Monday 12/29: Colts lose sixth straight, eliminated from playoffs

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
They seized the fan morning show with Kibi Shab and Jeff.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
The hot start is what probably makes the whole thing
hurt even more. But the fact that they were at
eight you know so soon it's you know, that class
of his at eighteen, the.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Quinton's class and the nsiing those guys.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
It's ahead of a class. These just know it doesn't
last forever. You have had one right, one or two
appearances and you just go, man, is there is a
time going to run out? And that's just reality, right,
he was my son.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
First in ten around a seventeen yard line of the Colts,
Lawrence again backs to pass, fires at left side around
the numbers, and they lateral back to a receiver.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I think the Colts have recovered.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
I'll lose football.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
What stepson ever? Come third and goal rivers out of
the gun as the troops at the right has Taylor
the back right, they give it to Taylor right at.

Speaker 5 (00:47):
The middle, moving left.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Touchdown Chonathan Taylor with this eighteenth rushing touchdown of this season.
Receiver motions to the right. That's partner Washington back in
the throw with Lawrence in the get dancing fires into
the end zone and it is intersectment and picked off
fuck Jermain Pratt in the back run.

Speaker 4 (01:07):
Corner of the end zone.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
An interception thrown by Trevor Lawrence.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Jermaine Pratt naps it and prevents the jaguarris from scoring
points at the end of the first half.

Speaker 6 (01:17):
I think it's just finding a way collectively as a
unit of finishing football games. That's really what it comes
down to. Play here, play there, call here, call there,
whatever it may be, finding a way.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Back. Going to throw. On third and ten, Lawrence with
a deep drop sends a dark down field. That's a catch,
a penalty on the field. Parker Washington giving ground moving
to his left outside the numbers left. Look at the
turn of the corner fifteen ten and he's gonna be
pushed out of balance with the left sideline inside the
ten Lawrence direct snap, He's gonna take off and run
at skipper into the end zone for a touchdown. He's

(01:56):
got two rushing touchdowns today and Jacksonville has a lead
for the first time. It's thirteen to ten over The
Colts motion out to the left side, including downs worn.

Speaker 7 (02:04):
And mintl Pittman June There Cliffin Rivers throws that Way
intercepted thirty twenty five twenty yard line of being stopped
right there as Jerry and Jones and the Jaguars are
right back into business near the red zones.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
The rookie quarterback waiting on the shotgun staff prevent defense
by Jacksonville. They're gonna rush by that gonna throw his
Leonard steps away from trouble, throws downfield.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
It's gone up air on an end of the end zone.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
It is intercepted by Jacksonville at the eye in Indianapolis
in the end zone.

Speaker 4 (02:36):
Twenty three to seventeen is.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
The final score on the Rue of Warga scoreboard, and
the Colts losing skid now has reached six games.

Speaker 6 (02:45):
Let's sit out check.

Speaker 4 (02:54):
Well's things I am a use to sane, particularly before
the month of January.

Speaker 8 (02:59):
Righ.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
For the fifth straight year, the Colts will once again
watch meeting full football in the month of January.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Things that I'm not used to saying.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
Gentlemen, It's Rose Bowl week for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
What a time to be alive. Good Monday morning to you.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
We are here Kevin bow and James Boyd, Caleb Zooverer,
thank you for the intro there, little JT. If you
want to make your significant other happy on this Monday morning,
right there, cry me a river from justin Timberlake, and
once again, the Colts will head to Houston for the
season finale, officially one o'clock on Sunday, and they will
play a game that has zero bearing on playing football

(03:37):
here in the month of January. I believe it's ninety
six teams James since two thousand have started eight and two,
and the Colts are the first to turn eight and
two into watching playoff football, not even getting to week eighteen.
If you want to take a step further and having
something to play for a lot to get to here
on this Monday morning, How are you, sir, I'm doing

(03:59):
good to your point.

Speaker 9 (04:00):
Yeah, they're the first team. Shout out to the Associated
Press are putting this out. First team in thirty years
to start eight and two and missed the playoffs. The
last team to do it was in nineteen ninety five
Oakland Raiders.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
Yeah, I believe that would be North about one hundred teams.
I went back to two thousand, but yeah, North about
one hundred teams. Just to add some contexts to it. So, yeah,
yesterday twenty three seventeen inside of Lucasolo Stadium. They build
a double digit lead and then just slowly kind of
wilts away. I don't know how you felt watching the
game unfold. To me, it was like, when will Jacksonville

(04:33):
show on the scoreboard they're the better team?

Speaker 1 (04:35):
That my eyes are watching unfold?

Speaker 4 (04:37):
I thought it was pretty clear the game itself, Jacksonville
was the better team. They doubled the Colts up in yardage.
You know, you heard a couple of a couple of
the highlights there. I mean, certainly, you know Jermaine Pratt,
you know, credit to him from making a play, but
you know, whether it was the hooking ladder or some
of Liam Cohen's decision making, it was kind of like,
h when are they going to finally show that they
are the better team. Eventually they did that, and now

(04:59):
we await what the Week eighteen decision will be at quarterback.
If indeed that was the it, I guess the final era,
if you will re era for Philip Rivers and then
ultimately the elephant in the room, what will Carly or
say Gordon do a week from today?

Speaker 9 (05:14):
That is certainly the elephant in the room, and I
think that's the weird part about covering yesterday's game, Kevin,
is that going into it, you know, nothing materially changes,
you know what I mean, because there were so many
fans and I don't initially blame them for being upset,
but fifth straight Laws going into the game six straight

(05:35):
Laws had you won, it doesn't change anything from a
big picture standpoint. It was really, at least in my eyes, Kevin,
the unofficial Philip River sendoff, because now that they've been
eliminated officially, that should be his last start in the NFL.
So from that perspective, I can appreciate his effort coming
out of retirement trying to do the what turned out

(05:57):
to be impossible.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
But now more serious questions await.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
Yeah, and I guess I don't know, there's a part
of me that, you know, does want to focus a
little bit on the game.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
I know full well our audience.

Speaker 4 (06:10):
Is probably like, dude, who the hell cares, Let's just
talk big picture endlessly. I guess we do have a
lot of hours over the course of the next five
days to go over some five months as well. Well. Yeah,
and you know, we'll we'll see exactly what happens a
week from Monday, you know, when whatever Cameron Dicker all
of a sudden turned into Michael Badgeley on Saturday and

(06:31):
the Colts playoff fate was sealed. I don't know how
you felt, James, but it was just like I was
actually watching the Chargers Texans game with some Colts fans
like Diet, like I would consider them very die hard
Colts fans, and their reaction of just almost laughing at
the result was I don't know, just kind of a

(06:53):
maybe just a harsh reality of where you're at as
a franchise of like you're used to this. You're used
to five straight years now without a playoff berth ye,
you're used to eight straight years without a playoff win. Sunday,
ironically enough, will be the eleventh year anniversary of your
last home playoff game. Like all of these numbers, all

(07:13):
of these stats were now just grown accustomed to that
being the Colts.

Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, what is it?

Speaker 9 (07:19):
The tire for the fourth longest playoffs drought right now
currently in the NFL, and it could actually grow.

Speaker 4 (07:25):
If Carolina wins on Sat. I think that's a Saturday game.
I thought I saw Carolina and Tampa coming up on Saturday. Yeah,
I mean, those are just numbers that are like, oh
my gosh, those are ugly, and if you want to
live in the here and now, I think one of
the ugliest numbers of the Shane Steiken era. Yesterday, you
are now two and nine against Houston and Jacksonville.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
And think about it.

Speaker 4 (07:44):
Houston hired a head coach the same time the Colts
did demikol Ryan's Shangstaking on the same coaching cycle.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
Jacksonville has a first year head coach.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
I mean, it's not like you are with Andy Reid
and the Chiefs, or John Harbaugh and the Ravens, or
Sean McDermott in the in the Bills, and you are
two in nine against those two teams.

Speaker 9 (08:03):
Yeah, when you mentioned that in the postgame news conference,
that was jarring to me because a lot of our
conversation over the last however many years has been Chris
Ballard needs to go and he's not cut out for
the job. But when you look at Stichen, my initial
reaction is to go, well, wait a second, he's made

(08:24):
something out of nothing. With some quarterbacks they probably should
have been playing at this point in their career. Shout
out to Joe Flacco and Philip Rivers and Gardner Minshew
for that matter as well over the last few years.
But that is a damning stat because you have to
find a way against your division opponents, and not finding
a way is why you find yourself continuing to be

(08:45):
like a middling franchise, a middling team. So in theory
they could win against Houston, which I don't think that's
gonna happen. But my point is, you could have finished
nine and eighth this year, but like, who cares because
you didn't win the games that really mattered. I was
thinking about that yesterday went into the game. They could
in theory have won ten games, but it doesn't matter

(09:09):
because you didn't want. You didn't win the ones that
you needed to. And I get that there were a
bunch of injuries this year, key injuries. Obviously, the Forest
Buckner going on injury reserve recently is very notable. But
beyond that, Kevin, for whatever reason you want to pick
when the calendar flips to decemyear in January. For the Colts,

(09:30):
over the last five years, they fold annually.

Speaker 4 (09:34):
Yeah, And I would say a couple other things, and
I'm sure we'll sprinkle in kind of the big picture
stuff throughout today's show and certainly over the next couple
of days. But you know, I'm reminded of the last
playoff appearance twenty twenty ironically occurred when the NFL expanded
to seven teams making it out of each conference. And
to me, if you're going to critically evaluate things for

(09:56):
Carli Ers Gordon company, that is even more damning on
the resume of Chris Ballard.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Again, go back to the COVID year, the.

Speaker 4 (10:03):
NFL said, okay, six playoff teams will now become seven.
So each year for the last five years, we've had
seven teams out of what's sixteen in each com I
necessarily half the conference makes it. And so when you're
comparing all this historical data, you know that we oftentimes
do those living in the here and now the last
five years GM's head coaches, however you want to define people,

(10:25):
they have the benefit of the extra playoff team.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
And that's the only reason why the Colt's even had
of prayer here.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
Coming into Week seventeen potentially was because of that seventh
playoff spot. And also, now this is the second time
you've had a historical collapse, and it's under two different
head coaches. You know in twenty twenty one, if you
want to play the blame game of Frank Reich and
Carson Wentz, so be it. Well you know here you
are in twenty twenty five, and who you playing the
blame game on here?

Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (10:53):
So I think those are just some some things. If
really there's only one element where I find myself Paul
and what carli Ers Gordon could do, and that is
the fact that, by all accounts you green light of
the sauce gardener trade. Every time I hear a reason
for running it back to me, it's just it's the
injury excuse. That's like the one piece of evidence that

(11:15):
people go to, or they quickly go to, Well, it
would be a it'd be a disservice in the new GM.
Well since that, since when is that a ringing endorsement
on the previous person or I guess the person in
charge right now?

Speaker 9 (11:26):
You got to make that choice, irregardless of what happened
with the previous GM and how you're gonna set them up.
And I get the frustration and a lot of the
feedback that I've gotten over the last few days. Kevin
has been well, what GM is going to want this job.
What canon is going to apply for this job? Trust me,
people only thirty two of these jobs in the world.
They will have plenty of candidates if they go down

(11:48):
that route. That doesn't really bother me. It's just a
choice in making a change if you're going.

Speaker 1 (11:52):
To do it. Yeah, if you told me there was what,
I guess. Hopefully Maddy's still asleep.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
If there's thirty two Victoria's Secret models out there that
potentially have an interest in Kevin Bell, I'll happily take
thirty two out of thirty two.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
So watch out now, Kevin, Watch out now. I probably
shouldn't say that.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
Definitely not gonna say in the eight o'clock or nine
o'clock hour here, So hopefully Caleb Caleb can maybe edit
that off of the.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
Off of the old podcast. It is Rose Bull week.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
The weather in Pasadena looks absolutely ugly for New Year's Day.
I don't know if I can't remember the last time
I've seen a rainy Rose Bowl. I know we'll see
exactly how the weather plays out. I believe Indiana departs
Bloomington today or I don't know if they drive up
here and then fly out. But again, that will be
Thursday at four o'clock. I would think a rain game

(12:34):
favors Indiana, right, they can run it. I say I
love it. I'm gonna say I love their run game.

Speaker 9 (12:39):
And to your point, Alabama's kind of survived by it's
kind of their teeth, and yeah, that would be advantage in Indiana.
But also I think there's advantage Indiana period because I
was either a number one team in the country.

Speaker 4 (12:50):
Eight straight losses for the Pacers. They are in Houston tonight.
Aaron Nismith did return over the weekend. Their health situation
is actually looking like maybe the best it's been all year.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
So we'll see if there is one last ditch effort.

