a Lexi Hole
or an Aaron Nei Smith game in and game out,
and I think that we can learn a lot from
seeing that in life as well.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
You can learn a lot from watching people's body language
and how much they enjoy what they're doing, regardless of
whatever it is that they're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
But you see that pure joy, and it resonates with.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
You because you see somebody who's happy with the right attitude,
who's delivering the right body language.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Lexi does that, Aaron does it, and Frankie.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Does it in his role and his employment as well.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Jake, thank you for bringing that up.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Now. Typically when I go down to Clemson games, I
always take pride in the fact that I do a
Bondzye road trip back and I try to make it
back within eight and a half hours of the game ending.
And now I realize the I'm gonna have to stay
at the hotel, right, so now I'm down there for
an extra day.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Hey listen, then if you can get in there, that
place is one of the most popular.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Places, I'm sure, no question. It's a great town, great environment,
no question about it. Debbie. I appreciate the time as always,
and we look forward to talking to you as the
Fever continue here in the WNBA playoffs.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Thank you, Jake, Let's go Fever.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Love it. Debbie Antonelli joining us on the program. Tom
Noy is up in South ben So South Bend Tribune
and covers Notre Dame and Tom I'm going to begin
with this. We talked to you a year ago about
the fact, you know, after the Northern Illinois loss and
as we were moving towards the college football playoff, you
(15:46):
were talking about just kind of the tone of what
you saw from Marcus Freeman and having to rebound after
that game against Northern Illinois and Purdue was a big
part of that obviously to get that jump started. But
how would you compare that to the overall vibe or
atmosphere now with the Irish being zero and two.
Speaker 5 (16:05):
I think when we sat here a year ago, coming
clear of that Northern Illinois game, it was more stunned, like,
wait a minute, how can a team go into College
Station Texas the week before in front of one hundred
and three thousand people in an sec setting that nobody
in that program had played in before and come away
with a ten point victory and then turn around and
(16:27):
lose to Northern Illinois at home. So it was just like,
what in the world is going on? So it was
stunned last year. At this point, I think it's more anger, disappointment,
and just downright frustration as to were we that off
And when I say we, I say everybody around South End,
(16:50):
everybody that covers this program, everybody that follows this program,
where we've that off base with thinking what this team
could be regardless of the fact that they're at Miami
and they're playing a ranked Texas A and M team.
You score forty points in your own building, you think
you're walking out of their winners. So it's just something
where everybody's sitting here now where it's just just like,
(17:11):
what in the world, how is Notre Dame, which played
for a national championship in January, back in the position
of well, here we go again, it's win out or
you're going home from the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
You know, the easy answer here, Tom would be you've
got young quarterback play. But yet I think that's naive,
like helicopter observation, because I think their quarterbacks played pretty well.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Your thoughts first, after the first game of the season,
Now it was trunk, It was prolonged because Notre Dame
was on a bye week after that. But the first
time Marcus Freeman stepped in front of the media after
the Miami game, I think it was the first, the second,
the third, the fourth, fifth, and so on. All those
questions were about CJ. Carr and so making his first
(18:01):
start maybe a little shaky at times, maybe a little
solid at others. But it took twenty five minutes into
Marcus Freeman's thirty minute press conference on Monday before anyone
asked about CJ. Carr. This team is not zero and
two because of anything CJ. Carr has or hasn't done.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Yeah, I thought, defensively, I mean this goes without saying
when you give up forty plus points at home, right,
But more so than that, Tom, and you know you
see it more nuanced than do I. You're around it.
That final drive for example from Texas A and m
Was that about fatigue? Was that about scheme? Was that
(18:42):
about just elite athletes on the other side? I mean,
to what do we basically pin that on.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
I'm gonna go the Mike Bray routes and say and
pin it on karma, because when we watched this team
last year, whether it's Dalton, Los Angeles and the coliseum
as USC is basically getting ready to go in for
the tying touchdown or whatever game you want to pick
from twenty twenty four, when you watch that defense, you
(19:08):
sat there and thought, you know what, this looks really bad.
