Best of Wednesday 11/26: Final show of the week! Colts-Texans, Bucket game & more!

00:00 – 24:53 – Macy’s Day Parade, Colts-Texans thoughts, New Years eve bathrooms in NYC, Zach Lowe discusses why this season might actually be worth it for the Pacers, the Pacers center issues

24:54 – 37:36 – ESPN Colts reporter Stephen Holder joins us and discusses old Kanye West, the Daniel Jones fibula situation and his play the last three weeks, his grade for the defense against the Chiefs, his thoughts ahead of the Texans game, his Thanksgiving favorite and least favorite side dish, stuffing vs. dressing

37:37 – 49:29 – Peegs.com’s Matt Weaver joins us to preview the Hoosiers heading into the Bucket game against Purdue, what is the significance of Conference Championship games in 2025?, is the Heisman Mendoza’s to lose?, Indiana’s starting QB next year

49:30 – 59:26 - ISC’s Greg Rakestraw joins us to discuss being a finalist of the Indiana Sports Broadcasters of the Year, his busy week of sports, the big state championship storylines, Colts-Chiefs and looking ahead to the Texans game

Support the show: https://1075thefan.com/the-wake-up-call-1075-the-fan/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You were listening to the Best of the Fan morning
show on ninety three five and one oh seven.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Five the fan days of Macy's Day Parade, you were
listening to a fan morning show on sports Radio ninety
three five and one oh seven. Dude, I had no
idea that Macy's Day Parade had a lyric that was

(00:27):
that Green Day's Green Day. Yeah, unbelievable. Would you ever
do that? I no, I mean, I get exposed quick.
I got no coordination. What the hell would I be
in the parade for?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Not like just going to watch it? Because my mom
is always like, oh, I would love to see no
chance the Macy's Day Parade. I would love to see
the ball drops.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
A hug al Roker and you know, yeah, do that,
And that's what my mom would do.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
I got my uncle, Ashley wants to do New Year's
a time scream no chance.

Speaker 5 (00:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
I just feel like, yes, I feel like like you're
gonna walk two steps and bump into somebody.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
My aunt uncle lived just north of New York City.
My uncle works downtown and my aunt did the New
Year's Eve ball drop one year and she just said.

Speaker 6 (01:06):
It was horrific.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, I'm very much like, oh, this is really cool
to watch on TV.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, Actually, do we have local people in the Macy's
State Parade? I feel like Mark, I feel like I
see the Avon band in that every year.

Speaker 5 (01:18):
They might be there.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
Yeah, I'm always impressed by the bands that just travel
from all over the place, Like we're in Chicago, went
to the Michigan's Avenue Parade lights over the weekend and
it was like an Alabama band and everything like them,
like what are you doing here? Like how do you
get the call for that? So it always blows my mind.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Seems like quite the ordeal, to be honest with you,
to travel all that way, James, you mentioned earlier in
the show Ashton Dulan out a month. It will be
George Odom getting the call up from the practice squad.
That is a former cult signed by the team last week,
thirty two year old. I don't think he'll do all
the Dulan duties. No, No, I think the return duties
that Dulan occasionally occupies. You know, you've got Anthony Gould,

(01:59):
You've got a mirror abdula that can do that. One
thing I did want to mention just with this Ashton
dooland news of him going on injured reserve for four weeks. James,
you can't afford an injury right now to number eleven
to number fourteen. You know, we haven't really talked about
this much, but Alec Pierce has had a concussion or two.

(02:21):
But Michael Pittman Junior and Alec Pierce have been incredibly
durable throughout their NFL careers. Knock on some wood there,
but with the trade of ad Mitchell, I say that
in all seriousness, and now Ashton Dulan going on injured
reserve for a month, like Lakwan Treadwell, I guess would
be next man up if you need an outside wide out.
So just something to keep in mind. I know the

(02:43):
dueling offensive duties aren't necessarily immense and quantity each week.
I still think they view him in a nice light
and he provides, you know, a great trustworthy option when
you do need to give those guys a little bit
of a breather there. But just something to point out.
If the Colts were practicing today, would you expect Daniel
Jones to be full.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
That's a good question because Shane told me or no limitations,
But I would probably lean towards maybe not because of
the way his gate kind of looked later in the
game as the game wore on. And this is not
to say, oh my gosh, he was so limited against
the Chiefs that's why they lost.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
No, that's not why they lost.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
But I think it's worth noting, and I think it
was certainly something that we can't overlook, Kevin. So I'll
be very curious to see what the estimated injury report
says later this afternoon.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, and again we see quarterbacks miss a Wednesday practice.
Seems like that and that wouldn't like freak me out
or anything.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
I would have to get to Thursday Friday for me
to be like, oh wait, wait a second, what's going
on here?

Speaker 2 (03:41):
No, but just something again the Colts have will walk
through today and for Houston still need clearance, full clearance
for CJ. Stroud with concussion protocols. That'll be something to
just to monitor the rest that we get the expectation
of Stroud will clear that, but just something to keep
an eye on here. It's the number one scoring offense
in Indie, of course, versus the number two scoring defense

(04:04):
that would be Houston. And it's the number two yardage
offense the Colts versus the number one yardage defense. So
this is good on good when the Colts have the
ball coming up on Sunday, great on great. You can
make the argument for sure.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
I think Danil Hunter is somebody you gotta keep an
eye on, same as Will Anderson. And this will be
a big test for the Colts because looking at some
of the numbers, and I'll put a story out this
morning basically saying the Colts at this present moment need
to look long and hard at the franchise tag when
it comes to Daniel Jones because the blitz numbers early
in the season were great. I mean he was top

(04:46):
five against the blitz and look at all the advanced
stats and data, he was arregably one of the best
quarterbacks in the league. Now he is mediocre to being
one of the worst quarterbacks in the league when it
comes to diagnosing blitzes and kind of beating blitzes. So
all that in mind, Houston I think will bring the blitz.

(05:07):
They're middle of the pack, I would say in blitz percentage,
which means the volume in which they blitz. But trust
and believe they will bring those wrinkles because I think
teams have kind of seen them blueprint to beat the Colts,
and I look back at it, Kevin. Through the first
eight games, the Colts are blitzed at the third highest

(05:28):
rate in the league, and again, Daniel was brilliant. He
was great against the blitz. Since then, over the last
three weeks or three games, four weeks, since Week nine,
they've still been blitzed the fifth highest rate, but he's
dropped a way down the list when it comes to
efficiency and completion percentage, things of that nature against the blitz.
So I don't necessarily trust if this will be reversed

(05:55):
and he'll get back to that level of play. I
always knew he woul kind of come back on the earth.
Danil Jones would be a top five quarterback in the
NFL for the entire season. But the question is, can
you get back to being top ten ish versus you know,
over the last couple of weeks just kind of be
an A yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
I think it's paramount in terms of Sunday, You've got
to stay out of the third and obvious. I know
that's a little bit.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Obvious is good. I've heard it phrase like that.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
That's good. I know it's a little bit kind of
like elementary to say, but you know, when you let
those two dudes, Anderson and Hunter get into the Usain
bolt in the block situation pre snap. I mean, just
watch last Thursday night against Buffalo, and you know, because
then Shane stickinsc Gott decisions to make. Are you leaving

(06:44):
Tyler Warren into Chip, Jonathan Taylor into Chip? You know
how many guys are deployed out on a route tree
for Daniel Jones. But if you can win a little
bit more in second and seven. Oh, second and seven
turns into third and four, then maybe you don't let
those guys pin their ears back because I really think
for the Colts to lose, Anderson Junior and or Hunter