Speaker 4 (13:04):
But right now the Pacers are playing just some ugly,
ugly basketball, getting eight straight losses. They lose over the
weekend Boston and Miami and a back to back there
and perdue back in action tonight. They've got Kent State
up there in Mackie. So typically for college basketball, the
Christmas holiday is definitely observed pre and post and so

(13:25):
now we get back into action. Final non conference game
for Purdue Indiana back in action coming up later this weekend.
A ton to get to in the post Martem from
what we saw with the Colts yesterday losing in Lucas
Oil Stadium. Six straight losses and once again it'll be
five straight years without a playoff birth, eight without a
playoff win, and eleven without a home playoff game.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
Plenty to dissect, we'll do it here. It is a
fan morning show.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
Thanks for starting off your week with us right here
in ninety three five on a seven to five The
Fan all right now. Six straight losses for the Adanapolis
Colts as their playoff fate officially sealed actually on Saturday,
So to be five straight years without a postseason appearance.
They lose yesterday inside of Lucasol Stadium in the home finale.
It is now off to Houston. Announced last night the

(14:11):
schedule for Week eighteen. No shock there, Sunday one o'clock
for Colts and Texans.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
James Boyd.

Speaker 4 (14:18):
Your expected quarterback depth chart for Sunday afternoon season finale is.

Speaker 9 (14:22):
What Riley Leonard, Philip Rivers, and Anthony Richardson perhaps remains
on IR.

Speaker 4 (14:30):
Yeah, that's probably where I would be. That would be
my guest. I think Anthony Richardson vision impairment is a big,
big factor in him not being higher up on that
depth chart for those that care. But yeah, I think
it's time to see Riley Leonard in the line up
there and so look by good.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Luck against that Evan S.

Speaker 4 (14:48):
Houston is still playing for the AFC Souths that potentially
they would need Jacksonville to lose. But again, those games
are at one o'clock, so you know, at least for
whatever a couple of quarters or so, you would expect
Houston's top defense to be out on the field. So
much more on Colts and Jags in the big picture
throughout the show. Here on this Monday morning NFL Week seventeen,

(15:12):
just pray that you either had Derek Henry on your
fantasy football team or you weren't going up against him
in some sort of fantasy football championship. Caleb will start
with you your biggest takeaway from Week seventeen, and for those
that stayed up for it last night, you were rewarded
handsomely with one of the best games we've seen all season,
forty nine Ers outlasting Bears.

Speaker 8 (15:33):
What were the Steelers doing yesterday? That blows my mind?
If they were truthfully more worried about Miles Garrett not
getting the sack record. You see Aaron Rodgers smiling at
him rolling away from his side of the field. That
was embarrassing. If that was the case and it looked

(15:55):
like it, you can't lose that game. And now if
Lamar can come back for the Ravens, although Tyler Huntley
looked good the other night, UH Steelers can be on
the outside looking in and Mike Tomlin could be on
the coaching market.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
Who knows.

Speaker 4 (16:09):
That's game two seventy two, that will be the Sunday
night football game. The winner wins the AFC North, the
loser is out. And that last part Caleb through out there.
I don't know if it necessarily would impact here, but
the domino effect of what a Mike Tomlin or a
John Harball, I mean, I feel like that has been

(16:29):
weirdly thrown around of what you potentially two of the
longest ten year coach.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
I assume Hall of Fame coaches. Certainly I would think Tomlin.

Speaker 4 (16:38):
But you know what what that could look like on
the open market just makes you makes me go, hmm.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
Can you trade coaches? You can trade?

Speaker 8 (16:48):
You can?

Speaker 1 (16:48):
You can? You can definitely do it.

Speaker 4 (16:51):
Yeah, James, your biggest takeaway non Colt's division here Week seventeen.

Speaker 9 (16:56):
Watching the Bears in forty nine ers last night and
the forty nine ers still having a to be the
NFC's number one seed.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
Very resilient team.

Speaker 9 (17:03):
But also I remember growing up in Chicago area where
the Bears couldn't score at all. It was always like,
I mean the year they made it to a Super
Bowl was Devin Hester a great defense, and we'll try
to square on defense as well.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (17:14):
I saw tweet yesterday where for the first time and forever,
the Bears went to a gunfight and brought a gun.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
I was like, that is a great, great tweet.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
I also saw the NFL tweet it it's the first
time in history we've ever had a game where the
score was tied seven all, fourteen all, twenty one, all,
twenty eight all and thirty five all.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
Yeah. I mean it felt like one of those games.

Speaker 9 (17:36):
First team to blink, and the Bears finally blinked on
the last play of the game. How about the time
management could have could have been a little bit better
there at the end as far as the timeouts go.
But at the same time, that was great theater to
cap off a riveting week in the NFL.

Speaker 4 (17:50):
So the two game Saturday, you'll get the NFC South,
the facto championship game that would be Panther's Bucks sets
of four to thirty. James mentioned the forty nine Ers
still playing for the one seed. Talk about injury excuse
out there. The winner of that one San Francisco Seattle
becomes the one. The loser then has to go on
the road in round one, which is just crazy to
imagine one.

Speaker 1 (18:11):
Of those teams and the Rams going on the road.

Speaker 4 (18:13):
And like I said, Sunday Night Football Game two seventy
two Steelers and Ravens, we really don't have a lot
to play for from a playoff standpoint in week eighteen,
those are the matchups, if you will. But NFC South,
AFC North, and that's really it a little bit of seeding,
of course, but that's it on that front. Pacers eight
game losing streak continued over the weekend. Again Aaron E.

(18:35):
Smith back, and they have the Rockets tonight. They are
a fourteen and a half point underdog. That's Kevin Durantz Rockets.

Speaker 1 (18:41):
Right, it is Kevin Durant's Rocket. Shout out to Katie Man.

Speaker 9 (18:46):
Only God know who trolls on Twitter more than me
respond to the haters every single time the high road
has too much traffic.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
That'll be tonight eight o'clock for the Pacers and again
Rose Bull Week for the Indiana Hoosiers. They are off
Topacadena coming up today. The weather forecast will be one
to monitor. Don't think I've said that too often about
the Rose Bowl, but looks like some rain in the
forecast here, so it be certainly if you're heading out there,
you might have to pack an extra layer or two.

(19:14):
From a rain standpoint, I would think that would favor Indiana.
They are about a touchdown favorite in this one. So
we'll get things started Wednesday night. That'll be Miami in
Ohio State that is the first game, and then we
get the three games on New Year's Day, of course,
Indiana at four o'clock and Matt Painter's bunch back in
action tonight up there in Macki. They will close out
the non conference schedule. They've got Kent State a twenty

(19:37):
four and.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
A half point favorite over the Flashes for that one.

Speaker 4 (19:42):
All right, coming up on the other side, let's get
much more into what happened yesterday inside of Lucas Soil stadium.
Is that it for Philip Rivers and the inevitable big
picture questions will hit on as well. Kevin bow and
James Boyd, Caleb Zuver, thank you for starting off your
week with us.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
He goes out of the gun, et in his back
on the hip, left back in the throw with Lawrence.
Colts bring pressure Lawrence out of the pocket upfield at
the five beering left and he's gonna scamp re in
for a touchdown. That's a four yard quarterback scramble into
the end zone. Trevor Lawrence finds pey dirt with his
legs and Jacksonville is on the board. It's ten to
six with five thirty eight to go in the second quarter.

Speaker 4 (20:24):
Twenty three seventeen, the final yesterday, six straight losses for
the Colts. Off to Houston officially one o'clock on Sunday.
It'll be Colts and Texans to close out this twenty
twenty five season.

Speaker 1 (20:37):
Here as what seven and one is now turned into?

Speaker 4 (20:41):
Flip it right one and seven, since the seven to
one start has now been one and seven?

Speaker 1 (20:45):
Is that right? Eight and eight?

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Say?

Speaker 4 (20:47):
If the math is correct, the ma beaing. Yeah, the
math is pretty ugly. Right now, if you're over there
on West fifty sixth Street. I guess, looking back on yesterday,
let's start with Philip Rivers James your overall thoughts on
what you saw from him and his third and potentially
final start here.

Speaker 9 (21:06):
He finally looked like he was not really in sync,
and I think he said that after the game, Kevin.
I thought he kind of made up for perhaps some
of the physical deficiencies the last two weeks heading into
that game because of his mind and throwing with anticipation, accuracy,
things like that. But yesterday I just didn't see a

(21:28):
whole lot of that. I know mar A Cox made
a great play in the end zone to extend I
guess the streak of games of at least having one
passing touchdown since he returned to the NFL. But I
thought River was just a little bit off yesterday and
just couldn't get the ball where he needed to go.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
I thought it was the oldest he's looked so far.
I thought he kind of showed his age. And again,
I want to I have to throwing the caveat every
time we talk about Rivers, like, let's remove ourselves from
the movie for a second. The movie's incredible. It's unbelievable
what he's attempting to do all that stuff. But if
you're evaluating him in an NFL game as a quarterback,
the offense.

Speaker 1 (22:04):
Was back to being a dinosaur.

Speaker 4 (22:07):
It's I think in the River starts James Seattle in
this one. I believe it's the second and third fewest
yards in the Stikeen era. The yards per play number
again was just an archaic number. They only had one
drive over thirty yards the entire game. I mean it
was either Ashton Dooland has a huge kick return to

(22:28):
set you up, or you're not moving it at all there.
So you know, he said it after the game, probably
his worst start, I would agree on that.

Speaker 1 (22:37):
I just thought he looked old.

Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah, I mean he ran into his offensive lineman for
a sack. I mean, I know the pick got tipped
a little bit. I didn't think that thing had a
prayer even to get there. Even if it wasn't that,
that was one of those throws where you need a
live arm tipped and it just felt like there were
probably three or four other balls James. I mean, he
definitely sprinkled in some good ones. I mean the ball,
the downs on the cold sideline that got challenge. I mean,

(23:01):
that was a hell of a play, but it just
seemed like, I don't know, maybe a hair late at.

Speaker 1 (23:06):
Times, and.

Speaker 4 (23:09):
He wasn't at the same he was playing a little
bit more fire than I think we had seen maybe
in the previous two starts there, and you know the
thing about him, I kind of find it fitting that
Caleb plays a clip there if Trevor Lawrence making a
play with his legs there.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
I mean, this is not obviously breaking news by any means.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
But with Philip Rivers playing quarterback, it puts so much
pressure on your passing offense because that play that Lawrence
makes obviously is never going to be sniffed with Rivers,
and the Jonathan Taylor situation continues to be.

Speaker 1 (23:40):
Beyond tough sledding for him.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
How many they even have, Yes, I think it was
the same old, same old, like twenty carries for seventy
some yards.

Speaker 9 (23:47):
Yeah, because you're trying to, at least myself, I'm trying
to remember, Wait a second, this is one of the
most explosive, if not the most explosive running back in
the league, and we just haven't seen that here in
America for over two months, it feels like.

Speaker 4 (24:03):
Twenty one carries seventy yards a long run of ten.
And if you look at these losses James seven and
eight weeks, you won't find a stat that probably correlates
more to that than Taylor's yards per carry. You brought
up the game in Germany. Yeah, I mean that was historic,
over seven yards per carry. He obviously hits the home
run we all remember there in the fourth quarter. All

(24:24):
of that. If you look at that's the only win
in your last eight If you look at the seven losses,
every single time for Taylor three yards of carry, three
and a half of carry, two point nine to carry,
three point three of carry, I mean that has been
the constant. And I do think the lack of any
sort of threat vertically down the field from rivers and
of course with his legs is at play here. So hey,

(24:48):
I would go with Riley Leonard on Sunday. I don't
necessarily am saying that from the point of I think
Riley Leonard all of a sudden gives you this overwhelmingly
better chance to go win a football game.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
I think I've said it since day one.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
I'd probably would have gone with Leonard, would it ultimately
have looked the same zhe to three probably probably would
have been a little bit more volatile, honestly, Like, yeah,
with Rivers, it's a little bit more methodical bleeding, if
you will, And that's how I would view. But I
just think if there is even a hint that you
think Riley Leonard might be needed in September of next season,

(25:22):
which I know is a long ways away, I think
it'd be healthy for him to get his first start
on Sunday.

Speaker 9 (25:29):
Yeah, for sure, because you don't know what you don't know.
I know he got thrown in there against Jacksonville week
fourteen after Daniel Jones went down, but giving him an
entire week to prepare and having that sort of title
s QB one would be good for his development.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
I certainly agree with that. Kevin.

Speaker 9 (25:45):
I thought it was funny if they sawed him for
the final player yesterday's game and for a second there,
I look like he gave him a chance to win
the game.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
I mean that was a pretty good hail Mary attempt.

Speaker 4 (25:53):
I mean, I know through and I saw where Pierce was,
I thought for a second it was gonna happen.

Speaker 9 (25:56):
Yeah, and especially just because it didn't die before the
ends zone. And you know, I feel about alec Pis.
If it's in his vicinity, I feel like he's going
to go up and catch it. But also shout to
the dB for picking it, because I always felt like,
you know, the old school rules, just bat it down.
If he bad staff, I feel like somebody comes up
with it because it was a nice little crowd there.
But yeah, I think Mike Chappoll shout out to the
dean and he's walking out yesterday, Kevin.

Speaker 4 (26:19):
He's like, it doesn't really matter, but they're gonna start
a rookie next week, most likely who had a zero
passer rating last week. And I'm like, only you Chap
would think of, you.

Speaker 9 (26:29):
Know, the official statistical stat line for the one passes
and from Ry Leonard this peak peak.