I don't know how Notre Dames getting out of this,
but you know what, They're just gonna find a way
to get out of it. And behold, Christian Gray goes
ninety nine yards with an interception return, and there's the
USC game, and there's the home playoff game, and that
kick starts to run to the National championship game. Now,
(19:30):
as you sit here two games in the Miami game,
late fourth quarter, last drive of the game, Texas A
and m game, late fourth quarter, last drive of the game,
you're sitting there watching Notre Dame play and thinking, I
don't know how Notre AME's gonna get out of this,
And you know what, I don't think they are, because
(19:51):
all the times that they were able to escape and
win ten straight last year and get to fourteen to
one before the Ohio State game, there's just a feel
about it where you're like, I don't know if these
guys have it in them to make that play, whether
it's defensively late against Miami and Texas A and m
(20:11):
or the drive with CJ.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Carr?
Speaker 5 (20:12):
What are you going to do with a minute to
go in hard rock in the opening games? So it's
just something where everything that everything that needed to go
right last year went right, and everything that could go
wrong for this program right now is going wrong. And
that's why they're on two.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Tom. Let's look at their schedule here, Okay, if they're
zero and too right now, and I know that it's easy.
And look, we got a ton of Notre Dame fans
in this area for sure, right and I get it.
I mean, Notre Dame is college football is better, probably
more exciting, more polarizing nationally speaking, when Notre Dame is
involved in that playoff if you look at it right now. Purdue, Arkansas,
(20:53):
Boise State, North Carolina State, USC, Boston College, Navy, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Stanford.
Is that enough that if they run the table right now,
they still find themselves ranked twenty fourth. If you buy
into that at h to two, if they run the
table with those games, does that get to wind?
Speaker 5 (21:10):
The national narrative is how in the heck can Notre
Dame not be not go into the playoff at ten
and two? The brand, the visibility, the eyeballs, the interest,
to everything that goes with it.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
I would tend to agree with that.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
I cannot disagree enough because the and you just rolled
off all those all those teams, where is the quality
win because's going to go ten and two? Like, let's
say they go ten and two, we're the only ranked
teams or the the your two best games are the
games that you've lost, not even got the benefit of
(21:47):
the doubt.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
And they dodged a huge, huge obstacle last year in
being able to still get in having basically lost the
worst game that any playoff team have lost last season.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I don't know how they're going to be able to
dodge it two years in a row. And people are
gonna now again, so much has to happen with the
sec the Big ten, the AC whatever. But at ten
and two, I just I can't see people saying, yeah,
they're one of the twelve best.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Teams in the country. You know, I'll tell you what
hurts him, Tom, what hurts them, and you're gonna laugh.
Ole Miss hurt them. Now people are going old with Jake.
What what the heck does old Miss have to do
with Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
You're an old Miss guy, aren't you.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
No, I'm a Clemson fan. I'm sorry, but I don't
like Lane Kiffin either, although I will and I thought
the tail getting and Old Miss a little overrated. But
having said that, Old Miss beat Arkansas and Arkansas is
one of those I think Notre Dame has to look
at Arkansas, USC and Boise State and at the very
(22:52):
least they need two of those three at the end
of the year to really look like good wins. Yes,
and if Arkansas, you know, Arkansas right now at two
to one, but they lost to Old Miss. Arkansas is
kind of in the same boat, you know. The SEC
slate is loaded. Though. If Arkansas can get some quality
wins and get themselves to the point of the end
of the year, it's like the NCAA tournament selection Sunday
(23:13):
at a tom At this point it is.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
And the thing is, too can they go ten and two?
Absolutely last year when they were one on one, we
were thinking it's gonna be tough, but they I can
see a pass because that defense was so good. Now
the flip side is true, they can go ten and two.