(07:07):
will have to have a wrecking moment like a like
a strip sack, set up a score take away like
that type TJ. Watt against the Colts type of play.
I really feel good about the Colts in this game
and less something like that does occur, which again, they're
totally capable of them. Right now, they rank third and
fourth in the league in sacks. I mean that's individually

(07:29):
those two and in this three game win streak with
Davis Mills as a starter. They've especially been outstanding. Now,
one thing I think is definitely optimistic if you are,
you know, looking at it from a Colt's side of it.
I mean, the Colts have been outstanding at home this year.
Their numbers at home are i would say, noticeably better
than they are on the road. And maybe some of

(07:50):
that is due two opponents, but still, I mean, you
face Denver at home. If you look at just their
point totals at home, James thirty eight, thirty three, thirty one,
thirty one, and twenty nine and that was Denver. I mean,
that is every single game above twenty nine, and one
of that you know includes Denver there. I mean, no

(08:10):
matter how you look at it, yards per Carrie, yards
per ten, passing, touchdowns, interceptions, they have been a much
better team at home this year. And obviously it's the
first home game in a month.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
It was funny talking to Cole's defensive coordinator lou and
Arumo yesterday and he said he was in a meeting
and he was like, dude, I haven't been at home.
Feels like we have been home in a month. And
he looked at the calendar it has been a month.
But to me, This is a huge opportunity to kind
of write the ship of your season and show that
you do have the metal. And I don't mean metal

(08:44):
as in like iron the m TTL E Metal two.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Chaine sticking just comes out with the metal crow bar
out of the tunnel.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
I mean that would help. I think I don't know
if it'd be legal as far as the games will go,
but I think this is a chance to flex your
metal and show that you can win some of these
bigger games. Because the question we have always had with
the Colts in years past, and I would say throughout
the Shane Styken era, is how many games have you
once you weren't supposed to? And I think this year
you've proven that to a degree because you started so

(09:14):
well and you knocked off a lot of good opponents,
and even the three losses this year or not, you're
not losing it like nobody's.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
You haven't had a.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
True I don't think stinker, you know outside of Pittsburgh.
But with that in mind, can you keep this from snowballing?
You've lost two of the last three, three to the
last four. Going into another division game sounds a lot
different than winning this game. Getting back on track. I'm
not saying anything that's like out of the ordinator, anything

(09:42):
that's extraordinary or you know, genius here, but this is
I think a chance to kind of stop the bleeding
a little bit.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's like a scoring run in the NBA. Yeah, you
know again, you don't want it snowball, you don't want
it to avalanche, you know. Yeah, are you taking the
rick car a lot of time out?

Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yeah, because I do think this can sli up into
your psyche a little bit where if you get another
closed game and you will under that pressure again, you're
going to be questioning. I don't care what anybody says.
It's confident. As you are an athlete, You're going to
have that human nature feeling of wait a second, are
we good enough?

Speaker 6 (10:12):
Well?

Speaker 2 (10:12):
And then you got two straight on the road after that, exactly,
and against two teams right now they're in the playoffs
in Jacksonville in Seattle. So yeah, you know, we talked
about this. I forget if I think it was yesterday, James,
because I think you were back in studio with us.
The biggest game of the psych And era was obviously
the winning get In game to end the twenty twenty
three seasons. Yes, but I would call this one one

(10:35):
of the more heightened urgency games. You know, twenty twenty three,
you're still in the honeymoon face. It's Shane's first year
as a head coach, House money. You got Gardner Minshew
in there. He did in the playoffs. No one expect
you to do anything in twenty twenty four. I never
felt like you positioned yourself to have an opportunity like
maybe you do coming up on Sunday. Whereas you mean to.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Tell me when you go to New York and you
lose to the Giants buy a million. That didn't convince
you that they were going to do something special Debt
year uh, Drew Locke correct, Yes, men looked like he
was an MVP candidate that day.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
Speaking of New York, would you really like wear the diaper? Like,
would you wear the adult diaper? If you did? Reasons
not to do this. The New Year's Eve dropped the
ball thing.

Speaker 3 (11:12):
No, I couldn't do it. That's one of the reasons.
Why Why didn't you feel that? Wouldn't you feel the
I would argue the one or the two? Certainly the
two I would definitely think. So. I mean, I told
you all, I was on a flight.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
I haven't worn a diaper in a while, just to
be clear.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
But well, I told you I was on a flight
to Kansas City, and the couple next to me had
a young daughter, and she certainly had, you know, a
little potty and she was telling.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
Everybody, JB. Let me go to the laboratory and change.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
Oh no, she was telling everybody on the plane that
she had to go to the bathroom, or had went
to the bathroom.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
She needed to get changed.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
So if she did feeling that way, you know, all
she has to do is wait for twenty minutes to
get off this plane. How do you feel we got
to wait like twenty hours or whatever, however long you're
out there. That's probably too long, but seven hours, because
I would think you have to get there early right
to like down there. You can't just show up at.

Speaker 4 (12:03):
Hours, Yeah, buddy, And you can't move.

Speaker 3 (12:06):
As a guy who's I mean, we've all probably been
to New York. There is nowhere to use a public
restroom in like the heart of Times Square. That's like
one of their rules. I feel like you can order food,
you can do a lot of things, you can not
use their bathrooms.

Speaker 5 (12:17):
Huh huh.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
So how would I do the diaper and to bring
it back to the colts. They can't be hoping on diapers.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
You can't.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
You can't. You know, ruins the opportunity by poop pooing
your home game away.

Speaker 5 (12:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (12:30):
Good.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
Here in the YouTube chat points at the Denver game
last year. Yeah, I mean that that is one that
definitely I think ranked up there. I don't know, this
was just a little bit of a different feel to it.
This is why maybe some of it's year three, you know,
when you get a little further into the ten year.

Speaker 3 (12:45):
I think it's that, Kevi. But I also think that
you have earned the rights to have higher expectations. Sure,
last year when we were in Denver and JT dropped
that ball which basically dropped their playoff chances, the key
work there is chances they were still having to win
that game. I think win against the Giants, get some
help from other teams. This is an opportunity where for
the first time it feels like outside that winning in

(13:07):
game in week eighteen and twenty twenty three, you get
to help yourself.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
Yeah, and you play from ahead in December exactly.

Speaker 3 (13:16):
So again I don't look at it from a scenario
of it's year three. It's more so we got off
to such a great start, We've played such good football overall. Again,
you're still eight to three, that we've earned the rights
of higher expectations. Now you can say I'm being I
don't know, a little disingenuous or unfair, because it's like, oh, wait,

(13:37):
why are you being so hard on them now when
they're eight and three? Because you've shown me how good
you can be, point blank period.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Very impressive from Indiana last night down in Bloomington. Matt
Weaver from Pegs will join us coming up at nine.
It'll probably talk a little bit more bucket game football centric,
but again, Darren Devreeze's bunch really really good last night
in Running Away from Kansas City, ID. They both haves.
They built some big leads. Can't say got back in
the game a little bit in the first half of
Indiana built it right back up. Mark. You found this

(14:06):
audio in relation to the Pacers and the old tea
word earlier this week, the T word being tank mm hmm.
You want to set this up a little bit here
from Zaklob.