Speaker 1 (26:35):
Mike, should Sus Gardner have played yesterday? No, And.

Speaker 9 (26:41):
Again I had a lot a lot of fans tell
me this is stupid, And while I agree with him,
at the same time, I was definitely trying to tell them,
and I think I told them, yeah that Friday, Hey,
he is going to start. I understand you all are frustrated.
It shouldn't be a thing, but this, this is what
is going to happen. That is the expectation. The playoff

(27:04):
implications didn't change anything, but the optics of it, Kevin
are bad. And I actually had it might have been
a listener who kind of really put it all into
context for me.

Speaker 1 (27:15):
And I'm not saying.

Speaker 4 (27:18):
I agree with all of this, but it is.

Speaker 9 (27:21):
Pretty damning when your quarterback tried to play through a
broken fibula and he tore his right achilles, and then
your star defensive tackle came back, probably prematurely from a
neck injury. Now he needs a neck surgery. Sauce Gardener,
in a meaningless game for your franchise, the sauft Gardener,

(27:42):
year of two first round picks, four comes back from
a left calf injury. He's telling us how he wants
to fight through it for what, and then he ends
up leaving the game early because of a left calf injury,
reaggravating it, I would imagine, and we know how calves
are in this city. I mean, it just didn't seem
like the risk was worth that at all. So I

(28:03):
mean one practice in.

Speaker 4 (28:04):
What two weeks, three weeks, it was like it was
like one practice a month.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 4 (28:09):
Yeah, So the last time you played or practice was
November thirtieth, And yeah, to your point, with the Colts
having the weird short week last week, he technically only
practiced one day and that was the Friday practice, which
we all know the Friday practice is typically one of.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
The lighter ones of the week.

Speaker 4 (28:25):
It was, you know, when when you're there watching, you know,
from from the press box, you obviously can get the
full lay of the field you don't typically you know,
on the TV copy get you know whatever, great views
of the cornerbacks of the Safeties playing and play out
and I'm watching Saw and trying to focus him on
a little bit more because.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
I knew it was gonna be something I wanted to
write about.

Speaker 4 (28:45):
He was favoring that thing a lot throughout the game,
and I'm like, I don't know if you ever feel
this way about covering guys, James, But I'm not fully
used to the Sauce Gardner body language just yet. You know,
like the more you watch people you cover, the more
you're used to. Like Lance Stevenson was the peak of it.

Speaker 1 (29:02):
Lance would be.

Speaker 4 (29:03):
Laboring out there and I'd be like, he's fine, you know,
it's like my kids fake crying.

Speaker 1 (29:06):
Well, what do they say?

Speaker 4 (29:07):
Uh? I think Stan Van Gundy always says it KB
the basketball is healing powers, right, So you know you
missed my layup and all my calf kind of heard
the day your team gets to steal and it's like,
wait a second, I feel good again. Sure that's like, uh,
it's the deva wide out that finally gets a target
or two and now all of a sudden he's running
his rout a little bit differently. So so with Sauce
in all, honestly, I don't like, you know, I haven't

(29:29):
viewed him that much to really watch him. Obviously, I
wasn't in Kansas City, I wasn't in Germany for those games.
But it looked like he was favoring it, I would
say a good amount. And then eventually, I think it
was the second drive of the third quarter. I see
him in the back of the bench with that wrap
on the left calf and thought to myself, boy, here
we go again. So tightness was what Shane Saikin said

(29:51):
in the Calf Sauce for what it's worse set after
the game. He doesn't feel like he restrained it or
anything like that. But still there's probably no need to
see you. What does that even mean? If it doesn't feel good,
then what did you do.

Speaker 9 (30:05):
Over exert yourself? Like the risk again was just not
worth the reward at all.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
Again, injuries are the reason for this. I want to
make that clear. But it is wild that we are
about to look back on the sauce Gardener trade in
the year of twenty twenty five and sit here and
say that Ady Mitchell gave the Jets more on the
field than sauce Gardner gave the Colts. Now, get is
a fact. Injuries are the definition of that. But damn

(30:33):
can you imagine saying that I said too loout Jeff
Rickor might be back in the studio here by seven
forty five here, so hopefully jeff will join us coming back.

Speaker 1 (30:42):
We'll say this too later this week.

Speaker 4 (30:44):
I don't know if you saw this.

Speaker 9 (30:45):
Late yesterday last night, Kevin sauce Gardner put out this
long tweet about his level of play and how good
he was in the games that he did play, and
he had ultimately deleted it. When I say I saw
that post, initially I was just thinking.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
Wait, wait, say that again. I totally missed that.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
He put out a tweet and he ended up leading it.

Speaker 9 (31:07):
Here's a tweet he said, I'll go ahead and say
the real since nobody else will, because it's me. I
only have thirty two targets. There are zero cornerbacks that
only had thirty two targets through six hundred snaps. I
only had twenty two targets through seven games. I do
not get targeted as much as ninety nine percent of
other cornerbacks in the league. And it goes on to
talk about how good he is and all this stuff,

(31:30):
and he ended it by saying, having a cornerback that
takes away half the field of the equivalent to having
a nice QB sauce.

Speaker 1 (31:37):
With all due respect, brother.

Speaker 9 (31:38):
Damn he had some numbers there. Yeah, you know, he's
got my story. But the point is, respectfully, who cares
read the room?

Speaker 1 (31:51):
Brother?

Speaker 9 (31:52):
I understand you haven't been here like that long, but
nobody wants to hear you talk about how good you
were in the games you did play when you missed
too many of them to really make this trade worthwhile.
I mean, and I'm not saying he's a bad person
or not a good player and.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
All those things. He's a great player.

Speaker 9 (32:10):
But still, I mean, come on, man, that is not
the time for that. You can send that to your
friends and family, your agent. Nobody wants to hear that
after your season's over.

Speaker 4 (32:20):
No, I believe sauce Gardner what was a part of
two wins and fourteen losses this season, So I.

Speaker 9 (32:25):
Would argue that again, having a cornerback take away half
the field is not as equivalent.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
I was having a good quarterback brother.

Speaker 4 (32:32):
To give him a little credit, though, I will say,
and I don't know how much this and I could
be just over analyzing Sauce Gardner in the field for
what it's worth. The Colts, I believe, if I'm not
mistaking James, all their quarterback hits on Trevor Lawrence yesterday
occurred in the first half.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
No, I yes, win Sauce Gardner was playing. He deserves credit.

Speaker 9 (32:49):
He is a again really good player and certainly affects
the game in a way that you get like those
coverage sacks because he's so good on the back end.

Speaker 4 (32:57):
All I'm saying is sure, hey man, we don't want
to hear it and learning depress send at seven thirty
on that one. We'll get a lot I think into
the big picture, certainly, as the show moves along, and
as a week moves along. But James, when it comes
out of Chris Baward, are we evaluating one year or

(33:18):
nine years? Are we evaluating the twenty twenty five season?
Or are we evaluating a resume that's nine years long?

Speaker 1 (33:29):
And I as should be nine? And I asked that
in all seriousness. No, I hear you.

Speaker 4 (33:33):
I hear you.

Speaker 9 (33:34):
And there's some nuanced there, like does Carly view it
as something different because this is her first year taking
over the team and how crazy things were this year
going from AID and too to AID and eight. But
overall I think she and everyone else should evaluate the
full nine seasons.

Speaker 4 (33:52):
And that's why I don't.

Speaker 9 (33:54):
Think you can look at the injuries just in a
vacuum for the one season. And to your point from
the last couple weeks on the show, Kevin.

Speaker 4 (34:01):
If you had other accolades too fall back on, then
you can earn more grace in a season like this. Sure,
if this was let's let's say this was San Francisco
and John Lynch a season let's say San Francisco would
have been derailed by the injuries. Yes, clearly they have
not been, you know, John Lynch and company could sit
there and say, hey, look at what we've done, you know, throughout,

(34:22):
whether it's NFC West, whether it's the NFC you know,
championships period, playing in Super Bowl, if you're that regime,
this is the one off.

Speaker 1 (34:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:32):
I bring it up though, because Carly did warn us
at her opening press conference of the injury situation.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
You know, when asked it's eerie that she actually like
called it that perfectly.

Speaker 4 (34:45):
I mean, she left herself that out. She said it
back in whatever that was. May you know, when asked
about I forget if the exact wording of the question
was like, hey, it's got to be a playoffs or
what coming up in twenty twenty five, she did not
take that bait. She sat there and said, well, you know,
there's a lot that goes into those seasons, and she
directly mentioned the injury excuse. Where I struggle with the

(35:08):
injury excuses. Now, all of a sudden to me, you're
banking on twenty twenty six with like more injury questions.
If you hear me out, you're benching your banking on
Daniel Jones recovering from a torn achilles to give you
quality football right away.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
Your banking is what's the Forest Buckner situation.

Speaker 4 (35:27):
I mean that news item hit us on Friday where
he comes back from the neck, plays one game, now
needs surgery for the neck. Neck surgeries for thirty year
old football players.

Speaker 1 (35:38):
Cap hit is about twenty six million dollars next year.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
That doesn't sound ideal. I know Tavari's ward seems to
express a desire to want to play, but you can't
ignore that elephant in the room. And as much as
we talk about health has impacted, which it definitely has,
they also have had pristine health the skill group throughout
the season, like what if Jonathan Taylor has normal running
back health. And there are some players that I feel

(36:01):
like we talk about this core that I'm a little
unsure if well, I guess I'm not really unsure.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
I don't think their play has been ascending.

Speaker 4 (36:10):
And by that I mean the Zire Franklin's, the Kenny
Moore than Seconds, the Michael Pittman juniors. Are they still
ascending core players?

Speaker 1 (36:20):
For you?

Speaker 4 (36:20):
How much was it scheme for Kenny? How much of
it is it age with some of these guys.

Speaker 9 (36:26):
That's the other thing, Kevin and I look at what
this core is, what exactly it's an all you trying
to win. And I say that because to your point,
they're an older group that hasn't won, and people that
get older don't get better in sports. So after having
this core here for X amount of years with nothing

(36:50):
to show for it, then do you need a new core?
And I'm not saying you can go out here and
cut the entire team, although a lot of fans will
probably welcome that, I.

Speaker 4 (37:00):
Just don't know.

Speaker 9 (37:01):
It feels like they're in a little bit of like
a no man's land. And I'm not talking about Chris
Ballard Shane. I'm talking about from a pure roster construction standpoint.
It's a weird setup because you're built to, in theory,
win now, but you haven't won in the past, and
it isn't like you're gonna win in the future either,
because in all likelihood you're probably banking on a quarterback

(37:24):
coming back from a torn achilles and being your starter
next year. We all know athletes are not the same
that first year back from achilles tears even the best
case scenarios. So does that give you confidence that next
you'll be better? Can we sit here and say, oh,
if everyone just gets healthy, they'll be a really good team.

Speaker 4 (37:43):
Well, everyone ain't gonna.

Speaker 9 (37:44):
Be healthy, and even if they are, are we sure
these guys are gonna go out there and perform to
the level a need to well.

Speaker 4 (37:48):
And again, as much as the Colts can sit here
and say, hey, we're gonna play the injury excuse card,
you know, what's Kansas City gonna say about Mahomes, What's
Cincinnati gonna say about Burrow? What's Baltimore gonna say about Lamar?
You know, all three of those teams could probably say
that about their franchise quarterbacks. Are you a believer in
excuse me? GM and head coach got to be tied

(38:10):
at the hip. No, But I do think it is
a very.

Speaker 9 (38:15):
Delicate needle to try to thread, because more often than not,
if you try to untether both of them, I feel
like if you switch one for the other, it doesn't
really work out.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
But in certain scenarios it can. Look at the Bears,
for example.

Speaker 9 (38:33):
They got rid of a bunch of people, but they've
changed GM, head coach, all these things throughout their recent
sort of history, and you see the finally, the fruits
of that labor, the fruits of those decisions with the
season they're having now, so it's possible. But Kevin, I'm

(38:56):
not sitting here saying, Okay, if you move on from
Chris Ballard, Shane Sickin is a lot to be brought back.
I'm not saying that at all, just because to your point,
I get that he has, you know, probably the injury
excuse bigger than anybody as far as not having a
quarterback finished a season in the last three seasons. But

(39:16):
it isn't like he has again this thirling resume to
fall back on.

Speaker 1 (39:20):
Either. Yeah, I would probably agree with a lot of
what you just said.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
I do think it's a really tough needle to thread,
you know. To me, I've kind of always approached it
from let's evaluate each of them individually, crisp Out and
Chang Stikeen, and then organizationally, you obviously will have to
make a decision if you do tie them at the
hip or not. You know, I go back to that
Carli ersa Gordon press conference is actually a question that
I wanted to throw her away. I think she interpreted

(39:46):
a little bit more from the do they get along,
and I think her mind goes back to Pagano and Gregson,
which they clearly did.

Speaker 1 (39:53):
Not get along.