But with that defense, do you trust that defense against
(23:36):
Boise State or USC or some team that just comes
out of Note or Arkansas. If notre Ame wins tomorrow
forty one to nothing, that's still not gonna solve the
biggest issue that's gonna plague this team. Going to Fayetteville
for the first time, it's going to be how is
that defense gonna hold up in an sec atmosphere at
(23:57):
eleven am at a place they's never been. I just
I can't get to a point now where you trust
that defense to run off ten straight wins.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Hey, what what is the conversation I guess or what
has been said this week from Marcus Freeman just in
regards to Purdue. And you know, obviously, I think a
year ago you could really make the case Ryan Waltz's
fate might have been sealed anyway. But that was I
mean they licked. They would put the stamp on it
with that, right. Just this Purdue team, new coach. I
(24:30):
know they're coming off with disappointment against USC but at
the same you know, because they had a lot of
red zone turnovers. But they do look to me to
be more competent. But we still don't know exactly who
they are. What is Marcus Freeman said.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
Very little, if anything, because it's all about if we
get we've we've gotten. We've got coach speak, playbook one
on one all week. For Marcus Freeman, it's not about
who we're playing. It's about us. We need to worry
about us. There was a point in Monday's press or
when he was asked, you know, Marcus, what do you
like about your defense? And he paused and stammered and
(25:07):
fumbled over the tripped over the question and was like,
I just look at all the bad things, So this
is not this. I don't think this has any I
don't know how many times the name Purdue or or
anybody on that offense or that defense for the Boiler
Americas has been uttered this week around notre aim because
it's like, how do we fix this defense? This defense?
(25:30):
Because the offensively. This team's fine.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
The CJ.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
Carr. Maybe you want to get Jeremiah Love a little
more involved, Maybe you want to get Jane Greadhouse more involved.
But I think Marcus Freeman has spend in every waking
moment right now worried about how in the world we're
going to fix this defense, and not worried about what
Purdue may or may not do on Saturday afternoon over
at in other Aam stadium.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Interesting thing, Tom, in college football is you have a
handful of programs. I would put Alabama in the category
I'm about to mention, I would put maybe Oklahoma in
this category. I'm about to mention in probably Ohio State.
And that is completely irrational fans when it comes to
(26:11):
coaching stability. Okay, in other words, a team loses back
to back games and it's like a hot seat. This
is terrible, you know, et cetera, et cetera. I don't
think notre Names season is going to collapse, But as
Marcus Freeman, is there a situation. Is there any possibility
this year that it could go south to the point
(26:33):
where conversations begin.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
I don't know about conversations as far as concerns like
there were concerns last year coming clear in Northern Illinois.
We'll go back to that game. After that game, it.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
Wasn't I don't know if he's the guy, because this
just keeps happening in September, and this was before the
one and two start. You had Northern Illinois, you had Marshall,
you had Stanford, you had a no at Louisville. He
had a no show at Clemson, and so after.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Northern Illinois it was I don't know. The jury is
still out of Marcus streaman bangy rips off ten wins
in a row, he gets a massive contract extension. He
can't do anything wrong in anybody's eyes. Now it's it's
not I don't know if Marcus Freeman's the guy. It's
you just got to fire Chris ash yesterday. But if
(27:24):
this goes south, then we're which is which is why
it made Saturday so disappointing. And what I basically wrote
about Saturday night Sunday morning was they were supposed to
be beyond this, like well, Notre Dame, they played for
national championship. Maybe this year they can get back and
win a national championship. Not this cute, this this start
(27:45):
and stop and start and stop and spluttering of really
big wins and really baffling losses. So unless this goes
completely off the tracks, every the one person in the
crosshairs of every fan is not Marcus Scream, then it's
Chris Ash.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
I wanted to ask you one. I think Tom Noy
is our guest by the way from the South, Ben
trim Mune, Purdue and Notre Dame tomorrow. Tom, I never
asked you about this, I don't think. And we had
you on a lot, which I appreciate during the playoffs
last year after the Indiana game, and I don't think
I brought this up to you. If I did, I
was going to bring it back up. You know, Indiana
right now finds themselves in the spot where they are unbeaten.
(28:24):
They go in with Illinois tomorrow night, a big one.
Might be the biggest home game in a long time
Immemorial Stadium history. And I think there were those Everybody
loved Kurt Signetti and still does from an Indiana standpoint,
and the bravada and the just the confidence at times brash, right,
(28:45):
But I think there is some thought that going on
game day on the field, while Notre Dame is warming
up in the background and showing that same Kurt Signetti Bravada.