Speaker 4 (14:18):
Zach Low and Bill Simmons on the Ringer podcast discussing
obviously the Pacers horrible start to the season, but Zach
Low discussing why in the long run it actually might
be quite beneficial for the Pacers.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
This could be the best single season tanking scenario since
the Spurs got Tim Duncan this team coming back, you mean,
like a team being able to get a major guy,
a very clearly good team, right that is decimated, takes
a gap year, miraculously gets its own twenty twenty six
pick back in a trade at the twenty twenty five
in the finals from yeah, that's the trade the final

(14:55):
and we're together, not knowing that Tyre's Halliburn is about
to get injured and that whole season is going to
go up and smoke them. Gets everyone healthy. They're not old,
and they're just like, well, just add potentially the number
one pick, the number three picks, the number four pick,
a guy who can probably come in and give them
real minutes next year. They're gonna have to solve the
center position all that, but like, if you're gonna suffer
that kind of blow, and it was horrible, and like

(15:15):
it still gets talked about every time I go out
for lunch or drinks or coffee with anybody. That injury
and the what if of all that and that miraculous
playoff run. People haven't wrapped their minds around it yet.
But the Pacers are gonna the finals. Pacers are going
to come back sans Miles Turner with a top five fit.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
Bring me aj Debanza, bring me Darren Peterson.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
Would you have a position or would it strictly be best
player available, best player available?

Speaker 3 (15:42):
I think this class is so good at the top
that you just get the top dude that you can pick,
depending on where you fall in the draft. So if
you're a top three, you just pick whoever's next on
the board and you figure it out from there, because
I think the beauty of Halliburton is he can play
pretty much with anybody. So as long as you're not drafting,
I don't know a six to two guard with a

(16:04):
top three pick. If the guy is a wing or forward,
go get them.

Speaker 2 (16:08):
You can point to injuries for a lot of the Pacers,
you know, two and fifteen starter course, I would say
one of the more wild misevaluations right now with this
Pacers team that has nothing to do with injury has
been center. Like when Miles Turner exited. Let again, let's
throw out letter grades here as the son of two teachers,
let's call Miles Turner a B level center in the NBA.

(16:32):
I think the Pacers thought they could patchwork it together
and get C plus center play. And I'd argue right now, James,
it is the only reason you're not an F is
because the teacher likes you.

Speaker 5 (16:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
I was gonna say, is this because one of those
scenarios where you show up.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Every day, you show up every day, you might you know,
you might be the first to pick up trash off
the floor. You know she's got you know, Oh boy,
there's just something about him that, you know what, I'm
not going to give him an.

Speaker 3 (16:58):
F Have you ever done that as a teacher.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
No, not to that degree. But I do think there
is a lay. There is a little bit of a
if you show me some quality effort and care, then
if there is a benefit of the doubt situation, I'm
probably gonna give you that more than the reverse. So
I don't know. Maybe I'm lying, Maybe I just said
that I did, but I'm not respect. I will.

Speaker 3 (17:27):
John Lanner and the YouTube chat Respect twenty nineteen National
champ Jay Huff, You cowards, John. It ain't twenty nineteen, brother,
and this is not college basketball.

Speaker 2 (17:36):
Well, I mean, Huff is a nice backup center.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
I'm gonna say, Can I say this finally? I thought
this since they signed him. So growing up when I
played basketball with my cousins in the backyard in Chicago, Romeoville. Whatever,
if someone called you Huff, you were trash, you couldn't play.
Who would say this dude is Huff. So whenever I
hear his name like this is a bad basketball name, Huff,

(18:01):
This is like the hope of Brickies up in the region.
They're basketball team, great football nickname being the brickis got
tackled by a pawle of bricks, is what they would
always say on the intercom. If you're playing basketball your
nickname is the Brickies, is not good. If your last
name is Huff and your playing basketball is not good,
no dispect to Jay Huff. Great dude, you can shoot it.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
But man, I just think of the three little pigs
when I hear Huff Puff, and I'll blow your house down.

Speaker 4 (18:24):
I haven't heard Huff to describe a bad person in
a long time. That brought me back to like middle school.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
I heard it too.

Speaker 4 (18:30):
That's amazing Illinois suburbs thing or something.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
But yeah, he's his dude. Is Huffy is just like
the PG Tour golfer Adam Shank.

Speaker 3 (18:39):
Yeah, that's not a good name. It's not a good
PGR Tour name. I know, I know we need to
have Jay Huff have the same success. But to your point,
I never thought that they could replace Miles as easily
as perhaps just this center by committee approach. And it's
kind of like the two quarterbacks you have in the NFL.
If you ain't if you don't have it, what's the

(19:00):
old saying, if you got two, you got none, right,
if you got three, you got none.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
Yeah, one thing for Monday, And if you really want to,
I mean, you are grabbing for the glass half full
right now. If you want to look at the last
three games, James, you won a game beating Charlotte, I
would say Cleveland on Friday night, you play pretty good
besides the third quarter. And then Monday against a healthy
Pistons team, you're a shot away from overtime. So again

(19:28):
we're probably really trying to reach for the optimistic glass
half full here. You could say that now for those
that are in the camp of that Zachlow audio sounds
like music to my ears. And I don't give two
bleeps about a competitive losses because you know there are
people out there right now they are already saying that
for people that are wins losses, I don't care. It's

(19:49):
all about these mock drafts right now. I do think
what Jarris Walker showed on Monday that is a piece
that is important moving forward again, can he start to
string some together? Is he when you have the Tyrese
Haliburton puzzle back together? Is he a part of it now?
I'm not saying he's a starting part of it. I

(20:12):
think that's been clear so far. He doesn't look like
that type of player for you right right, But is
he a guy that, you know whatever, can be a
top seven, top eight guy when the new iteration of
the Pacers is here, So that will continue to be
a storyline for the Pacers. Reminder seven thirty tonight, Mark,
will you double check that? I want to say it
is WTCHR simulcast for the Pacers. I think they had

(20:34):
that announcement earlier this week. We saw them have a
few games on WTHR last year, so for those that
don't have fan duels, just exactly. Denari Quinn jj over
on WHR, I want to say there's eleven such games
this year, and I want to say tonight is the
first of those. Seven thirty tip looking for their first
road win of the year.

Speaker 3 (20:56):
Got to get it done. I have a story about Toronto.
I think I told you all this before. Yes, today's
the first game. My thank you Mark on.

Speaker 4 (21:06):
WHR w ALV is that like the Sister's Day. First
four are on w ALV. So it's November twenty sixth, tonight,
December fifth at Chicago, December eighteenth against the Knicks, December
twentieth at New Orleans, and then the WTHR games start
on January sixteenth.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
And they did this with a fever. You know a
few of these games on w ALV. Got the Turkey
hat man my chin I look like at nine chins
on the old YouTube chat and I tightened.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
Oh, gobble gobble over there.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
That's an understatement. You probably had his like Madden in
sweat right now. Yeah, it's got a very high. You know,
the feathers are great. You feel those things up there.
I wonder how long it's abing to make that. I
know it's quite impressive. There's nothing I could do less
than knit. You imagine if they're like Kevin, you're fired
from the radio station, Go be a knitter. Can you

(21:55):
imagine what? Hey, but what my art org would look like?

Speaker 3 (21:59):
To feed my niece, Nelly, you better get to knitton.
I know that Maddie's gonna be telling you, like, hey,
hold on now, I'm not gonna be the only brain
winter in his household.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
Nelly had three poops in thirteen minutes last night at
about four am, Like, how is that? Humanly?

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Man?