Speaker 4 (39:56):
Yeah, I think it's difficult to arrange marriage it up
to your point, there aren't many cases throughout the league
where it works like I mean, hell, Chris Boward had
one of those with Chuck Bugano in that first year.
I was like, wait, why is Chuck I mean lame
duck head coach. There's no chance he's going to survive this.
And obviously me Andrew luck situation didn't help you win
four wins. They win four games in twenty seventeen, and

(40:20):
Frank Reik is I guess first as Josh McDaniels and
knows Frank Craik after that. So you know how Carly
views that. I do think because if you just evaluated
them individually, the nine years of Chris Boward, to me
is much more of an ugly resume than the three
years of Stychen. Now that sichens is some ringing endorsement,
but I think you could talk yourself into a little

(40:42):
bit more intrigue with Shane Siken deserving a fourth year
than I can Chris Boud deserving a ten.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
It's wild to say Chris Boward might get a tenth year.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
When I say that out loud.

Speaker 9 (40:54):
Is it even Wilder knowing that the last playoff victory
was in twenty eighteen.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
I haven't memorized down to.

Speaker 4 (41:04):
Basically a slogan almost because I write this line over
and over again in my stories.

Speaker 9 (41:12):
Zero AFC titles. Well, no, I always do it like this.
It's like you have two playoff appearents is one playoff
win zero AFC title. It's always in descending order. That's
your teamure, It's funny one zero.

Speaker 4 (41:25):
I was thinking about this yesterday in the press box,
actually looked it up. Tomorrow will be the one year
anniversary where I wrote that Ballard and Gus Bradley should go.
And I went back and like looked at that article
and I'm like, all I need to do is just
like update the record because all of it is still
the same.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
Yep, the two, the one in the zero. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (41:45):
Some of the numbers that I find just wild. It's
so if you go to the division titles again, Sunday
will be the eleven year anniversary of your last home
playoff game. I believe it's twenty five teams have hosted
a home playoff games since you last have you go
to twenty eighteen, that's your last playoff win. I believe

(42:05):
it's twenty two teams have won a playoff game since
you last have. And then if you go to playoff appearances,
and this could change. Remember with Carolina if they win
on Saturday, twenty nine teams have been in the playoffs
since you last have. Like those numbers, I mean, if
you look at that and think to yourself that person

(42:26):
might get a tenth year.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
It's astonishing. I mean it is wild.

Speaker 4 (42:33):
And yet I sit here on this Monday morning and think, boy,
they might just repurpose the same letter that they did
last year after the Week eighteen game, and I guess
just have Carl Arsay Gordon sign it and maybe change
a few words in there and boom, there you go.
It's like, are you doing a project at Illinois back
in the day.

Speaker 9 (42:53):
Hey, I got through baby, graduated with honors. But I
will say this.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
It seems like how the cultu are treating I think.

Speaker 9 (43:00):
Being a gym a little bit harder than you know,
making sure you get through a Sea's good Degrees class.

Speaker 4 (43:04):
Who starts sweek eighteen for the Colts hit on that
coming up eight o'clock hour.

Speaker 1 (43:07):
We'll take some calls as well.

Speaker 4 (43:09):
Three one, seven, two three, nine, ten seventy for to
join the conversation. Text line is open as well. Three
one seven two three nine ten seventy. Good Monday morning.
If you haven't been out there, it is crispy that
whatever balmy weather we had yesterday is long gone. It's
windy and it's chilly. But thanks for starting your week
with us right here. It's a fan morning show. I'm
used to saying colts watching the playoffs. That will once

(43:32):
again be the case for a fifth straight year. I'm
not used to saying it's freakin Rose Bowl week for
the Indiana Hoosiers, but that is where we are at
in this year. Closing out the year of twenty twenty five.
Coming up Thursday, four o'clock, the Indiana Hoosiers and the
Alabama Crimson Tide, a touchdown favorite. We'll see how Mother
Nature shows her head coming up on Thursday, because right now,

(43:55):
oh boy, it doesn't look too great out there in Pasadena.
But save travels, everybody making the trek out west. The
colt will have one more trip down to Houston. It
will officially be one o'clock on Sunday. James Boyd, the
starting quarterback, will be hooped.

Speaker 9 (44:10):
It should be Riley Leonard, the rookie sixth round pick
who has yet to start in the NFL game and
really has only had extended minutes in that one game
against the Jaguar, showed a little promise there. I thought
one rushing touchdown, probably had a touchdown that was called
back interception. That could have gone either way, honestly, So
I'm looking forward to seeing the young guy get some

(44:32):
go against well will be a very stout defense in Houston,
and a Houston squad is also still playing for a
chance to win the AFC South.

Speaker 4 (44:41):
Caleb, but it's good and play that. This is Shane
Styke in post game yesterday. It definitely shares his thoughts
on Philip Rivers. I felt like there are a couple
of moments where you kind of heard Shane stike in
indirectly admit that this was the last one from Philip Rivers,
at least he was thinking that. But you know, he
mentioned an official decisional come later this week.

Speaker 6 (45:00):
Pretty good, you know, obviously five years out and coming
out and battle and obviously very appreciative of that. I
know our players are in that locker room, the coaches
him coming out one last time and fighting like crazy.

Speaker 1 (45:13):
You know, it was impressive to.

Speaker 6 (45:14):
See and him being in the locker room with the guys,
his fightus character, his passion for the game, you know,
inspirational to a lot of people, not just our players,
but you know people around the world watching football. It's
pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
Well, you just signed next week.

Speaker 6 (45:28):
I'll figure that out Tuesday, you.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
Know, I'll go hat to to Philip Rivers a little
dery g direction.

Speaker 4 (45:36):
Yeah, certainly, I think the story it's inspirational. It's movie
like all of it. I mean, he's and honestly, he's
the perfect character for someone doing this, Like he's such
a unique individual and how he's wired, how he approaches
the game of football, how he plays the game.

Speaker 1 (45:52):
Of football, all of it.

Speaker 4 (45:55):
It's a really really cool story. But I don't need
to see it on Sunday, I don't, you know. To me,
it's and I think you do have to be a
little cognizant of what twenty twenty six, the month of
September could be. You know, I think the Colts think
Daniel Jones could be ready for week one, but still

(46:17):
if he's not, for whatever reason, I mean, that would
still be a pretty quick timetable. I mean, what would
that be nine months remove from tearing the achilles. Let's
say you need insert quarterback here for the first few
weeks of the season. I would think that Riley Leonard
at least getting his feet wet, and boy, you talk
about jumping in the deep end. Based on that Houston

(46:38):
Texans defense who's still playing for a chance to win
the AFC sou title, I do think that could benefit him.
And I guess, just to clear everything up on Anthony Richardson,
I am assuming the vision impairment for Richardson is still
troublesome enough where you don't feel comfortable putting him out
there in a game setting. He has practice each the
last two weeks, but that is my assumption to.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
This point, Kevin.

Speaker 9 (47:00):
He has also been limited in every single practice since
coming back from the injury in a practice setting. I
say coming back because he hasn't fully come back to
a game. And I want to throw this out there.
We have had this conversation about Ry Leonard in the
future and would he be a viable option to perhaps

(47:21):
start the season if Daniel Jones is signed and not
ready to go because of the achilles. But then I
hear some birdies in my ear, like, wait a second,
Anthy richards his donor contract, So how do you think
he fits into this equation moving forward beyond just next
week but next season?

Speaker 4 (47:39):
Yeah, I have to throw this in, James. Are we
under the impression everybody's back? Let's assume that everyone is
back for this argument, for this conversation.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
So I guess a bit weirdly.

Speaker 4 (47:51):
I wouldn't say this about many guys in the roster,
but I think the return of everybody would be bad
for Anthony Richardson.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
I think is bad as large as already made here
in Indy. And I mean that probably specifically with Shane Stikeen,
and that I think he is probably done with him.

Speaker 4 (48:08):
And again, the Richardson camp might view this too, of like, guys,
this is going nowhere. Can we just shake hands and
move on? This is not I get that he's under
contract for one more year. I get that he's only
what twenty three years old or however old he is.
I understand all that, but he just doesn't seem like
this is a very healthy marriage at all.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
Let's shake hands.

Speaker 4 (48:26):
We still, you know, we'll say hi to each other
at our kids' basketball games, but let's just move on.
You know, I I kind of feel that is where
we're trending with it now. If you flip the table
upside down, you might all of a sudden have a
new regime that comes in here and says, guys, I
don't give two bleeps about day three. Riley Leonard at

(48:49):
pick one, Anthony Ridginson cylinder contract for twenty twenty six.

Speaker 1 (48:54):
Sure I got no picks. Why not roll with ice?

Speaker 5 (48:57):
You know?

Speaker 1 (48:58):
Who care?

Speaker 4 (48:58):
Like, maybe all of a sudden a new voice, because
again that's been the weird thing with the Richardson tenured.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
All the voices have been the same.

Speaker 4 (49:07):
Zoe Si his quarterbacks coach, his head coach, obviously his
play caller, like, all his voices have been the same.
You know a lot of times with these young quarterbacks, James,
you see voices change Bryce Young for example, It's changed
in Carolina. Now, all of a sudden, they could be
in the playoffs. Certainly Caleb Williams would be maybe the
poster child of it. Now, not all of it works
in that way, but I do think if you all

(49:28):
of a sudden made changes, then that door might be
cracked a little bit more. But I would say, if
you are team run it back in twenty twenty six.
I don't think that would be very advantageous to those
wanting to see Richardson for I guess, just point blank to.

Speaker 1 (49:48):
Put on a Colt's uniform again.

Speaker 4 (49:52):
I mean, my guess is Riley Leonard starting, it's Philip
Rivers at the backup on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (49:56):
Technically they did. Brett Rippin is gone.

Speaker 4 (49:58):
For those that have been keep track of the quarterback
depth chart, he's now in Minnesota was claimed by them,
So technically they only have three quarterbacks in the building.
You know, practice squad, active roster, so you know you
need two of those three to go out there. There's
no chance that Kevin, get your arm ready, There's no
chance we see Rivers, right, No, there should be a
zero percent chance we see him.

Speaker 9 (50:20):
But I guess the only way you would see him again, unfortunately,
is if Riley got.

Speaker 4 (50:24):
Hurt, which we can Unfortunately has been a part of
his career, and obviously he got banged up in the
one game action he got here in Jacksonville.

Speaker 9 (50:33):
So it's something to certainly keep in mind. But I'm
very curious to see how things kind of play out
this week when it comes to the practice participation of
Anthony Richardson. If they just go out and say on Wednesday,
because time we'll talk to Shane and we'll probably hear
something before then. Is Roley your starter? Does he get

(50:53):
all the first team reps? And you kind of just
flip it like that for the season finale because for
those who kept asking, and I get it, it's kind
of nuanced if you're not, you know, working these NFL
spaces like we are. But the reason why Philip Rivers
started yesterday in a meaningless game was because it wasn't meaningless.

(51:15):
As they prepared for the game, he took all the
first team reps. And as you know, Kevin and I
do agree with this thinking from the Colts. You don't
you do not want to throw Riley in there, no
first team reps at all, hasn't prepared and say have
at it. I do think you would be putting him
at more risk and more danger than giving him an

(51:36):
opportunity like some people might view It's it's a little
bit different.

Speaker 1 (51:40):
This is in basketball. You probably want to give him
those three days. Super Yeah.

Speaker 4 (51:43):
I have little to no issue James of them operating
the man that they did last week.

Speaker 1 (51:48):
I mean you found out.

Speaker 4 (51:49):
I think some people just don't understand how that NFL
schedule kind of works. Like you you're leading up to
a game Wednesday, you know is install, you know Thursday,
going over things like that's a it's huge to get
those reps, and when you don't get that, there's also
huge in the reverse. So it's not as simple as
playing a game of mad Dan sand I'll just change
my starter three on sevent two three nine ten seventy

(52:10):
point and join the conversation phone line or text line
with that shout out to Ashton Doolan.

Speaker 1 (52:15):
I just I did not think that.

Speaker 4 (52:18):
All of a sudden on this Monday show, i'd be
talking a little bit more about the return of Ashton
Doula than Sauce Gardner with both of them back in
the lineup. But that dude just continually makes quality football
plays when he's asked to do something, and typically it's
special teams related And I know that's boring and it
might be a little nerdy, But James without Doling, I
don't know if you even get the seventeen points.

Speaker 1 (52:39):
Yesterday, he has the bigger return to start the game.

Speaker 4 (52:42):
That's a good point and you get three off of that,
and then you have the other big return. I don't
I think that one set up maybe the other field goal,
or maybe it was the touchdown drive. Nonetheless, of your
three scoring drives, Ashton Doolan gave you the ball on
the right side of the fifty both times. And again
as a punt gunner, he makes some big plays and
you know, for a game that was one possession for

(53:02):
so long, I mean, Dulan was looking like one of
the players of the game for you as that thing
played out yesterday.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
So again there it'll quickly.

Speaker 4 (53:12):
Get lost in the shuffle, and totally understandably so, but
I wanted to make sure that we mentioned Doolan because
just seems to do so many right right things for
this football team, even if it doesn't pop up necessarily
onto massive headlines.

Speaker 1 (53:27):
He's just a dude.

Speaker 9 (53:29):
And we were talking about this, what things you could
probably count on your hand, what things Ashton Doling can't
do on a football field.

Speaker 1 (53:40):
Quicker than the things he can do.