I really did, for a split second think that because
Pat McAfee was on that stage, that for a split
(29:05):
second Signetti actually thought he was doing the McAfee show
as opposed to the Game day show, and he almost
lost sight of that filter. And I thought he went
to the Roulett wheel one too many times on the
push the chest out on a stage where finally the
moment was bigger than the check he could write, is
there any in your thought accuracy to that assessment.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
One thousand percent? Like, that's great, that's great if you're
going to talk again a good game like that, but
you better back it up and not let Jeremiah Love
go ninety eight yards sixteen seconds or whatever it was
into the game and then you're down and it's that
game was basically over by halftime. So it's Kurt Signetti
did the same thing that Notre Dame did the other
(29:50):
night against Texas A and M. They puffed out their chest.
They stood next to Texas A and M as there
as the Aggies were running off to the field toward
their tunnel pregame, and as there was some barking and
some wolfing and this and that, and it's like afterward,
I said, that's great that Notre Dame can do something
like that, but if you're gonna do that, and you're
(30:10):
gonna go that far out on the ledge, you better
back it up. And Signetti certainly did not, and Notre
Dame obviously did not. The other night against A and M.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Tom, appreciate the time as always, three point thirty tomorrow,
Perdue and Notre Dame. And I was, look, I get it.
I guess I thought twenty five and a half for
twenty six and a half or whatever. I was a
little surprised by the size of that spread, just because
it's a Power five school. I am I giving Purdue
too much credit.
Speaker 5 (30:38):
I thought, that's the same thing this morning, Like that's
a lot of points for a big ten team, A
lot of.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Points, right, and again I mean a big ten team
at the very least. I guess we say with Barry
odom with you know, a new attitude. But we'll see
whether or not that backs up. But it should be
fun tomorrow. Appreciate the time as always. Tom, You got
brother seby Grede weekd you too, Tom Nooy joining us
South Bend Tribune Colts and Titans coming up in Nashville
(31:09):
on Sunday, and for the Colts for the most part,
looking pretty good from a health standpoint. Tyler Warren yesterday
was limited in practice leat too lot. Looks like is
going to be a go joining us now on the show,
and a guy that I am fairly certain because I
think he only had to endure one or two. Matter
(31:30):
of fact, I think he got a reprieve because one
of the years that we were doing the morning show together,
I believe Talk Like a Pirate Day fell on the weekend,
so he was spared in that regard. The other time,
I think he and Mark tried to keep it from me,
but word got out from a small pirate parrot that
on the shoulder. Let me know, Kevin Voe, I'm sure
thrilled to not be doing the show today with me
on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Hi, Kevin, Yeah, happy hours starting earlier on this Friday,
after I'd just got wind of that.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Did you say a happy hour by the.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Way, Yeah, gos go ahead.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
No, I was just going to say, I mean, if
you for you know, you might just say get yourself
a coke that obviously goes with them, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
Eddie Garrett said, I'm thinking about your brother.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I'm just thankful you have a hung up. You're helping
me get through this.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Yeah, the final hour.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Here we are, Kevin. I thought last night, I I
was curious, and I know that we're only two weeks
into the season, but Miami last night and maybe, you know,
maybe Buffalo schematically took things off the gas. I don't know,
but I thought that it was an encouraging sign for
(32:43):
the Colts because I mean, the Colts absolutely annihilated Miami.
I mean, Miami was never in that game. And it's
the opening week, so you just don't know. But with
each week you're trying to find out more and more
how legitimate the perceptions are of a team. And I
thought last night what that showed was that, you know what,
(33:05):
maybe the Colts are legit, because you know, maybe Miami
is in fact more competent than we give them credit.
But this week, in terms of Week three, is going
to tell us a lot, because I don't think Tennessee's
very good at all. Right, But wouldn't it be the
sign of a young team to start out two and
(33:25):
ohero or a team feeling its way and then go
down and stub their toe. This this could be a
real opportunity for them to go three and oh. I
just want your thoughts on what you think of Tennessee
and in addition, just what you think of the Colts
approach going into it. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
I think it's a big just kind of take care
of business week game, you know, be a professional, be disciplined.
That's the word changed that I can to use the
whole time this week. You know, it's not one of
these I don't like de ol'bron A lot of this
is a trap game. I'm like, Week three trap game.