Speaker 2 (22:13):
A what's y'all feeding a laxatives? How could a human
that size produce that in such a short amount of time?

Speaker 4 (22:21):
Three poops and thirteen that's has Rookie numbers Man talk
to me after like a trip to Taco bell or
something on a Saturday night.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
And like marked, I think comparing himself to a half
he always said he has not only grown up, so
you might need the adult diaper permanently.

Speaker 4 (22:39):
There's times when I've needed it. Oh man, I've done
those runs to the bathroom before I'm like, please, no
one be in.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
There have to be a massacre.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
Someone said, Nelly's a legend for that respect, respect greatness
when you see it, Okay, Kevin.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Yeah, Hey, that's one way too interpret it. We'll talk
to Colt steven Holder. Coming up to the other side.
Butler's got a Friday after noon game over there at
Hinklefield House after their impressive we Hey, you want to
talk impressive right now? You look at the past week.
Purdue two non conference wins on a neutral floor, Butler
two non conference wins on a neutral floor. Indiana at

(23:13):
home last night, but they get a notable win. So
State of Indiana. Some nice wins here on the resume.
Shout out to the fighting Irish beating Rutgers yesterday, and
you see who they drew in the I don't even
know what place game they call in Vegas. Have you
seen this Vegas Tournament? How weird it is? I have not, actually,
so basically all these teams are just doing it to
get nil money. That's why they're playing the Vegas Tournament. No,

(23:34):
hardly anyone.

Speaker 3 (23:35):
Don't they have another one like post He's the term
of the Crown or something like that.

Speaker 2 (23:38):
Yeah, this is Layers era festival. Yeah, I think it
is similar. So notre name had two games Kansas and
Rutgers they knew about. But the third game you were
to play wasn't garrin what. You didn't know who your
opponent was or who win the game would be played.
And you know, I'm sitting there after the third poop

(23:58):
and I'm like, all right, I can't fall back to sleep.
Let me scroll see who Notre Dame plays today. They've
got Houston at three point thirty today. I'm like, what,
how in the world do they get the number three
team in the nation. What are we doing here? Can
buckle up? It's time to get playing on Syracuse football
on the hardwood here and see if we can try
and go to in one in Vegas.

Speaker 5 (24:18):
I'll tell you what.

Speaker 3 (24:18):
I'll still say, Jeremiah level on the hardwood over those
what I just saw from that team. Also from Jordan
Chewing our YouTube chat Mark just called Kevin's babies poop
game huff.

Speaker 2 (24:27):
Yeah, that's right, step it up, Nelly.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
That's like a mad live right, that's a great mad lift.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
People from Indy, is was huff a derogatory you know,
playground term? I thought it was at Midwest thing.

Speaker 4 (24:39):
Maybe it's just an Illinois But I don't remember people
saying that on the basketball court during.

Speaker 2 (24:44):
If I got called huff, that would hurt the spirit.
I know, go take a lap. You're huff like man,
but a right chest, poor j huff. We'll talk all
other side. Stephen Holder joins us next.

Speaker 6 (24:55):
All right, eight.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
O'clock here on Thanksgiving Eve. We've got a loaded one
for you, Thad Model, I canna join us, coming up
eight thirty. Was talk some bucket game with Matt Weaver
from the EU side of it at nine to thirty.
One of the busiest and frankly all year long, but
especially this week. The great great Greg straw Well join
us coming up at nine thirty. But it's a big
one inside of Lukasoil Stadium on Sunday afternoon. To talk

(25:17):
more about that. Let's head of the Palost Sickers hotline
right now from ESPN. He is Steven Holder. Steven Happy
Thanksgiving Eve to you.

Speaker 5 (25:27):
Yeah, saying to you guys and shout out to Mark
for the mid career Kanye West right there when he
was like, you know, kind of sort of sort of
kind of normal.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
I wish we could go back to that as kind
of I know, it was a great, good call, Stephen.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
I think the description of sort of kind of normal
had me laughing out loud. There Stephen holding Stephen were we.

Speaker 5 (25:47):
Were starting to see signs. We were starting to see
signs at that stage. But go ahead, Stephen.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
It's funny you use that to describe Kanye West, because
I feel like, sort of kind of I don't know
what is up with the Daniel Jones injury situation. Is
that how you would describe this fibula thing.

Speaker 5 (26:03):
Yeah, I don't think it's the end of the world,
but I don't think it's nothing. You know, I think
when you look at it's not just that scramble that
we're all talking about, where I thought it was very
evident that he was gimpy. That is not the Daniel
Jones that I have come to know this year, which
is a guy who just leisurely finishes a play. That

(26:27):
if anything, he's been the guy who we have said, hey, hey,
chill out, okay, and here's this guy just sort of
gingerly running out of bounds, you know, within no side
of a defender. That was that was interesting, But it's
more than that. I think you have to ask questions
when you see his accuracy at times, not all the time.

(26:51):
I think in very small instances. You saw him make
some errant throws and we all kind of looked at
each other, like, man, he missed that one. And that's
not something we've been saying about Daniel Jones, right, So again,
I am not attributing that to whatever is going on
with him physically, But I think that allows us to

(27:12):
have this discourse and raise more questions because those things
did happen and we don't know enough about the injury.
So that's just how it.

Speaker 3 (27:19):
Goes to piggyback off of that. Steven, I've been kicking
this question around basically since we left Kansas City the
other night. How much of the coult be looking at
the franchise tag now versus I don't know five weeks ago,
when Daniel Jones is playing at an all world level.

Speaker 5 (27:43):
Well, I think that's a fair question or a good question.
I think I think that he will answer that question
in the next few weeks. You know, they don't have
to make the decision now, which is a good thing. However,
I think that's just the point, is that the next
few weeks really gonna shape I think how this offseason goes,

(28:03):
whether it is how much they pay Daniel Jones, whether
it's how they do it. You know, you brought the
franchise tag, you know, does that come into play. I
think all of that will get clarified here down the stretch.
That's kind of what I wrote about today. I think
that's really you know, he has to answer the bell.
That's basically what this is. Because for all the people,

(28:26):
I think there's still been some disagreement on Daniel Jones
this here, whether it's my own colleague Teddy Bruski, whatever, right,
there's been some There's been some sentiment that like the
jury is still out and is this just a product
of the system, all that stuff, right, Okay, Well, the
beauty of it is here is your opportunity go get

(28:49):
your team into the playoffs, win the division, and set
them up for success. That is the challenge for Daniel
Jones here. And I'm not putting it all on him,
of course not, that's not the job. But he has
to step up, There's no question about that. And this
is going to be a test for him, and I
think we're going to learn a lot about him.

Speaker 2 (29:07):
Steven hold It from ESPN with the seat on the
Payless Slickers hot line. Steven, if you assigned a letter
grade to the Colts defense for the effort Sunday in
Kansas City. Your letter grade would be what.