Speaker 4 (53:43):
Like if you told me he was lining up to
play safety, I'd probably be like, all right.

Speaker 1 (53:50):
Did any play defense this year? Oh? He actually did,
Yeah he actually had a blitz.

Speaker 8 (53:54):
Yeah he did he I remember that now good against
Arizona back in Week six.

Speaker 9 (53:59):
That's the bizarre we had Ashton Doolan blitzing and two
guys going ir before the game. Sorry, crazy week.

Speaker 4 (54:05):
Like if the Cultu were a baseball team, Ashton Doolan
would be the dude that plays nine positions in a blowout.
You know, I'm pretty sure I want to ask him this.

Speaker 9 (54:12):
Well, actually I probably should honestly, because it might be
a little disrespectful. He wasn't a highly recruited guy, but
if he had been, he would be what we list
on like, what is it, Max Preps in twenty four
to seven sports athlete? You recruited position athlete ath baby,
that's what he is.

Speaker 4 (54:28):
Eight and two start for the Colts. Since two thousand,
you've had ninety six teams start eight and two. The
Colts are the first team to have not made the
playoffs after starting eight and two.

Speaker 1 (54:42):
And I said it earlier in the show.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
I think it's something that can't get lost in the
evaluation of Chris Boward. In particular, Ballard's resume has the opportunity,
or has had the opportunity, I should say, to benefit
from the NFL expanding their playoffs when you get into
this historical data. One thing about the NFL that I
think helps it out in just kind of comparing you
know eras is for the most part, we've had a

(55:06):
very consistent playoff format. You know, in nineteen ninety I
think it is is when it changed. But you know,
for the most part you've had the six teams you know,
from each conference, and you know, the top two teams
would get the buy. Well, in the COVID year two thousand,
the league decided to expand it by one playoff team.
So now we have seven from each conference get in,

(55:26):
so seven of sixteen and we only have one buy now.
And so now you look at the Colts and in
this current era of a five year playoff.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
Drought streak, that is with a seventh and additional playoff team.

Speaker 4 (55:42):
And if you want to get technical, of the two
playoff appearances the Colts have had, one of them is
due to the seventh spot that twenty twenty season, that
COVID season, they were the last team to make it.
So to me, that I think is another you know,
kind of damning con if you will on the ballad
resume when you start to compare it historically to other gms,

(56:06):
all of them were fighting or a lot of them.

Speaker 1 (56:07):
I should say, we're fighting for the sixth playoff spots.

Speaker 4 (56:10):
Ballard has benefited from the seventh playoff spot, but yet
hasn't been able to take advantage of it.

Speaker 8 (56:15):
Can I throw something in here because I heard you
guys bring up that fact in the first segment of
the show today that this is the first team since
nineteen ninety five the Raiders to go eight and two
and missed.

Speaker 1 (56:29):
Playoffs, and I was like, I'm just interested.

Speaker 8 (56:30):
So I looked up about how that season went for
the Raiders, and I'm drawing two similarities here.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
So Jeff Hostetler was their QB.

Speaker 8 (56:40):
He injured his shoulder earlier in the season, missed a
game or two I think, and then reaggravated it when
they were eight and two playing the Cowboys and missed
the rest of the season. So I think that's a
recipe for a collapse. When we saw that with Daniel
Jones kind of you know, had an injury and then
it kind of made speculating allegedly maybe that's how he

(57:01):
tore his achilles is kind of the overworking of his
other leg and then the second thing would be that
the Raiders last six games were all against teams above
five hundred, and I think you saw that with the
Colts this year. This schedule got tougher, the teams got better,
yet loaded in the back end, and they weren't able
to come through.

Speaker 4 (57:23):
Yeah, yeah, I know. I think those are very relevant points.
I mean, it was definitely a backloaded schedule to Caleb.
I mean, we will probably look at it, and you
know the first half of the schedule. I mean, while
you did have Denver, you does the Rams. You know,
you did have the Chargers, a lot of teams drafted
in the top ten, whereas what since Kansas City, every
team's been a playoff team. I think I don't know

(57:44):
if that's exactly how it'll play out when it's all
said and done, but you know, you had passed the
test up until that point. But you know, I think
we try to mention throughout in the NFL. I mean,
a seventeen week grind is a grind. I mean it
is a long, long season, and I mean, look at Houston.
They lost their first three games, and right now there's

(58:05):
some people that probably think Houston could get on a
run in the ANFC with that defense, and they could
be having a home game in Round one of things
break their way. Coming up on some of the Jaguars
were supposed to be a cute story. They're like legitimately good. Now, well,
and they've flipped it too. They were turning the ball over,

(58:26):
forcing turnovers that is at a stupid historic rate early
in the season, which is why I thought they were regressed.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
I thought that was a fluke.

Speaker 4 (58:34):
And now Trevor Lawrence has taken his game to another level.
The Jacobe Meyers trade has been great for them. Their
defense still, you know, makes enough plays. Travis Etna, I think,
has had a really solid year, and they've patchworked that
offensive line.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
I think the Colts, you know.

Speaker 4 (58:49):
Yesterday that was actually some Colts pass rush we hadn't
seen in a while.

Speaker 1 (58:52):
Now. It really didn't show up in the second half,
but in that.

Speaker 4 (58:55):
First half you you took advantage of a banged up
Jacksonville front.

Speaker 1 (58:58):
There.

Speaker 4 (58:59):
I thought you had some really nice moments in that
game that kind of helped you out. But I mean, boy,
Jacksonville was just clearly the better team. I mean, did
it end up being double the yardage amount James did Jacksonville.

Speaker 1 (59:09):
In the package to check myself. Actually, it was.

Speaker 4 (59:11):
Pretty close throughout the game. Jacksonville I think was like
three eighty three ninety and the Colts were hovering right
around two hundred.

Speaker 9 (59:19):
Because didn't they have like two turnovers in the red zone.
I know they were close on that first possession.

Speaker 4 (59:24):
They had two turnovers in the red zone, and they
also had the QB sneak that got stuffed therefore, so
they had three turnovers in scoring position.

Speaker 1 (59:32):
I don't know what the hell they're think about the
hooking ladder.

Speaker 8 (59:35):
That I was hoping that we would talk about that,
because they're the Colts.

Speaker 1 (59:39):
Defense is chopped cheese. On that first drive, it was like.

Speaker 4 (59:44):
It was like some season ticket member got to call
play on the opening drive.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
It's like Liam Cohen bro like, we get it. You're
a good offensive mind. You don't need to show off.

Speaker 4 (59:52):
Like Sean Khan had a big gallon in the offseason
and some fan donated, you know, thousands of dollars to
call play.

Speaker 1 (59:57):
In the Indianapolis game on the opening drive.

Speaker 4 (01:00:00):
It's like, yeah, I mean, I guess Travisdtn could have
just caught it and everything would have been fine. But
still it was like the most unnecessary trick play of
all time.

Speaker 1 (01:00:10):
We'll see about Philip Rivers and exactly what his status.

Speaker 4 (01:00:12):
Would be coming up week eighteen. It was an emotional
Uncle Phil post game. We'll play that audio up coming
in a few but go ahead, Caleb Zuber. Let's check
it out. All right, Let's start around the NFL in
Week seventeen. We don't have a lot to play for
as we kind of shift gears here coming up to
the final weekend of the year, but we do know
the Saturday slate. The first game coming up at four

(01:00:34):
thirty this Saturday, you'll have the NFC South Championship, if
you will, It'll either be Carolina or Tampa. The winner
for that, we'll get a home game and we'll host
somebody out of the NFC West. The nightcap on Saturday
will be the NFC West title game, and that is
the one seed. Either gonna be the forty nine Ers
or the Seahawks for the one seed out West. Our

(01:00:58):
final game of the twenty twenty five calendar game two
seventy two Steelers and Ravens And Caleb Zuber, you thought
the Steelers of the most unseerious team in.

Speaker 1 (01:01:09):
The NFL this past weekend.

Speaker 8 (01:01:10):
It's an indictment on Rogers Tomlin, a great organization that
has been steady for years. But you're more worried about
Miles Garrett getting a sack record than clinching the division.

Speaker 1 (01:01:22):
Come on, yeah, that was some horrible offense I was watching.
How about Derrick Henry? Is he good at football? Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:01:30):
My analysis?

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
Some of those stiff arms are just so disrespectful, I know.

Speaker 9 (01:01:36):
Also show to Miles McLoughlin. I saw he got honored
at the Colts game yesterday.

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
Had me thinking.

Speaker 9 (01:01:40):
About how close he was to knocking off Derrek Henry
for the career high school rushing record.

Speaker 4 (01:01:46):
But nevertheless, it's still a great career for that young man.
Would you rather watch Miles McLoughlin play quarterback Week eighteen
or Raley Leondard? Ooh boy? I will probably still rolls Riley.

Speaker 9 (01:01:56):
I love Myles, but I don't know if you can
run the wing t against Houston then again.

Speaker 4 (01:02:00):
Week eighteen schedule announced late last night, officially one o'clock
on Sunday. Ten point underdog the Colts facing the Texans
against Houston still has a chance at the AFC South.
They will need Jacksonville, though to lose to Tennessee. In
order to have that opportunity, course, Houston, we need to win.

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
As well, all right, tonight Pacers back in action. It
is eight straight losses.

Speaker 4 (01:02:22):
Weirdly, they are starting to though, get a little bit healthier.
Aaron Ne Smith made his return to the lineup after
missing a month and a half over the weekend. But
typical Pacers this season, they seemingly have great, great stretches
and then get absolutely torched for a quarter or so.
And that is the difference we saw that I would
say in both games this weekend, Houston tonight they are

(01:02:42):
a big underdog down there against the Rockets. Is Shingoon
still just getting buckets like no other on?

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
Dudes? That guy is so skilled.

Speaker 9 (01:02:51):
I think he was out the last couple of games,
so maybe that'll benefit the Pacers if he's not available tonight.
But at the same time, yes, he is still very
good at basket.

Speaker 4 (01:03:00):
Pacers got a lot of injuries at center though, that's
the one area where they are banged up right now.
Jay Huff questionable for tonight's What else do we got?
Purdue back in action? Matt Painters bunch on the hardwood
here tonight. It's their final non conference game Kent State.
I think I saw my guy Steph Kendrick on the
on the color call for that one big ten plus
for Purdue fans out there as college basketball gets back underway.

(01:03:23):
Butler at Creighton coming up tomorrow night, and it is
Rosebull week than Indianna Hoosiers taking on the Crimson Tide
of Alabama that spread right around a touchdown favorite for
Kurt Signette's bunch. That number surprise you about what you
would expect.

Speaker 9 (01:03:38):
I think that was about what I would expect. And
I mean, I know it's early, but picking eye you to.

Speaker 4 (01:03:44):
Cover ninety eight percent chance of rain?

Speaker 1 (01:03:48):
If I'm seeing this weather for, what's.

Speaker 8 (01:03:50):
The difference between ninety eight percent and ninety seven percent?
Like just say one hundred at that point? This is like,
I mean nine stick on the tens here, ninety eighty seventy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
We don't need ninety eight.

Speaker 4 (01:04:03):
This is like when I was in grade school and
I was trying to get the teacher a round of it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:07):
There was ween like eighty nine point eight night. Let
me tell that to the Colts playoff chances, right, Oh yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:04:13):
This year, I was like, can you round up zero percent.

Speaker 1 (01:04:16):
Shots of Brownsburg High School.

Speaker 4 (01:04:17):
I saw they're going to be in the Tournament of
Roses Parade on New Year's Day, so I believe Mike
Wells button Twirler coach there for the Brownsburg Bulldogs.

Speaker 9 (01:04:28):
I was about to say, we can't be playing any
Mike Wells audio around the band will be not appropriate
for school airwink.

Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
No, we'll say that for Mark Dyson when he makes
us return coming up next a weekend. All right. On
the other side, much more on the Colts in the
big picture reaction to what happened yesterday. A fifth straight
year of missing the playoffs eight straight years, got a
playoff win and eleven without a home playoff game.

Speaker 1 (01:04:51):
Kevin Bell and James Boyd Caleb Zuber on a Monday
I think, you know, credit to them.

Speaker 6 (01:05:02):
I think they did some good things, but I think overall,
we just got to keep some momentum going offensively and
moving the football. I'm still out a few drives there,
so obviously offensively got to do some better things to
keep that, you know, the points going.

Speaker 4 (01:05:19):
It is a two to nine record for Shane Stike
and football teams against the Texans and the Jags in
these three seasons as head coach. I think that maybe
is the biggest reason why enough would be enough for
three years as head coach for Shane. I don't get
the impression that he thinks he's on any sort of

(01:05:40):
hot seat, but that stat, I mean, that is just
Oh boy, is that ugly two and nine against Houston
and Jacksonville and James. One of those wins, the meaningless
overtime win with Mac Jones at quarterback for the Jags
last season.

Speaker 1 (01:05:57):
That's a season finale, season finale.

Speaker 9 (01:06:00):
Yeah, we put it like that. Yeah, not good. And
I will say this, you're also from a big pictures standpoint.
Those are your last two division winners over the last
what is I think three years. I don't know the
last time that Tennessee won the division.