Your your first road game of the year, your first
divisional game of the year. I can't play like a
(34:02):
to me. In order for you to have trap games
on your schedule, that means you need to have been
good in recent years, good to great. You know. I
kind of look at trap games as hey, it's a
ten week grind and in week seven or eight, you know,
Sandwich the Jets around the Eagles and the Chiefs, or
you know, the Eagles and the Bill something like that.
So I don't view it in that light, but I
(34:24):
do view it in. You are a road favorite, it
is a rookie quarterback. You are going to be in
an atmosphere that I would call one of the least
hostile in the NFL. You need to go down there,
and you know, again, just take care of business. And
the NFL presents some of these on the schedule. It's
not maybe the greatest January indicator, but it counts as
one of the w's or one of the l's. And
(34:44):
when you only have seventeen of them, all of them
carry some weight, and the division ones carry.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
You know, more weight.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
So yeah, I think it's just kind of, you know,
a little business approach from the Colts here coming up
Sunday at one o'clock.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Let's get to the I guess the health status, Kevin.
I mean I mentioned the two big ones in Warren
and Leatu. Where else do we stand in terms of,
you know, who's expected to be in, who may be out,
et cetera.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Well, no Colts player was ruled out for the game,
so that's obviously a good sign. Chaverius Ward has a
clearance from an independent neurologist and that is his final step.
So assuming he's good to go there, he should be back,
and I guess kind of the question now becomes, you know,
with Tyler Warren, with you know, maybe Josh Downsis laugh
(35:32):
too OTSU. You know, for the it looked like all
these guys practice the final two days of a week.
That's usually a great sign that they'll play in the game.
I think now the question becomes how much do they
play in the game? Like Tyler Warren played sixty six
snaps on Sunday against the Broncos. That is a massive
number for a tight end. So you know, are you
comfortable giving him that number again on Sunday if needed?
(35:57):
Or do you know, kind of hold him back and
maybe hitch count them a little bit more? Same thing
with lots of you know, are you keeping him to
only third down reps? Are you all you know first
and second him as well? So I think those are
some of the questions. But you know, unless you know,
a lot two probably is the one given it the
hamstring and you know he's only been out for a week,
(36:18):
you know, unless they don't feel comfortable throwing him out there,
I would think the Colts are going to be pretty
healthy here in Week three. It more just comes down
to U, you know, how many plays they want to
give some of those guys.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Kevin Bowen is our guest. You of course hear him
in the morning along with jeff Rickord and James Boyd
on the Fan Morning Show, also on WISH Television with
Anthony Calhoun weekly talking about the Colts and in that vein,
I have seen Kevin that you have been very bullish
on and I know it's just two games on Daniel
Jones and what he's done, and I think still you
(36:49):
find yourself like like rubbing your eyes, like is this
is this? I'm really seeing this here because the level
of play that he has played, is it sustainable?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:59):
That kind of I thought the analogy was you know
pretty well that you just did. They are pretty good
and in the sense of it is kind of like
rub your eyes you know the culture too and l
I don't think that's like the most shocking element. It's
more of how are they two and oh? And they're
largely two and ol because of Daniel Jones and because
of their offense, because of Shane Saken's play calling. All
(37:21):
of that that I think is what is truly truly impressive.
I thought the Denver game was a big step in
the Oh my gosh, he's making some of these throws
that are not just clean pockets. You know, you brought
up Miami earlier. I thought that Miami game he just
benefited Daniel Jones, that is, from such a clean operation
in front of them. I mean that's not always going
(37:41):
to be the case. And you know, you go back
to that first throw of the game on Sunday, I
mean that is a muddy pocket. He hangs in there
and delivers one day hushdowns for a huge play. I mean,
those are some of the plays where you start to
you know, teer out quarterbacks and you know, you start
to kind of rank them a little bit. That's what
separates a lot of these guys. And now the question is,
all right, more film is out there. You know, how
(38:04):
are you gonna deliver on the road. How are you
going to liver you know, in third down two minutes?
You know, But with how the game played out, Jane
Sigon didn't have him throw the whole ball a whole
lot there in the final you know, five or ten
minutes of that game. But you know, obviously as the
season plays along, he's going to be in more and
more of those moments and he's going to have to deliver.