Speaker 5 (29:20):
Oh man, I don't think people will agree with me,
but I would say a B minus. And the reason
I know that fourth quarter, I know it was painful,
I get it, but I blame as much the offense
for that as the defense. I think where I downgrade

(29:41):
them the most is ultimately, when you have a chance
to get off the field, you have to you have
to pass that test, and they did not at times.
But I also think when you look at how they
played throughout that game up until the fourth quarter, did
you think much of the Chiefs offense. No. And the
reason for that is because the defense did a hell

(30:03):
of a job. So I have a hard time just
completely ignoring that because of the way they played throughout
the game. I mean, Mahomes was holding the ball and
holding the ball, I mean all day long, and he
wasn't doing that for his health. He had nowhere to
throw it. I just think at the end of the day,
ninety plus plays is unsustainable. Any defense on the planet

(30:28):
is going to look awful after ninety plays. That's a
game and a half worth of snaps. It is what
it is, and I think that was a bigger factor
than we probably are are crediting.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
James kind of had audible reaction when I brought this
up yesterday. I think Matt Taylor shared this on Colt
Around Table Live Monday night. But if you look at
the yardage from Sunday, Steven, the Colts got out gained
by like I want to say, it's right around two forty.
That is the most they've been out gained in a
game since twenty seventeen, which I was I was stunned by,

(31:02):
and like you know, when you hear now that yardage
is everything, But I think it is an indicator of
sometimes how you know in control of the game you are,
or how much you know whatever between the twenties, maybe
you play well. Like I didn't walk away from Sunday
thinking the Chiefs nearly doubled up the Colts from a
dominant standpoint. You know, it just Sunday had such an

(31:23):
odd feel to it in you know, the twenty four
to forty eight hour aftermath and kind of how you
assess that game.

Speaker 5 (31:30):
I think, you know, listen, that is an awful stat
but it's also a team stat and I think it
also speaks to to you know, to that point, I
think it speaks to the fact that the offense had
one of its worst days in terms of yardage. I
don't know if that was a season low.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
But I think it was season low.

Speaker 5 (31:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:50):
I think like two fifty something.

Speaker 5 (31:51):
Yeah, yeah, Daniel Jones season low. I believe in yardedge
as well, Jonathan Taylor. I think second or third lowest
game in terms of yardage. I mean, you got to
move the ball, all right, you got to move the ball.
And and I think we we we sometimes I think

(32:12):
since that game have overlooked the fact that they had
they had the makings of a good opening drive to
start the game, but short circuit themselves with the penalties,
which was a theme throughout and the only reason they
got on the board there was the turnover down by
mahomes Uh to the interception. To a lot too. Without that,

(32:33):
which is, you know, put the inside the ten yard line,
I mean, that game probably is a lot different and
and we, you know, we we we give the offense
credit for that, but like, let's be honest, that's a
lot too, you know, so I think we gotta we
got to keep that in mind too. Like the offense,
they just absolutely did not do their part. I don't
really think throughout that game they did anything consistently and ultimately, uh,

(32:59):
that's that's why they were where they were now. The
defense didn't step up when the time came, but they
should have never been in that position.

Speaker 3 (33:07):
Again, we're joined by ESPN's Stephen Holder. He covers the
Colts obviously be doing it for quite a while here
in the city, Stephen Pivoting to the injury front, we
have now found out that Ashton Doolan will be on
injury reserve due to a hamstring injury. He is out
at least four weeks, is not eligible to return at

(33:28):
the earliest until week seventeen, and I believe that is
actually a road game against the Jaguars. So all that
in mind, how much of a loss do you think
that is considering how much Ashton Doolan does from offense,
special teams, and even defense at times.

Speaker 5 (33:51):
Yeah, I mean, I think the totality of his role
is very important. And by that, I mean when you
combine everything that he does. Okay, whether it's his role
as the fourth receiver, which doesn't sound like much until
you actually get a twisted ankle, okay, with one of

(34:11):
your top receivers, you know, and then what he does
on special teams, which will never be valued at an
adequate level, right, because we're all the same, we always
overlook special teams. Right. But I think when you add
up everything that he contributes, he is one of their
most important players. I mean, I don't think that is

(34:33):
an exaggeration. So do I think this is gonna hurt? Hell, yes,
it's gonna hurt. You know, whether they need to make
a move at wide receiver, I don't know that they will.
I think I think they will lean on treadwell, which
they have done at times when when they've been down
a body at that position. But that doesn't mean this
won't hurt. This is this is gonna be problematic for them.

(34:57):
I think.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
Can Steven hold Her from ESPN Colt say, you usually
would say back to practice today, It'll be a walkthrough
as they get ready for a big one coming up
Sunday about a three point favorite over the Houston Texans
inside of Lucas Soil Stadium. Steven, we will see you
in a bits and a happy, happy Thanksgiving to you
and the family.

Speaker 5 (35:16):
All right, same to you guys, and see you soon.

Speaker 3 (35:18):
Wait, I have a question. Are you selling the line?
I am all right Thanksgiving favorite meal or favorite side
dish at the Thanksgiving table? And then the one you're like,
I'm not eating that, no matter how good you tell
me it is.

Speaker 5 (35:36):
Okay, So I don't know why, but I love dressing
and and don't for those of you out there who
are about to come at me with some stuffing, no, okay, no,
they're not the same. If you don't know the difference,
Google is your friend. Stuffing is like my favorite all

(35:57):
time side. I'm sorry. Dressing is my all time favorite
side if it's done right, like it's got to have
you know, got to have some meat in. There's got
to you know, you got to do it right. But
if you do it right, yes, that is my thing.
I could eat a plate of it, which is awful
for you, but I can do it.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
And the one you kick it to the curb.

Speaker 5 (36:19):
Oh, I'm not saying this is like a regular at
my house. But like I can scare me to green beans,
I don't. I don't really care about beans. You sound
like my tap right now, anti vegetable. I'm not anti
vegetable or anything, but like, you know, I feel.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
Like green beans is the saying I put on the
plate where I'm like this, I'm allowed to eat the
rest because I'm put the green beans on. That's kind
of how I do it, all right, AI is saying
stuffing is a bread mixture cooked inside the cavity of
a poultry, while dressing is a similar mixture cooked separately
in a casserole dish.

Speaker 5 (36:54):
There you go. There's a very key difference, and one
it's just a tool. The other one is actually like
for you to really like legit eat. So that's how
I see it.

Speaker 2 (37:07):
Stuffing cooks And wait, I didn't realize this stuffing.

Speaker 5 (37:09):
Then they are even more confused. Now I know.

Speaker 3 (37:11):
I'm going to taller class with Stephen Older and Kevin Bowen.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
Some you know call the Pioneer Woman. Some called Steven Holder,
food network expert here on the Payloss Slickers hotline.

Speaker 5 (37:21):
So listen, listen, Let's be clear. Now listen, my expertise
is eating, not cooking.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
But yeah, right, but but I know what I'm talking
about consuming better than preparing. Let's make sure we describe
it correctly. Steven, Thank you man. I'll see you guys,
all right, final hour of the week for us. Here
reminder we will have your coverage on variety of stations
for the Issa State Football Championships this weekend. We'll go

(37:48):
odd classes on Friday, we'll go even on Saturday, so
that means opposite the Bucket Game Friday night will be
the Pirates of Maryville. Correct, James talked about that earlier.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
Yes, shout out to Brad Cease, the head coach there.
Good dude, they.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Will take on New pal and newpal goes without saying
what they have done here recently with Kyle Ralph and
company as they really blew out Bloomson South in the
summer day.

Speaker 3 (38:13):
Around best coaches probably in the state any sport.

Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yeah, he is building quite the resume there over in
Hancock County and speaking of the Bucket game to talk
more about it. So let's head to the Palot Suckers
hotline right now. A Happy Thanksgiving to our next guest.
He is Matt Weaver offpeags dot com. What's up, Matt?

Speaker 5 (38:32):
How you doing man? Pretty good? Kevin, how are you guys?

Speaker 3 (38:36):
We are great.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
It sounded like a health update from kurtin Signetti was
pretty good earlier in the week, right Sarat Kamara both
back in the lineup on Friday night. That's the thought
at least.