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
But Houston's won it. I think they're going for the trifecta.

Speaker 4 (01:06:21):
One to two right now controls it if they win exactly.

Speaker 9 (01:06:25):
But to your point, you would have had a chance
to win the division had you probably won a few
of those games. I mean, you had it on a
platter there in your first season. Now granted that was
with Gardner Minshew in a backup quarterback. I get all
that but over this extended period of time, to play
that poorly against your division rivals, biggest games of the

(01:06:48):
year annually, that's pretty damning.

Speaker 4 (01:06:50):
Yeah, And I think being eliminated prior to Week eighteen
now for two straight years is also making the taste
even more sour, Like you're not getting even to week
eighteen with a chance. And that's with you know, as
we've talked about all morning long, you got seven of
the sixteen teams in the AFC NFC of course getting in.

(01:07:12):
I mean that's I mean, that's nearly half the conference
and you're not even getting to the final week of
the season with a chance.

Speaker 1 (01:07:18):
Obviously you did the first year. Yeah, it came down
to that game with Houston. The last year.

Speaker 4 (01:07:23):
You know, this time last year we were talking about
the ugly ass kicking in New York to Drew Lack
a good lord, and now we're talking about the six
game losing streak and a historical collapse.

Speaker 9 (01:07:32):
We'll I have a question for you and Caleb, and
this is a question that I have stolen from our
buddy Stephen Holder of ESPN. He was asking the players
after the game, how would you define this season? Are
you a good team? That was decimated by injuries, or
were you not a good team because you couldn't overcome

(01:07:56):
some of those obstacles, including injuries.

Speaker 8 (01:08:00):
I think there's too many close games that they lost
to sit here and say that they were a good team.

Speaker 1 (01:08:08):
Now.

Speaker 8 (01:08:09):
I think the talk was through the first eight weeks,
it was that, hey, good teams blow out the ones
they're supposed to and that is a characteristic of a
good team, and they were doing that, deserved some credit
for that, but all the other characteristics were missing, maybe
not all, but a lot of them. And so at

(01:08:29):
the end of the day, when you look at the
whole picture, no, they were not good enough. And there
was too many close games, even after the Daniel Jones injury,
where you're just like, they didn't do enough down the stretch.

Speaker 4 (01:08:41):
Yeah, I can't call anyone a good team that loses
six stra eight and seven of eight.

Speaker 1 (01:08:44):
No, I mean, you go around the league, James.

Speaker 4 (01:08:46):
I know there's not a lot of these teams to
fall in the category, but there are several teams that
have gotten deep on the quarterback depth chart this year
and have won a football game. You know, we keep
on bringing up Cleveland yesterday and their situation. I mean
they beat it that I was competing for a playoff spot.
You know when you look at you know team in
the Detroit Lions were still hanging in there, and Minnesota

(01:09:08):
found a way to beat them over the weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:09:10):
Not not the prettiest looking thing. But when adversity.

Speaker 4 (01:09:13):
Hits, are you able to find other ways? Two scrap claw,
scratch fight? How everyone to look at it for a win?
So you know, obviously injuries hurt them. I'm not thinking
to ignore that or just sweep it under the rug.
But part of the seventeen week grind is being able
to at some point overcoming and look, they only needed

(01:09:36):
to overcome it what once?

Speaker 1 (01:09:37):
Maybe?

Speaker 4 (01:09:38):
I mean if you win the right game, if you
would have beaten Houston, for example, at home whatever a
month ago before you know, really all the injuries started
to impact you. You know, that was still what pre
achilles for Daniel Jones. We could be talking about a
different conversation here, So that's where would go again. I

(01:09:58):
don't think you know, when we ranked the nine seasons
of Chris Ballard James, is this gonna be number one
on the egregious scale. No, I think that's a ludicrous
thought to say that, but in a bottom line business,
the resume is the resume, and we've pointed it out
now throughout the first ninety minutes of the show, and

(01:10:19):
we will continue to do so. Sadly, unfortunately, it's the
definition of ugl y.

Speaker 1 (01:10:28):
You ain't got no alibi.

Speaker 4 (01:10:30):
I was hoping some more time then, thank you, Kry.
How common do you think it is for a head
coach to get a fourth year with no playoff appearances?

Speaker 9 (01:10:40):
We talk a lot about ballot. I think I'm actually
not sure. Is there way I can look this up?
I mean I can mainly do it, I would suppose,
but we.

Speaker 1 (01:10:48):
Talk a lot about ballad.

Speaker 4 (01:10:49):
I guess just to start off, and I don't know
if there's frankly anyone out there James that thinks he
should get a tenth year. I don't know if you
feel like Chris bal should get a tenth year three one, seven, nine, seventy.
But the Shane steik and fourth year is a little
bit more. I think of a debate.

Speaker 1 (01:11:04):
Within the fan base.

Speaker 4 (01:11:06):
So how much do you view twenty five and twenty
five as a record, the quarterback situation being how it's
been the record against Houston and Jacksonville being what it's
been and missing the playoffs three straight years.

Speaker 9 (01:11:24):
And I would even say when we talk about Shane,
and granted I don't know what all it entails to
be a head coach, but are you confident that he
can be a head coach and be a good head coach?
Because I don't doubt that he is a good offensive mind,
at least personally. There's been time I will set agree

(01:11:46):
with up. There's times where I'm like, all right, brother,
run the ball.

Speaker 8 (01:11:49):
You know.

Speaker 9 (01:11:49):
I think that happens from time to time with him.
The clock management might not be his best friend in
some instances, but I think overall.

Speaker 4 (01:11:56):
That was a rough end of the first half yesterday. Yeah,
I may bail them out.

Speaker 9 (01:12:00):
Was but you can make an argument that he is
a good offensive mind and he's kind of made something
out of not nothing but.

Speaker 1 (01:12:10):
Not good ingredients.

Speaker 9 (01:12:11):
When it comes to the quarterback position always being banged up,
some of the offensive injuries he had throughout the last
couple of years to keep players, I get all that,
but also from a front facing standpoint, does.

Speaker 1 (01:12:23):
He meet the moment enough? And I don't I'm not.

Speaker 4 (01:12:25):
I'm not so sure about that part of it. Yeah,
this is where I get back into like the individual grades.
Like if I were assessing letter grades, and I'm just
saying this off the top of my head, James, if
I were assessing letter grades to you know, Chris Ballard's
tenure and change Pikin's tenure, the Ballot tenure would be
like a D minus and the Stiching tenure would be.

Speaker 1 (01:12:45):
I, I don't know, C minus.

Speaker 4 (01:12:49):
Yeah, Like, I don't think it's as damning. But also
you know, it comes back to the old debate of
do you tie those two at the hip and how
or is it if you don't tie them at the hip?

Speaker 1 (01:13:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:13:04):
I do think offensively, there's a lot to like about
what he brings to the table, but unfortunately the big
picture as the head coach, and I think times that
just gets lost with him and the evaluation.

Speaker 1 (01:13:16):
And look, you can point to a lot of coaches around.

Speaker 4 (01:13:17):
The league that do both and wear those hats very well.
I mean, I think if you looked at the playoff picture, James,
you look at whenever we get there on Sunday night,
and you look at the fourteen teams, it's probably split
around the league of head coaches many how many of
the playoff. Head coaches also call their team's offensive plays

(01:13:38):
and how many of them are more the CEO. It's
probably split. Yeah, And certainly at the time, giving your
quarterback situation.

Speaker 1 (01:13:45):
You know you needed.

Speaker 4 (01:13:48):
Probably more of that offensive head coach. And you know
what do you typically do? You typically kind of go
a little bit more, you know, from a one to
eighty standpoint there, So you know, all of a sudden,
would carle Er say, Gordon view it as, hey, we
need more of a CEO type in here as a
head coach. You know, if you made me like say, hey,
what would you do right now? I probably would fire

(01:14:13):
the GM. Let the new GM evaluate Chainsyching in however
manner they want to. And that could mean you walk
in this building and within a week you say, hey,
head coaches fired, I'm gonna tie it together.

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
I'm gonna start it over.

Speaker 4 (01:14:32):
Or you sit there and say, you know what, I
think Shane has had his hand tied behind his back
a little bit here from a personnel standpoint, I'm gonna
try to help him out in that area. I think
there's some potential here as an offensive guy. Maybe staff wise,
I need to get a few more voices in there
that can help him out, challenge him in some other ways,
and we'll see if I can.

Speaker 1 (01:14:52):
Work with him.

Speaker 4 (01:14:53):
You know, that's kind of my general thought. Like when
people ask me, what do you think the coult should do,
That's probably where I'm at. I don't love the idea
of not tying them together, and I'm a little skeptical
of my own thought, to be honest with you, but
that's probably where.

Speaker 1 (01:15:08):
I would go.

Speaker 4 (01:15:11):
Again, I could see a lot of different ways for
this team to go, a lot of nuance in that decision,
but I'm probably leaning more toward George side Kevin just
because I mean.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
And no Vet would be safe.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
I don't know if I need to say that, but
nobody on this roster would be safe. I mean I
look at this roster and I mean I'm talking the
elite of the elites. Nobody on this roster I view
is untouchable.

Speaker 1 (01:15:36):
And the one that.

Speaker 4 (01:15:37):
People would probably hold in that regard would be Quentin Nelson.
If you told me tomorrow I could get two quality
day one day two picks for Quentin Nelson, I'd probably
do in a heartbeat. Are you saying that if you
change GMS or are you saying that in general.

Speaker 1 (01:15:50):
Well, I'm saying that in general.

Speaker 4 (01:15:51):
Obviously the likelihood would be a lot different if you
did change GMS than if you didn't.

Speaker 1 (01:15:55):
But this core to me, I don't think.

Speaker 4 (01:16:00):
Any I guess I'm grouping them all together, but I
don't think anybody's earned the right to be again, truly untouchable.

Speaker 1 (01:16:07):
I mean, what is the group one?

Speaker 9 (01:16:09):
No, I agree, But my argument, and I'm not saying
this is my personal belief, but the argument is, well,
if you do look at twenty twenty six right now
from a roster construction standpoint, how do you not run
it back considering what you've invested. And I'm not saying

(01:16:30):
it's the right decision, but I could see them doing
it just because it's either that or if you blow
up the roster you need to just get rid of everybody.

Speaker 4 (01:16:37):
Then in my opinion, See, this is where I understand
where you're coming from. But this is where I push
back and that trade being greenlighted during the middle of
the season, because when you made the trade for sauce Gardner,
to me, you obviously said a lot about your belief
in sauce Gardener as a player, but you said a
whole lot more in what you thought of Daniel Jones
and Chris Ballard. That's what I'm saying, and so I

(01:16:57):
don't necessarily view it like if I'm ballad. I'm thinking
and wait a minute, if I make this trade, no
matter what happens, I get to save my job for
the next two to three years. Well, hell yeah, that
sounds great, right, even if we have a historic collapse
from here, even if we go seven to one to
start in one and seven to finish, even if we've

(01:17:19):
become the first team since two thousand to start eight
and two it missed the playoffs, Well, of course you're
gonna do that trade if it guarantees my job security.
And that's where the Carly Urse Gordon element James is
a little uneasy for me. And by that I mean this,
when you make that trade and if she indeed, as

(01:17:42):
reports indicate, green lighted it, she is saying to her organization,
Daniel Jones, you are an unquestioned franchise quarterback. Chris Ballard,
you are our one thousand percent GM moving forward, and
you're telling me seven weeks of football earned the right
for Daniel Jones to be that seven weeks football earned
the right for Chris Bauer to be that that makes

(01:18:04):
no sense to me. It ain't gotta make sense to you.

Speaker 9 (01:18:10):
But my point is when you look at all I'm saying,
isn't I agree with you from this standpoint, But all
I'm saying is devil's advocate. And I hate when I
use that line because I'm like, who wants to be
the freaking devil? But if you make those moves, Kevin,
you're saying you believe in the roster that you have
and you have a chance to change your mind. But

(01:18:31):
my only pushback to that is if you change your mind,
then you need to be all in about doing that.

Speaker 4 (01:18:37):
I don't want to see a bunch of tinkering with
the roster if.

Speaker 9 (01:18:40):
You say we are not good enough, whether you keep
Chris ballad or not, whether you keep saying stacking or not,
that you need to be getting getting rid of everybody,
like you said, offloading players, recouping draft capital, and then
you got to prepare yourself and your fan base for
some ugly lean years because I think people right now
don't realize, and honestly, as someone who is not from

(01:19:02):
state of Indiana did not grow up as a Colts fan,
you have been spoiled with the whole terrible bad experience
because when you finally got bad from the pay Manning years,
you were gifted Andrew luck. Now you're going through some bad,
middling years. But it can get a whole lot worse,
for a whole lot longer.

Speaker 4 (01:19:19):
I would argue eleven straight years without a home playoff game,
eight straight years without a playoff win, in five straight years,
that a playoff appearance is pretty bad.

Speaker 1 (01:19:25):
Oh, brother, it can get worse, And I'm saying I'm
not saying that.