So I would take Game two for me, bless you
(38:25):
by the way, I would say Game two for me
showed a little bit more on the Wow. This you
know might be something, But you know, as we know
of the NFL, it's September nineteenth, and there'll be a
whole lot more checkpoints and a whole lot more can
you string it together? Can you do it away from home?
A lot more on the evaluation cards? So don't know
if I can kind of slam me, uh you know,
(38:47):
build a statue next to Peyton yet. But I have
been wildly impressed by the first two weeks.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
You know the do you believe Kevin that as we
go along here that they will more open up the
offense for Daniel Jones. And because you know they are starting,
we're starting to see he does have arm and he's
not afraid to show that. But does is Shane Stiken
played this close to the best so far? Offensively?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (39:15):
No, I mean I think he's I think dandel Joe,
I mean, outside of like designed runs that Anthony Richardson
you would have, I think Danda Jones allows him to
tap into much more of the cheesecake factory playbook menu
than the you know whatever steak and shake menu that
you know, Anthony Richardson might have available to him. And
I think he trusts him to have, you know, a
(39:35):
ton of plays with the line of scrimmage. And yeah,
I think Daniel Jones is pretty football nerdy and Shane
ssyke In is uber football nerdy. So I think he
really enjoys that, and I think he really tries to
tap into that. And I think the Colts feel like
they have a big advantage chess match wise X and
o's Monday through Saturday even someday. Some of the pre
(39:56):
staff stuff and identifying things and knowing what coverage just
coming and boom, here's the first read and you know,
here are the answers if we get this sort of coverage. So,
you know, again, in the football nerdy atmosphere, I think quarterback,
head coach, play callerwise, I think the Colts feel like
they walk in they walk into games here in twenty
twenty five with the advantage more often than not.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Do you consider yourself football nerdy?
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (40:22):
I mean I think I'm a nerd, but no, I
mean not the I mean paink Shane Steichel, Shane Shane
stikeens that you know he's in he's in Oxford or
he's at you know, some IVY league level.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
I mean that man, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
I mean his football intellect is you know, you with
whatever Indy five hundred history, or you with cologns or watches.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Fair enough. I actually take that as a compliment. Kevin.
I'm not gonna lie to you. By the way, somebody
said you were making fun of me yesterday. Did you
guys do the mayonnaise thing again?
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
We did the well, we didn't do the actual Mayo plot,
but we played the audio of the plot, just a
great acoustic if yes, thank you, gosh, ed you were
on that, Thank you? Can I hear that one more time?
Speaker 1 (41:10):
That he.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Gosh, that's just beautiful? Just a ring in my ear. Yeah,
so will Levis of course Mayo and his coffee. For
those unfamiliar with that story, I believe Jake and I
and Mark decided that well, I think it was Mark
and I mainly decided. We tried to kind of peer
pressure Jake into it to have to drink coffee with
Mayo in it.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
If Will Levis.
Speaker 4 (41:35):
Started a game against the colts. I want to say
you started too, so I think we had two instances,
and I want to say you did one of those
faking COVID things like you did, like you know, I
remember when you fake COVID.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah, that they had COVID. Remember during the ship beating contest,
I did the mayonnaise. I did it.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Did you do it both times?
Speaker 6 (41:55):
No?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
You guys only did it? Did you do it twice?
I did it once.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
I think we did it.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Yeah, yeah, Well, and you know, back then, I've never
liked coffee, And then I started getting samples at IndyCar
races from Java House, and now I drink Java House
like it's going out of style, just for what it's worth.
But not with mayonnaise, because mayonnaise is horrific.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
Right, Uh shout out to the head carpenter Ray King
at say the top of that coffee with the mayonnaise,
it looked like a it looked like it was like
a State Fair porter party. On Data fourteen.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
It was rough, man, it was rough. I remember. I
believe Mark's line was that'll put some lead in your pencil.
It was it was rough. I remember I believe you
took the first stip. So will Levis. That was you know,
during that to rehash that, Yes, he was rubored to
be coming to the Colts. When you did it, Mark,
(42:50):
I remember you saying like, oh gosh, it like curdled
right away, right Oh.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Yeah, my gaggery, I mean like gagory flush.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
I can feel myself all of a sudden refles right now.