Speaker 8 (38:46):
Yeah, and it sounds like, you know, there was a
chance for Drew Evans. He said they know more that day.
Obviously we haven't got anything since then, since we haven't
had any media availability, But yeah, getting Sarat getting back
is definitely huge, and you know, uh big for their offense.
I mean, you know, they've obviously kind of struggled the

(39:07):
last couple weeks a little bit, and I think that's
been part of it, not having that go to guy
out there.

Speaker 5 (39:11):
But yeah, getting him back would definitely be, definitely be huge.

Speaker 8 (39:14):
And then Kamara, I think he played one one possession,
uh one series I'm sorry in the uh in the
Wisconsin game before he came out. So yeah, obviously two
very important pieces for IU Matt.

Speaker 3 (39:27):
When you look at what i U is trying to do,
which is finish out the regular season undefeated. How big
do you think this game is from the standpoint of
We've got our guys kind of back healthy and we
want to make sure we're in a pretty good rhythm
otter they're having a week off.

Speaker 8 (39:42):
Yeah, I think it'll be important. I mean, I do
think the biggest thing this, you know, and everybody's beat up.
I mean, Indiana is not like the exception here, but
they they kind of limped in the to this bye
week and then but this bye week came out a
really good time because maybe sputtering is too strong of
a word, but they'd certain weren't playing at the same
level that they had played earlier in the.

Speaker 5 (40:02):
Season the last few weeks.

Speaker 8 (40:04):
Now they got the wins, and I mean, when you
beat another Big Ten team by twenty four and you're
doing it playing maybe you're you know, c plus game
that that's pretty good, but you know you're gonna have
to play a lot better after after this week, when
you get into the Big Ten championship and into the
College Football playoff, you know, if you want to make
some noise. So yeah, getting these guys back, I mean,

(40:24):
I still would you know if it was me. You know,
hopefully you can get up big in the second half,
and you can maybe you can kind of you know,
not push guys. I mean, you know, serats a hamstring
and it's gonna be cold, and obviously those things can
be tricky, so you don't want to you don't want
to overdo it, but definitely would like to get him
back in there because he's you know, he hasn't played
basically like three games, so you'd really like to get

(40:44):
him in there and get that rhythm going back again
with Fernando Mendoza because they had it going so good
earlier in the year. But yeah, that is important. It's
it's tough. You got to balance that, like I said,
and balance not overdoing it so that you're healthy for
the following week if you're playing whoever it is a
house state most likely, and then and you know, a
couple of weeks after that when you get into the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
Okay, well, let's get into a little bit more of that.
Mattweaverpeags dot com. So the seat on the Payloffs Sickers hotline.
It's rather absurd that you know, this is even a conversation.
But in the this day and age in college football, Matt,
there is a little bit of a question on what
exactly these conference championships mean. Now, historically it goes without
saying what it would mean for Indiana to win a

(41:24):
Big Ten football championship, But let's just talk in the
twenty twenty five winning it would do what you know,
I guess you would get the one seed, you get
the first choice of a neutral site game. Am I
missing anything else on what winning it would mean? Obviously,
as we saw last year, Ohio State didn't even make
it and won it all.

Speaker 8 (41:44):
Yeah, I'm not really sure. I think it's more you
get a trophy, I guess, and you get to say
you're the Big Ten champs.

Speaker 7 (41:50):
I think.

Speaker 8 (41:51):
I think whoever wins that game would get I think
they're slotted to the Rose Bowl, because that's kind.

Speaker 5 (41:56):
Of the big thing.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
No matter what, you go to the Rose Bowl.

Speaker 8 (41:59):
I think I think so, And for me personally, I
actually don't want to. I'd better go somewhere where it's
not as far as a flight and travels a little
bit easier. But that's me being selfish.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
But it's Dallas. Is it Dallas, Atlanta, Miami or the
Rose Bowl?

Speaker 5 (42:15):
Is that right? Yeah? Yeah?

Speaker 8 (42:16):
And I would my guess is this is just me guessing,
but like the se top SEC teams, I would think
it's probably gonna get.

Speaker 5 (42:22):
It's not at Lante.

Speaker 8 (42:23):
I think it's New Orleans, Miami, Dallas, and the Rose Bowl,
So I would think they probably get the Sugar Bowl.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
That's more of an SEC game year.

Speaker 8 (42:31):
Ye right, yeah, historically, so I would think, and then Miami,
I'm not I you know, so I guess it'd be
maybe Miami or Dallas if you lose, you if you
lose that Big Ten championship. But I'm not really sure
what it does. I saw Rich Eiden kind of going
off about this about like you're gonna you know, you're
gonna kill an undefeated season for one of your teams
the Big Ten is, and I mean, I kind of

(42:52):
see his point, but I don't know. I mean, I
think it's you know, you're gonna make money, You're gonna
sell a bunch of tickets, You're gonna fill up Lucas
Oil because if ahow States there, it's gonna be packed
and be packed probably no matter what, but definitely if
they're there. So, you know, I don't know what it
does for you that the Committee's always said that they
don't put a ton of stock into it. So I
think even if Indiana loses, unless they just get absolutely
dog walked, I think they stay in the top four

(43:13):
and they still get a bye. So, I mean, other
than getting post potentially getting guys hurt, I'm not sure
where there's a whole lot of benefit for you, you know,
in playing this game. And here's the other thing. This
is a weird thing to say, but it's hard to
be the team twice in one year. So let's just
say you going there and you beat Ohao State, if
you meet him. I mean, I just think it's tough.
I think it's really tough to beat the team twice

(43:35):
in one year. That's why I like in the second
if Indy I gets to buy, I'd rather not. If
I'm Indiana, rather not play Oregon, the number one team
I'd rather not play, and Keneral is another Dame because
another Dame is playing fantastic right now, and Jeremiah Love
is a freaking beast, So I don't want to play
Notre Dame in that in that quarterfinal round. If I'm
if I'm a team, I think they're an absolute dangerous team.
But I think it's tough to play a team be
him twice in one year. So it's just weird if

(43:57):
you have to playoff of state and you're playing potentially
what a month later and possibly the national championship game.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Yeah, it's just some odd conversations regarding conference championships. I
you know, just hearing you discuss it all, I'm like
nodding my head. But then I'm like, man, give it
the history of the Indiana football program. You know, accomplishing
a Big Ten championship would obviously be something incredible. All right,
let's shift gears individually. Fernando Mendoza, it still appears to
be the favorite for the Heisman Trophy you mentioned love.

(44:26):
You know, his name is obviously grown a little bit.
We'll see what Julian Saying can do in a you
know what will be a heavily watched game coming up
on Saturday with Ohio State in Michigan. If Mendoza just
kind of doesn't do anything too, I guess negative is
that your thought that he will win the Heisman here
coming up?

Speaker 8 (44:45):
I mean, I guess he Listen, Fernando's had a great year,
he really has. He's done a lot of special things.
But let's be honest, this is not a this is
not a vintage Heisman, you know race. There's not like
a couple of two or three guys that are just
you know, blowing everybody, you know, I mean like they're
playing like an incredible level, playing a really high levels.
Don't get me wrong, but usually you have, you know,
a couple of guys that are just doing something ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
I guess.

Speaker 8 (45:08):
So, I mean again, I think Jeremiah Loves should be
in a conversation big time. I mean, they've got a
freshman quarterback up there. He is just ridiculous.