Speaker 4 (01:19:28):
I would argue it's pretty freaking bad right now. And
I get that the grass might look a lot browner,
but yeah, pretty damn brown. I mean, it looks like
Kevin Bones front yard right now.

Speaker 9 (01:19:37):
And that's fine. All I'm saying is, prepare your fan base.
You're gonna be the Titans. Prepare for that.

Speaker 1 (01:19:44):
Three one.

Speaker 4 (01:19:46):
In the division of recently that the Golts. I lost
that argument already, Kevin.

Speaker 1 (01:19:52):
Bowen, James Boyd, Caleb Zuper, thanks for starting your week
with us right here. I'm the fan any of play this.
When Ashton do and takes another kick return back.

Speaker 4 (01:20:03):
James Boyd moving and grooving here on a Monday, Rose
Bowl week for IU fans, Perdue basketball back in action
tonight up in Westlafiete. I think that's needed to be
said here on this Monday is we talk a lot
about another January. On the couch for the Annapolis Colts
says they can start the Caribbean vacations a bit early

(01:20:26):
here with the official elimination from the playoffs on Saturday,
We've talked a lot about it here on the morning
Show again. Sunday one o'clock will be the season finale
down there in Houston, a ten point underdog, and we'll
wait confirmation on exactly what the quarterback of depth chart
looks like. Just kind of get everybody up to speed
on where things are at. Anthony Richardson Senior has practiced

(01:20:48):
limited the last two weeks. Some vision issues questions seem
to still be there for him, So putting him out
there in a game setting, I think remains a hurdle.
So will we get Riley Leonard as starter Philip Rivers's backup?
On Sunday, Shane Styke in pretty noncommittal on that. I

(01:21:08):
didn't think there were a couple of moments though even Rivers,
I don't know if you watched James Rivers was on
the Fox pregame show before.

Speaker 1 (01:21:16):
The game, and even he said like a last time now.

Speaker 4 (01:21:19):
I don't know if he was referencing the home aspect
to it, like playing inside of Lucashol Stadium, but it
almost seemed like there are a couple of moments where
Stiking and Rivers both kind of alluded to, hey man,
this is probably gonna be it.

Speaker 1 (01:21:32):
Do you think that was some of his emotion post game?

Speaker 4 (01:21:34):
Yeah, for sure. I mean he's not.

Speaker 8 (01:21:38):
Naive.

Speaker 9 (01:21:39):
He knows full well this should this should be his
last NFL start, his last NFL snap.

Speaker 1 (01:21:46):
And that's it.

Speaker 4 (01:21:47):
You tried.

Speaker 9 (01:21:49):
Had you won a game, perhaps you're still in the
mix for a week eighteen start.

Speaker 1 (01:21:52):
But brother, that is the end of the road again.

Speaker 4 (01:21:56):
Postgame yesterday, Rivers with the Saint Michael crew in the
building there, James Wood threw the question at him about
this potentially being.

Speaker 2 (01:22:05):
It or if of whatever the organization Shane and whoever,
however that decision is gonna come to be. I'm sure
I'll have some conversation. It won't just be a blind
side Tuesday, you know, conversation from him, and I'm going
to be on board to do what's best for the guys.
I mean, if this was the last one, shoot again.

(01:22:26):
I told you guys, I won't have any regrets about
coming back, and I don't. It's it's other than us
not winning, right, us not winning. It's been an absolute
blast for three weeks. I wouldn't if I go back
and say, all right, now, you know everything's gonna happen,
what are you gonna do?

Speaker 1 (01:22:40):
I do it all again.

Speaker 2 (01:22:41):
It's been absolutely awesome, and uh so, yeah, I mean,
if it's the last one, it's the last one. I
thought the last one was walking off the field and
Buffalo walking off that tunnel, and I was fine with that,
and that one, that one had tears and those few
days after it, you know, and I was at peace
with that being the last one. So certainly, if it is,
I got three bonus games that I never saw coming

(01:23:02):
and couldn't be more thankful than I got the opportunity.

Speaker 4 (01:23:06):
An emotional Philip rivers post game again in the movie.
How did he not fall in love with it? I mean,
it's inspirational, It's he'd be the perfect person to play
his own life, frankly, and just how you know his
emotion on the field. How about how nice he went

(01:23:27):
after the Josh Downs catch challenge. I mean that man
was going nuts after that play.

Speaker 9 (01:23:33):
With the official, and that really stuck out to me
when asking him about the potential last start, And I
think someone might asked him as well about the whole
meaningless aspect of the game, and he got on the
soap box and was like, Hey, nothing we do in
life is meaningless. And as cliche as that might sound,

(01:23:53):
I thought he was very authentic in laying out why
it matters. He's, you know, the guy's forty four, and
he's like, I remember being ten years old and losing
to my friends at the park, and you know, you
either go home crying or you go home happy.

Speaker 4 (01:24:05):
And there is a certain.

Speaker 9 (01:24:07):
Disney movie aspect of it, like a feel good nature
to him trying to do what turned out to be impossible.
I mean, he was trying to be the third quarterback
age forty four or older in the NFL to win
a game, and he just wasn't able to do it.
He only had a sixth quarterback ever to play in
a game at forty four year or older.

Speaker 4 (01:24:25):
But when you get past all of that feel goodness,
if that's a word, you get.

Speaker 9 (01:24:34):
This kind of sinking in reality of bow Boy. We're
still in trouble here. And I think that was my
overall takeaway leaving lucas O's state him last night.

Speaker 1 (01:24:42):
Kevin, Yeah, I would agree on that.

Speaker 4 (01:24:44):
It's you know and Friday Night lights Permian runs into
Dallas Carter, right, and in the Philip Rivers movie, I
think he's run into the equivalent of Dallas Carter. It
just he looked his age yesterday. To me, the story
started to get a little sad. And again the offense.
You want him back for a twenty twenty six season,

(01:25:04):
you want him to get You want him to lose
his ability to use his right arm by starting next
yeason for the Colts.

Speaker 1 (01:25:14):
You did allude to that, Kevin, don't don't run from this.
I believe I asked the question. I didn't say wanted it. James.
I think just is insulted that you're even posing it. Yeah,
so I.

Speaker 4 (01:25:24):
Think you've seen how the Innapolis Colts have operated over
the last decade, James, Boyd, anything's on the table.

Speaker 1 (01:25:31):
This is true, Jeff, Saturday might be going.

Speaker 4 (01:25:34):
To take your advice on this. You've been running longer
than me, and every time I think I've seen something crazy,
I feel like it's you, Mike Chappell and Steven Holder
telling me, boy, relax, you ain't seen enough.

Speaker 1 (01:25:45):
Again. I assume it'll be rather Leonard coming up on Sunday.

Speaker 4 (01:25:49):
And it probably would have been the same result with
Leondar of the last three weeks.

Speaker 1 (01:25:53):
But the offense is just so archaic with Rivers. It
just is it just and the numbers back it up.
I mean they were James.

Speaker 4 (01:26:01):
They were three point seven yards per attempt yesterday per play,
I should say they were three point six.

Speaker 1 (01:26:08):
I believe in Seattle.

Speaker 4 (01:26:09):
If you look at the stike in ten year, three years,
that would be the second and the third fewest in
his three years.

Speaker 1 (01:26:14):
It just.

Speaker 4 (01:26:16):
And I guess there's no way to say that without
I guess it coming as a knock on Rivers, but
just with him as a quarterback, there's so many limitations
to this offense and no more than the potency aspect to.

Speaker 1 (01:26:28):
Sorry for laughing.

Speaker 4 (01:26:30):
Derrek White a P one listener, he said, he said,
give Philip Rivers some way loss shots and getting ready
for twenty twenty six boy training, I bet nazee Philip
Rivers on ozempic Man, No, no way, No, I don't
want Olympic filler. I think Eli Lilly has got a
new drug coming out right, i'man going in some local product.

Speaker 5 (01:26:52):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:26:52):
No, I don't want a patch on the Colts uniform
for next year. Oh gosh, boy, I died.

Speaker 4 (01:27:00):
I mean, it's an awesome story. Yeah, but the NFL
reality is hit and this.

Speaker 1 (01:27:06):
Sport is very unforgiving. And I will say this too.
I mean, man, he ran into his own offensive lineman
and fell down for a sack.

Speaker 9 (01:27:12):
But to your point about you know, it's an awesome
story that probably needs to come to an end. I
talked to Eric Weddle for that story I did on
you know the former players, former teammates of Philip Rivers.
Reacting to his to him coming out of retirement. Eric
Weddle was very real and saying, when you do something
like I did, he came out of a two year retirement.
Granted he was I think thirty six when he came back,

(01:27:34):
Philip coming back out of five year retirement being forty four.
He said, in no uncertain terms, your body is on
a timer.

Speaker 1 (01:27:43):
You will get hurt.

Speaker 9 (01:27:45):
He tore his pectorial muscle and the Super Bowl after
winning it and was obviously in extruciating pain because of it,
and he didn't go this far, but he told me, look, man,
I just pray that nobody falls on this guy's ribs
forty four and he's, you know, having to have surgery
or something at that age. So yes, it's a feel

(01:28:06):
good story, but is the very violent game. And boy,
it is not an old man's game.

Speaker 1 (01:28:10):
Nine o'clock hour.

Speaker 4 (01:28:11):
If you want to join the conversation three one, seven, two, three, nine,
ten seventy, he will take some calls here coming up.
Talk whatever you want to, whether it's the reaction from
yesterday or the big picture view of the Colts in
a fifth straight season without the playoffs. Kevin bow and
James Boyd and Caleb Zuber on a Monday.

Speaker 3 (01:28:29):
Motion out to the left side, including Downs Warren and Michael.

Speaker 1 (01:28:33):
Pittman Jews, they're blitzing Rivers throws that.

Speaker 3 (01:28:35):
Way, intercepted thirty twenty five twenty yard line of being
stopped right there as Jerry and Jones. He came away
with his second interception in as many games. The second
year quarterback int of Florida State comes away with the
interception and that Jaguars are right back into business near
the red zone.

Speaker 4 (01:28:55):
Hell of a tackle by Josh Downs that actually was
four point saving tackle. Yeah, but boy, when we're talking
about a hell of a tackle by Josh Down's here
on a Monday morning.

Speaker 1 (01:29:07):
Don't say it positive man and.

Speaker 9 (01:29:10):
Issue also had a crazy catch on the sideline that
got a nice reaction from Uncle Phil Grandpa Phil going
off on the refs. You probably dropped like seven dead
gummets in that discussion.

Speaker 1 (01:29:20):
Let's stink and go.

Speaker 4 (01:29:22):
That was the phrase we saw quite often in the
micd Up version of the forty nine Ers game. Again,
good Monday morning to you, Kevin Bowen, James Boyd, and
Caleb Zuver with you here. We have broken down a
lot over the Colts and they're now fifth straight year
missing the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (01:29:37):
Yesterday, twenty three seventeen to the Jags.

Speaker 4 (01:29:40):
Just to lay out the week for those that are curious,
NFL did announce the week eighteen schedule late last night.

Speaker 1 (01:29:45):
The Colts are back in the.

Speaker 4 (01:29:47):
What you would expect one o'clock Sunday window with a
meaningless game with Houston. Technically, Houston could still win the
AFC South, they would need Jacksonville though to lose to Tennessee.
So I would expect a normal schedule week for the Colts,
you know, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, practice, et cetera, et cetera,
and then James. Typically what happens is when you know

(01:30:08):
that final game ends on Sunday, the next day, so
that would be one week from today. That is when
you have player locker room clean out, and that is
the day that the NFL references is Black Monday from
around the league. And last year, correct me if I'm wrong,
the Jim merseay pen letter came out what just a

(01:30:29):
couple hours after the Week eighteen game ended, Colts and
Jaggs at Lucas o' State. I want to say it
was like a seven o'clockish something wrong along those lines.

Speaker 1 (01:30:38):
Yeah, I believe.

Speaker 4 (01:30:39):
So.

Speaker 9 (01:30:39):
I just remember stepping out into the snow because remember
we had that huge snowstorm, stepping on into the snow
after writing my post season postgame story and then having
to go back to the apartment and rewrite it because
first they put out a statement that.

Speaker 4 (01:30:55):
Could have been put out at four o'clock.

Speaker 9 (01:30:58):
But yes, they did make a statement, made it pretty quickly,
and I wonder if that will be the case this year.

Speaker 4 (01:31:05):
Do you just use the same statement, I mean you
could if you keep everybody around, do you like go
back and you change a few words, like it's you know,
is it just courtesy to wait till the black Monday thing?

Speaker 1 (01:31:20):
Could you just do the whole well, you know what,
like do it today?

Speaker 4 (01:31:25):
No, I mean do it today. I mean, well, you
definitely could do it today. It's a Monday, but you know,
the whole season ends. Will wait in the morning and
do everything. If I remember correctly, with Ryan Grigson, I
want to say Gregson was fired like several weeks into January.

Speaker 1 (01:31:42):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (01:31:43):
Now again that's Jim Mersey's watch. It's a different animal.
I would assume if you are Carli ors Gordon and
you are encountering your first ever if she is, and
again I'm not hold my breath, I guess to say
it out loud, but if she is going to make
a change or two, I would assume she would as
much time as possible.