I was not that I root for injury for any player,
but when will Levis I saw was going to miss
the whole season due to a shoulder injury.
Speaker 3 (43:08):
Let's just say it wasn't into the world.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Thinking about having to consume anymore Mayo in the in
the coffee.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
How many games in the NFL in his career remaining
do you believe will Levis starts?
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Oh boy, that's a good one. I will say over
under of three and a half.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I was gonna say over under a five. I mean,
Malik Willis still gets a start here and there. You know,
I could see him in that kind of a role.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Right yeah, I mean somebody's back up. I mean it's
wa mean, Carson went six straight years. There's got to
be a Fitzpatrick or McCown still hanging around somewhere. I mean,
I feel like Jacoby Verssettz turned into the new one. Yeah,
of like, you know, he's now just made great money
as his backup quarterback. So uh yeah, Levi is certainly
not in Tennessee, but you know somebody will bring him
(43:55):
in and you know somebody will get hurt.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
Marcus Mariota's become that guy as well.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Yeah, he's starting on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, he is starting in Washington, hadn't he right?
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yeah, yeah, Eddie, you had a defensive question.
Speaker 8 (44:07):
Yeah, keV Jake and I were talking about this Monday,
and I think you and I touched on it on
the Monday Recap pod. But you look at this Colts
defense specifically on the line, and I'm going to get
into a little bit of a nerdy statistic here, so
bear with me. ESPN has like past what past rush
win rate percentages and run stop win rate percentages according
(44:29):
to their you know, however they evaluate these things. The
Colts rank thirty second nineteen percent pass rush win rate
and twenty fifth in the NFL twenty seven percent a
run stop win right, if that's something this Colts defensive
line can't do on Sunday against cam Wood, like like
Los Angeles and Denver has so far. I think that's
(44:51):
where the trap game element that you were talking about,
which it comes into play, just because this may be
the one time in his career so far where Ward
may have some time in the pocket to find the
open guy or they may be able to start running
the ball effectively with Tony Pollard.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think from a word standpoint about
Sunday would be this Pollard I think has forced the
most of miss tackles in the league so far of
any running back. I don't need to bring up the
infamous third and nineteen touchdown Tony Pollard scored last year
where the Colts just tackled horrifically on the play probably
honestly ended the Gush Bradley tenure. And they can't Ward.
You know, you saw the touchdown last week. You know
(45:28):
it has the backyard element to it. You know, that
would probably be the one thing. But you know, maybe
the most disappointing aspect of the Colts season so far
is probably the pass rush and just in general, Eddie,
I'd say the defensive front and their playmaking. You know,
I just cannot count and linebackers are including this, I
just can't. I don't remember many plays at all in
(45:50):
the first two weeks, so I don't think that's an
area where tennessee their O line is not good. And
I think if you asked the Colts, they would have
a whole lot of yes, we have a wide grin
and big ol' lies thinking about the possibilities of getting
after cam Ward. So kind of a get right game there. Again,
go back to the first point we had. I don't
(46:10):
know if like that all of a sudden means oh,
the pass rush is fixed. You'ren't have to bring some
things together and prove it weekend and week out, but
you play what shows up on Sunday, and this is
what the opportunity is.
Speaker 8 (46:21):
I ask you that because in Week one J T.
Truy Molola, who they just used a second round pick
on in the April draft, was a healthy scratch. He
was active last week because of Law two being sidelined
with the hammy. He played five snaps. What does a
player like him have to do to get on the field.
Just because this isn't a guy they took in the
fifth or the sixth round. This is a guy that
they used a premium pick on who not only was
(46:42):
not playing at some non power five directional school. He
was playing at Ohio State and he was productive for
the national champions.
Speaker 4 (46:50):
Yeah. I think that's a great point. The final point
that you bring there, I mean three year starter and
I mean had a great run through their playoffs. Yeah,
I mean, to further that point, it's not like some
of these pass rushers you see draft that high.
Speaker 5 (47:00):
They're a little bit of a project.
Speaker 4 (47:02):
You know, they maybe didn't have the eye popping stats
and you know maybe the only started for one year.