Speaker 5 (45:17):
You know.

Speaker 8 (45:17):
I get the acc is not that is not great,
but the bottom line is they're they're curb stomping people.
I mean that game against Syracuse, they could have named
the score. But yeah, I mean, I think Julian's saying,
obviously he's done great things in the last couple of weeks.
He hasn't had uh uh, he has had you know,
May arguably the best receiver in football. And Carnel Tate
is right up there too.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
That those guys have been banged up.

Speaker 8 (45:38):
So I mean, I think I think it's to me,
it's kind of a three horse race, and I you know,
I think it's kind of this is you know, obviously
non quarterbacks have won up before it happened last year,
but it's to me, it's kind of like in the NFL,
I think quarterbacks get a little bit more of an
advantage when you're playing for these individual awards that maybe
a running back or somebody else unless they just do something,

(45:59):
you know, and cry. So I would say he's probably
the favorite. But for me, and while it would be
great for an Indiana player to win the Heisman, the
most important thing is getting through this week and obviously
the Big Ten Championship is healthy as possible so that
you can make a run for a national title.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
Last one from me, Matt. Along those lines, though, do
you think he cares about it? I know when we
ask players that as reporters, are like a team first,
but it's the highest what we're talking about.

Speaker 8 (46:28):
Oh, I think I think I think any player cares
about individual awards. I do think Fernando is about team first,
and I think, listen, I think Fernando came to Indiana
because he wanted to be coached so he can get
to the next level. I think I think his ultimate
goal is to be an NFL quarterback, which is a
goal of probably almost any player in college football. And
I think that's his biggest goal. And I think that's
what he would say individually if he wins the Heisman.

(46:49):
I think, of course he'd love to win the Heisman.
Who wouldn't. I mean that's that's a big deal. But
at the end of the day, if they tell him
we're gonna go through the playoff and you're gonna throw
the ball twenty times a game, we're gonna run it.
Not Onlessen are gonna do this. We're gonna run at
forty forty five times a game because that's how we
think we can win. I think he would be like, okay,
or you know whatever. I obviously the heismanvie before that,
but like in the Ohio State game or the Perduo

(47:09):
game this week, he's gonna do what's best for the team.
And if the Heisman comes from that, great, and if
it doesn't, I mean I don't I think he'll be
okay with that. But yeah, he's a he's a competitor.
I mean, you know, and Fernando is I mean, you've
seen him. He's outstanding interviews. He always says the right thing.
But I would say, deep down, if you if you
put him on the LNE detective tests, he said, yeah,
I'd love to win the Heisman. Who wouldn't.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
I feel like part of Ames gotta be like, I'm
better than these dudes. He wouldn't say that, but I'll
say it.

Speaker 6 (47:34):
For him.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
Is the thought his brother will be the starter next year.

Speaker 8 (47:40):
Well, I think he'll be in the mix. I mean,
here's the thing. Let's I think it's I think there's
a better chance of me being the quarterback in Indiana
next year than Fernando Mendoza because he's gonna go pro.
I guess, unless he just doesn't want to play for
the Jets or possibly the Browns, which I don't think
I could blame him, but you know, I think it's
pretty I think it's pretty much a foregone conclusion. This
isn't so worse, This is just this is just being logical.

(48:02):
He's gonna go pro. If you look at their quarterback
room after that, they just they you know, they've parted
ways with their twenty twenty six commit Cascier era Tyler
Cherry's expected to be back on the roster after missing
this year with the knee injury. And then they have
another young quarterback that's a true freshman o the Illinoid,
Jacob Bell. So you have an incredibly incredibly inexperienced quarterback

(48:23):
room for twenty twenty six.

Speaker 5 (48:24):
They're gonna go get a transfer.

Speaker 8 (48:25):
Now, who that is, and what kind of level he'll be,
will be a guy that comes in and you know
you he's not. It's not like the Ferndo Mendoza where
he's basically annointed the starter, or will be somebody where
you just want to bring in somebody who can provide
competition and has a chance to win the job, but
for an end or I'm sorry, Alberto is still you know,
a part of that discussion. But they're going to bring
in a transfer.

Speaker 7 (48:45):
There's no you.

Speaker 6 (48:46):
You have to.

Speaker 8 (48:46):
It would be honestly coaching negligence if you didn't, because
if some if Alberto would get hurt, you're turning to
a guy who literally has never taken a snap in
college football, and you just can't do that. So they'll
bring in a transfer. But I think he will definitely
be in the mix. So I think he's got a
good shot to win the job. He's a talentan. We
just haven't seen him when the bullets are really real.
We've seen him a mop up time and he's looked great.

(49:07):
But it's a lot different coming in forty nine ten
than when the score is maybe ten to ten.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
He could very well get in coming up on Friday,
night with how Indiana has played here as of late,
it is the Bucket Game, twenty eight and a half
point favorite Indiana over Purdue in this one again seven
thirty coming up from Wes Lafia, Matt, have a great
Thanksgiving man, you.

Speaker 8 (49:28):
Two guys, thanks so much for having me on Indiana.

Speaker 2 (49:32):
Sports Writer of the Year finalists. Our very own James Bord.

Speaker 9 (49:34):
How about our next guests, Indiana Sportscaster finalists, No surprise whatsoever,
the one, the only, Greg Rakestraw Right, congrats.

Speaker 6 (49:46):
Brother, thank you, appreciate Dad, and good luck to the
other four finalists in Christini, Rob Blackman, Andrew Chernoff, and
Mark Boyle.

Speaker 7 (49:55):
I am honored to be part of such a group.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
Well, they are honored to be a part of view
on that list there, Ray, this is one of my
favorite weeks of the year. I know it's a week
that has your schedule crowded like none other. Last night
over on the West Side, what does the entire week
look like? I believe you've got a college basketball game
on Friday?

Speaker 7 (50:17):
I do so.

Speaker 6 (50:18):
Last night was game one of six for me, not
counting the Colts on Sunday to the night as Avon
and Plainfield with a season opener, and Plainfield has a
chance to do some damage in four A this year.
They're part of a loaded schedule sectional that Ben Davis
is a part of. Pike maybe the best team in
the state and it's in that sectional.

Speaker 2 (50:35):
Two.

Speaker 6 (50:36):
Plainfield is led by Noah Smith. That's going to go
play at DePaul for Chris Holtman next year and is
unlikely Indiana All Star. Avon's got some young pieces around
Jendiah Minette and a new coach and Corey Taylor who
led Ben Davis the state championship game back in twenty
twenty four. That's tonight's game at seven thirty on my
Inde TV. Been on Friday afternoon, I will have the

(50:58):
Butler Wright State game on n Plus. I was great
to hear Fad model the program early. I'll be catching
up with Fad coming up on Friday morning before the
game and then it's five a Friday.

Speaker 7 (51:10):
Night for me.

Speaker 6 (51:11):
And on Saturday, I you Indy Moorhead stayed at two
and then the six A game at seven o'clock Saturday night.

Speaker 5 (51:19):
Rake.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
When you look at these football matchups, first off, I'll
back up and say I saw you last time at
Beata and get a chance to go over there. You
were doing your thing on the airways, but certainly a
great game we saw last night.

Speaker 6 (51:31):
First of all, you could have come over because of
the late start of the JV game fair fifty minutes
a live pregame on television. You would have been welcomed
to come over and say hello, we're to turn a headset.
Ond you would not let you leave for ten minutes. Secondarily,
I did points since you were sitting next to our
great mutual friend John Eastern mid court.