That's not three model out at all, and he can
line up with multiple spots and I think you saw
that in camp in the preseason. So it is confusing
to me. Lou An Rumo has never been a big
play the young guys guy, So I you know, maybe
I'm reading too much into that, but I do think
(47:23):
I just think the Colts, frankly, have just have a
bunch of power rushers. They don't have a lot of
speed and lots who is probably the one kind of
speed bending edge rusher that you would have, So you know,
his absence last week was clearly so. But definitely that
is a big storyline I think moving forward, when you
play you know, Kyler Murray and you play Justin Herbert,
(47:44):
and you play Patrick Mahomes and you play You'll see
j Strouds and these other quarterbacks on the schedule. You know,
can your passers show up? Because it's been pretty pretty
absent to the first two weeks.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Kevin, which do you which game is a more intrigue
to you? Kevin Bow and our guest Indiana Illinois. I
heard you talking about this morning or Produe Notre Dame.
Speaker 5 (48:05):
I don't ask some questions. I mean, you know you're
talking to it.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Well, let me rephrase that. I mean I'm not talking
about from a fan perspective, which one you're like more
excited about? Like, which game do you actually think has
the more intriguing storyline?
Speaker 4 (48:19):
Yeah? Easily Saturday Night. I mean yeah, obviously I was
speaking very selfishly out of my out of my fandom.
That probably needs to be checked a little bit, But yes,
Saturday Night. I mean, Jake, you know that campus, you
know that atmosphere full well, I mean I just can't
recall a game that you know has this, and I
get Michigan last year kind of had it, but this
(48:41):
to me is different because the opponent also has a
ton at stake, and you know, both of these programs
are not really used to these types of games. Frankly, so, yeah,
forty two years, I think it's the sad or not
forty two, but eighty seven I believe the last time
you got to go back to that for Top twenty
matchup in Mton. So and this is it really from
(49:02):
a home schedule, you know when you look at a
lot of the big games the rest of the year
are more on the road side of it for Indiana.
So what an atmosphere, I mean college towns like this
is what you dream of. Is the home night college
football game. Frankly, I think college game they should be there.
I think it's a joke, it's not so yeah. And
then and then on top of all of that, it
(49:23):
is the playoff ramifications with it as well. So cannot
wait for Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (49:28):
Certainly be a lot of fun and we will certainly
look forward to hearing on Monday. James Boyd, I know,
was chirping pretty loud from that Illinois standpoint. You mentioned
the RCAA Dome Illinois fans traveling I L I and
I against Notre Damen basketball some twenty years ago. We
we'll see what happened Saturday night and as well Notre
Damen perdue on Saturday afternoon. Kevin. Oh, by the way,
(49:52):
your son makeers pick yet he did?
Speaker 4 (49:54):
Yeah, I still need to post it. He went left
hand Tongs and he went Colts because the they're the
away too. We went outdoors, you know, mother nature for Sunday,
so the elements led him to the Colts. The Titans
helmet as you know, nothing too great, he thought. He
called it the Broncos. He's confused, clearly.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
But what's Max's raccoon now? On the season?
Speaker 4 (50:16):
So for you, well, one on one he split. I
think he's twenty one and fifteen overall. And the next
week Rams, I actually pulled that helmet out last night
to get ready for next week.
Speaker 5 (50:25):
That's just a stripe on it.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
So so yeah, I would expect him to pick Colts
here in the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
We've got to remember we.
Speaker 8 (50:31):
Have the asterisks next to the Miami Dolphins on the
lost side, Kevin, because it was influenced by his mom.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
Did she she did come it?
Speaker 6 (50:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (50:41):
Yeah, Well, to be honest, I mean he loves dolphins
more than again, Jake loves cologne. I think he was
going Dolphins no matter what they're.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
You know, I'm kind of more on a watch kick
than a cologne kick, just so you know.
Speaker 4 (50:54):
Oh well, Dooley noted here. Whatever, whenever you and I
crossed pass on air again, I'll make.
Speaker 5 (51:01):
Sure to, you know, bump that up to the Jake
Query set up topics.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
That's right, I do like colognes though, Kevin, enjoy the weekend.
Enjoy the games too. Should be a good weekend of
games all the way around. Boys have a great weekend,
all right, Kevin Bowen joining us on the program.
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