Speaker 7 (51:51):
Yes, And I went to Jason Thompson since I had
a camera guy or me. I said, hey, I said,
you see that guy down there, that's James Boyd. Then
he pointed. I said, no, no, no, that's my buddy Johnny's.
The guy next to him is James Boyce.

Speaker 6 (52:02):
So we got you a congratulatory shout out for your
finalist status all on the broadcast last.

Speaker 2 (52:08):
Night, much appreciation.

Speaker 6 (52:10):
I thought it was of Nodes that I pointed out
two people in the stands the we could get on camera,
the other one being you know, Jason Gardner's dad who
flew in from Arizona to watch him play. We didn't
get Jason Gardner's dad on camera. We got James Boyd
on camera, hashtigen priorities.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (52:28):
I appreciate that Rick always the consummate pro. But looking
ahead to this weekend, obviously huge games, legacies and the
such will be decided for certain programs. What are some
perhaps underrated storylines we should pay attention to? Because I
know the big one is Brownsbury trying to go back
to back and remain undefeated for the second traight year.

Speaker 6 (52:49):
You know, I really think we're gonna have five or
maybe even all six games to be pretty competitive.

Speaker 7 (52:55):
You know. The one that you don't think will be
just because what they.

Speaker 6 (52:58):
Have done to virtually everybody else they have played is
New Pal. I know Varravilt got some serious talent and
serious speed on that team. Can they handle the physicality
of New Pal and New Pal for what they have done?

Speaker 7 (53:14):
There are two stats that jump off the page to me.

Speaker 6 (53:18):
If they are to win this game, they will have
beaten a ranked team every round of the tournament. That
has not been done since we went to an all
in tournament format in nineteen eighty five. Now again in
five A and six A. Because it's only thirty something
teams and ten teams are ranked. It's a little easier

(53:39):
to do that, but it's still literally the toughest path
you could possibly have, and Newpal has aced.

Speaker 7 (53:45):
Them all so far.

Speaker 6 (53:46):
Other thing that should tell you the amazing job that
Kyle Ralph is in a New Pal. If they win,
it's the fifth time they would have won a championship
in undefeated fashion.

Speaker 7 (53:57):
The other two coaches that have done that.

Speaker 6 (53:59):
But right, Dick Nollahan, that should get your attention in
terms of kind of what Kyle has meant in a
short amount of time to Indiana high school football. But
in all of these games, you know, you have got
communities that either have not been there before, communities that
have not been there in a long time. You have

(54:19):
some traditional powers like Ron Colly and Dwinger. Who would
have thought when Ron Colly beat him three nothing in
Week one it'd be a state championship rematch, But that's
where we are in four A. But again, JB, I
think the overarching theme is I really think at least
five of these games should be pretty competitive, one or
two score games.

Speaker 2 (54:40):
And you got me on a Jason Gardner rabbit hole
right now. I didn't realize he's the third leading scorer
all time in Arizona. I knew he had a really
impressive career there, I didn't realize he was that high
on the list. Greg greg Shaw went to here payless
Slickers hotline rate. Just to remind everybody from a viewing standpoint,
is I just ATV's got an app? Right, you can

(55:00):
go there?

Speaker 6 (55:01):
And what is it?

Speaker 2 (55:01):
Is it twenty bucks for the whole for all six
games or twenty five bucks something like that.

Speaker 7 (55:07):
Something along those lines. It is IHSAATV. Don't organ again.

Speaker 6 (55:10):
What I would suggest is simply buy a weekend pass
because basically you can buy one game, or for a
couple of bucks more, you can buy all six games. Uh,
and it's a little more consider your Black Friday savings
from the IHSAA. So simply put go to ihsaatv dot
org and it will be easy to follow the prompts.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
Okay, your favorite storyline one A to three A. I
know we do a lot obviously. You just mentioned ron Kylie,
you just mentioned New Pal, We get the six A
rematch with Westfield and Brownsburg. But if we trimmed it
down to one A, two A and three A.

Speaker 5 (55:43):
What do you like.

Speaker 6 (55:45):
Cascade going for a first time jumps off the page
in me uh and the fact that they you know,
they kind of had the stage for themselves. And I
love the reference that was made if you had if
you had the helicopter, the drone would have looked like
the end of Field of Dreams. Everybody trying to get
to Cascade High School to and from on Saturday night
going to there are over four thousand folks that were

(56:06):
at that game, most if not all, of southwestern Hendrix
County will be off a three eight game on Friday afternoon.
The other story that stands out to me is that
Reid May, the head coach at Brownstown Central, has been
doing this for a long time. As over three hundred wins,
his winning percentage is somewhere in the eighty five percent range.

(56:27):
Brownstown Central has been the best team in their league
for a long time, and they have always been one
of the two smallest football playing schools in the Mid
Southern Conference. And here they are finally getting to a
state championship game. So it's kind of a career crowning
achievement for Reed to be able to bring Brownstown Central
to a state championship game and from a South Putnam standpoint,

(56:49):
They've been good for a long time. They've been kind
of knocking on the door. They running a Lutheran or Providence.
That was not the case in either situation. This year,
Providence got beaten by Milan South them went to Myland
and handled them rather easily. And I've known Chuck Sorel,
their head coach, back to his playing days at Franklin
College twenty five years ago.

Speaker 7 (57:11):
So I am. I'm so happy for Chuck.

Speaker 6 (57:13):
I had a good chance to catch up with him
and see him on Monday. But I think of one
h or three those are the immediate things that come
to mind.

Speaker 3 (57:21):
So Rake, I know you don't count it in your
six games coming up, but you do have a Colts
game to call, So what are your thoughts on the
opportunity that awaits against Houston and perhaps how formidable that
defense is considering the gut wrenching loss to Coles just
came off of in Kansas City.

Speaker 7 (57:41):
Yeah, quite formidable.

Speaker 6 (57:42):
And again, and I point this out on the post
game show Sunday, that's not the way NFL players or
coaches think. But maybe this is a recalibration for fans.
I'm not saying the way, bye bye the dream of
being the number one seed in the AFC South, But
now the focuses are remember when seeing the AFC, but
now the focus is on the AFC South. The next
two games will determine what the conversation looks like for

(58:04):
the following four weeks.

Speaker 7 (58:06):
If the Colts can find a way.

Speaker 6 (58:08):
To win against Houston and beat Jacksonville, the AFC South
is theirs. And now realistically, you're playing for a first
weekend by you're playing for a second potential home game.
But now you got to take care of business. And
you know, when the season started, I almost think the
overwhelming thought was, Hey, if you're in the neighborhood of
five hundred, you've got those four division games left of

(58:31):
your last six. You win those, you're gonna be okay.
And that is still the prevailing wisdom, even after a
much better start than anybody would have anticipated. So the
finish was obviously disappointing on Sunday afternoon, But at the
same time, this is one you ultimately got to kind
of flush quickly because you know, Houston's playing better football

(58:53):
and Jacksonville's playing better football, and if you can win
these next two then maybe we're talking about potentially deep
run into the month of January when.

Speaker 2 (59:02):
It comes to sports in this state. As we go
around the Thanksgiving table, we are very thankful for the one,
the only great Rake Straw. That is abundantly true, and
he is going to be a busy man in our
ears and on our television sets coming up here over
the next few days. Rake, don't know if I'll see
you later today at Colts, but if not, I'll certainly
see you this weekend and see you on Sunday.

Speaker 6 (59:24):
All right, thanks, well, let's see you later.