Speaker 8 (01:32:01):
James wants to lay Kiffin situation, fire him on a tarmac.

Speaker 1 (01:32:06):
That's what Jessel James wants.

Speaker 4 (01:32:07):
I guess overlook as somebody who works in the news, business.

Speaker 1 (01:32:13):
Make it quick.

Speaker 4 (01:32:13):
If you're gonna make anything, any type of decision, get
it over with. I don't like waiting around, because you
know what happens, Caleb. I get comfortable, I think, huh,
you know what, ain't nothing gonna happen. I can relac,
I can go get this haircut, I can go to
the grocery store, I can.

Speaker 1 (01:32:28):
Go see my family friends.

Speaker 9 (01:32:30):
And then as soon as I do that, something happens
without failure every single time. When JT got his extension,
after the whole saga with jim Irsay, I was in
the chair getting the line and.

Speaker 4 (01:32:41):
Oh, I will never forget when Gregson got fired, I
was up in Chicago visiting some some buddies. I might
have had a libation or two at that point. I
mean this was, like I swear, Caleb, you can look
up the date. Look up the date Ryan Gregson got
fired from the Colts. I mean it had to have
been two, if not three weeks into January when you

(01:33:03):
know he got and I think we occasionally see this
and I, yeah, it was January twenty first, So I
think I don't know that what's Monday Monday is going
to be what January fourth, fifth, yeah, so that is
quite a while. I mean that was what so two
weeks in the into the off season. I haven't really

(01:33:23):
deciphered too much of league wide and feel free guys
to chime in.

Speaker 1 (01:33:28):
So far. Right now we have what we have interom coaches.
I'm trying to think where New York Tennessee, Tennessee is
that it. I feel like there's one more, but that
might that might be it should be one for the writers.

Speaker 4 (01:33:47):
But it doesn't seem like there's the Ben Johnson coordinator pursuit.
There doesn't seem to be I don't know, maybe Marcus
Freeman is this There doesn't seem to necessarily be the
hot college football coach that is just waiting to join
the NFL. A lah Harball maybe from a couple of
years ago. The one big domino that I am curious about,

(01:34:08):
because there's always something that is unforeseen on Black Monday,
or at least in the general world around that day.

Speaker 1 (01:34:16):
Sometimes it involves a playoff team.

Speaker 4 (01:34:17):
Frankly, what happens with Steelers Ravens Sunday Night football game
two seventy two, Because I just feel like we've had
some whispers throughout the year of and maybe it's just, Hey,
I'm tired of waking up next to that person, which
sounds kind of harsh, but you know, maybe that is

(01:34:38):
the case with John Harball in Baltimore. Maybe that is
the case of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. And so does
that lead to anything? Does the loser of that game
or hell maybe if the winner then gets smoked in
the playoffs? Do we see anything domino effect off of that?

Speaker 8 (01:34:54):
I like this the rare both coaches coaching for their
job game.

Speaker 1 (01:35:00):
How many times has that happened?

Speaker 4 (01:35:02):
Which sounds wild because both coaches are like borderline Hall
of Fame coaches.

Speaker 1 (01:35:06):
I don't even think they are though. That's the thing.

Speaker 4 (01:35:08):
Well, I definitely don't think Tomlin is man. And I know,
I know everyone's gonna.

Speaker 1 (01:35:13):
Be like, yeah, games, I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:35:15):
I mean, they trust.

Speaker 9 (01:35:16):
Me when I tell you this man is not coaching
for his job with Pittsburg.

Speaker 4 (01:35:19):
He's just not. I get that Pittsburgh usually doesn't do
these things, but when's the last time they won a
playoff game?

Speaker 7 (01:35:24):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (01:35:24):
I agree with you that fans are so fed up
with him, but don't we usually always have one story
in the coaching world of the black Monday that's a
little bit not crystal clear.

Speaker 4 (01:35:36):
That's not Tennessee or not New York. Where is that
going to be? I mean right now from a national landscape.
James correct me if I'm wrong, But I don't think
we've had any sort of schefter rapaport any of those
guys bringing up Shane Stiken's name in Indy. No, that
is true unless I missed it. I don't think there's
been true any of the national convo.

Speaker 9 (01:35:57):
Which is why you should stick with local journalism like
us on the thing.

Speaker 1 (01:36:01):
But again, it's not like we're sitting here expecting to change,
not necessarily not from the coaching.

Speaker 9 (01:36:05):
I do think again, if you're looking at the scales,
the high alert one is definitely the more weightier one.

Speaker 4 (01:36:13):
Has to be valid before I go to stiching. Now, again,
some of those I think has to do is just
Carli Ers Gordon in general, and like there's no past
precedent with her. So that's a good point league wide,
I think that is at play here, whereas you know,
maybe Jim Rsay, certainly Chris Mortenson you know, had a
very close relationship from a national media standpoint with some
of those guys. Mike Silver comes to mind, So maybe

(01:36:35):
you know that is at play here, But yeah, we'll
see if you know, as I've tried to read tea
leaves throughout this, and again it's difficult because Carli ers
Gordon is different. But does the embarrassment you know, I
would call this collapse embarrassing to a degree. You know,

(01:36:58):
I get there's some context, but James, and we throw
out the stat since two thousand, you've had ninety six
teams start eight and two and you're the only one
not to make the playoffs. Hell, you didn't even make
it to eighteen week eighteen with a chance. And we've
extended the playoff format. If you look at that stat

(01:37:20):
since two thousand, for what the first twenty years of
that stat, only six teams made the playoffs in each conference.

Speaker 1 (01:37:27):
Now there's seven.

Speaker 4 (01:37:30):
I mean, that is a very historic, embarrassing collapse. Are
we simply just chalking up to, hey man, people got hurt, right,
I'm back.

Speaker 9 (01:37:39):
And do that.

Speaker 1 (01:37:40):
I can't do that.

Speaker 9 (01:37:42):
It's to me, it's definitely the biggest reason for the collapse,
the injuries.

Speaker 4 (01:37:46):
But carlier say mentioned that back in the spring, she
brought up the injury a word.

Speaker 3 (01:37:51):
Those are her words.

Speaker 1 (01:37:52):
We don't have many of her words to go off of. James,
she brought that up.

Speaker 9 (01:37:57):
That's a very good point, and again it just goes
back to how I think what we're trying to do
right now, and it's kind of a cop out response
from me, but we're trying to theorize what could happen
without having a good chance or a good precedent of
what has happened with respect to Carla ers Gordon. With

(01:38:20):
jim irsay, in the past, we could say, well, if
I look here at this year in the similar situation,
some moost circumstances, he did this, and honestly, with Jim irsay,
some of that stuff never made sense whether you had
past president or not, I e.

Speaker 1 (01:38:34):
Jeff Saturday being hired.

Speaker 9 (01:38:35):
However, this is why this offseason I think is so
pivotal from an organization organizational standpoint, because whatever Carly ERSA.
Gordon does moving forward this offseason is what we will
judge her in the franchise by in the next off
seasons to come. And boy, she steps into such a

(01:39:01):
unique situation.

Speaker 8 (01:39:02):
I have to say this to those interview if jobs
do open up here, those interviews are gonna have to
be like sixteen hours long. Do you understand how much
is at risk here and what's on the table? First
round picks? What are you gonna do with the quarterback?
What are you gonna do with the head coach? There

(01:39:23):
is you have to get a full idea, especially for
the general manager, what their plan is gonna be and
what their philosophy is.

Speaker 1 (01:39:32):
There is so much to figure out here.

Speaker 9 (01:39:34):
Well, I'll say this, you don't have to worry about
that because when they went through this process with Shane
it was you know, days long interviews and stuff like that,
so that won't be an issue. But certainly I can
say this, I do know this about Carly. She is
not one two cut corners. So she will be very thorough.
You talk to any players, any coaches about just her

(01:39:55):
being around the team, not only this year, but in
years past, very very very detailed. And one of the
players who I think speaks to that the most publicly
is no longer here, and that's Stefan Gilmore. This is
the guy who's probably the future Hall of Famer, former
decent defensive player of the Year, and he was early
in saying, dude, she is built for this, and she

(01:40:16):
is prepared for this. And she doesn't cut corners.

Speaker 1 (01:40:18):
Yeah, I could. Again, I'm not going to pretend to
know Carl, said Gordon. Well, but the little.

Speaker 9 (01:40:23):
Shops at the same you know locations, and you know
same Carl, the car dealership.

Speaker 4 (01:40:27):
I somewhat park close to her in the in the
parking lot. Slightly different cars, I must say, But you know,
the little I do know of her, I could definitely
see her. First off, I think she will be much
more black and white than her dad. Ultimately when it
comes to decision making from an emotional standpoint, yeah, I
think she is going to look at hardcore numbers and look,

(01:40:48):
the hardcore numbers are ugly, and she's going to sit
here and be like, wait, what why why are we
twenty eighth?

Speaker 1 (01:40:54):
Why are we twenty fourth?

Speaker 4 (01:40:55):
Well, you know, however, you want to slice and dice hip,
and I could see here wanting to make a very
quick imprint on this is I'm running the show right now.
Me and my sisters are run the show right now.
I mean they made some organizational moves in the immediate
aftermath of her dad's passing that you know some people

(01:41:18):
that have been in that organization for a long long time,
and no, no, no, we are now moving forward and
we don't necessarily feel like you whatever you fit there,
you fit there. You know, dollars and cents, however you
want to slice and dice it. So h there is
that part of me that believes that aspect to it.
But I continue to come back to that trade and

(01:41:40):
that trade just it just threw a wrench into all
of it.

Speaker 1 (01:41:44):
To me, it was when you.

Speaker 4 (01:41:46):
Make that move, and if she indeed green lighted it,
then that would be quite the one eighty two months later.
But I'll always say this, when you are people in
positions of authority, particularly in professional sports, admitting you're wrong,
I think it's one of the hardest things to do,

(01:42:07):
but it can also be a massive deciding factor in
you maintaining your job. Like Kevin Pritchard with the Demanta
Sabonis Miles Turnery thing. He felt like that was the
right move, committed to that, and then all of a
sudden realized, oh, believe this isn't gonna work.

Speaker 1 (01:42:27):
Can you pivot or are you too stubborn to not?

Speaker 9 (01:42:29):
And then got rid of Demantas Sabonis after a shoot
around in Atlanta where I have to, you know, stay
awake and write that I agree, But can I say
this too, to your point about having to pivot and
make decisions where at first you thought one thing and
then you think of another. You have to do it also

(01:42:52):
at the expense of somebody else's job, ten your potentially,
And that's the nuanced that's there. But also that's what
you get paid the big bucks for. That's why they're
the owner. Like you can say I greenlighted the Sauce
Gardener trade and didn't work. But you can also say, well,
you know what, you might not be the right person
to help me fix this.

Speaker 4 (01:43:14):
Yeah, and I'm sure that you know this conversation will
probably have a lot throughout the week, and you know,
the whole Gardener trade. To me, it was less about
do you think Sauce Gardener is a great player? You
know that remains to be seen if he's going to
be that in occults uniform. Obviously this year injuries have
played a massive factor in that. But when you make

(01:43:35):
that move, you said Daniel Jones is your franchise quarterback unquestionably,
and you said Chris Ballard is your GM of the future.
And those two thoughts to me are super premature and
I don't think got tynesight twenty twenty all of a
sudden creeping in for me and I get that the
sauce gardener is available. It's not something that's available three
hundred and sixty five days out of the year. The

(01:43:57):
trade deadline was what November three? November fourth? Like, you
can't just execute that trade, ye in a snap of
a finger. Here, that's how in season trades oftentimes work.
But sometimes you're not allowed to shop down those aisles.
And I, well, you just you just brought back so
many memories I can hit my grandmother. Now put that

(01:44:17):
down right right when we get in here. You don't
touch nothing.

Speaker 1 (01:44:20):
No, I'm lucky.

Speaker 4 (01:44:22):
If you know the candy bar at the checkout, if
I can slide that under a few other groceries before
we go through the checkout line.

Speaker 1 (01:44:28):
We got McDonald's at home, Hey, for real?

Speaker 4 (01:44:32):
Oh my, the story of the verse at home? The
stories I could tell the stories. Now now I get
the flexus. I got McDonald's money. Now, what's up only
for me though.

Speaker 1 (01:44:41):
Let's hit a morning check down.

Speaker 4 (01:44:49):
How about the game yesterday twenty three seventeen, it was
the Jags over the Colts. Colts built a ten to
nothing lead. I thought a Jonathan Taylor ran it with
some early success, Ashton dooland sparked thing, and that Colt's
pass rush was reaching back into the archives with some
moments that I hadn't seen. But James, from then on
you just felt like Jacksonville. Eventually they would stop playing

(01:45:11):
with their food and assert their dominance on the game.
Certainly from a yardage standpoint they did, and then scoreboard
wise made the plays and they needed to twenty three
to seventeen. The difference for you in the game was
what Philip rivers final look old man. I just thought
that they weren't able to put the ball on the
field very often. And although it's not all his fault,

(01:45:35):
his turnover did lead to the go ahead field goal
that ultimately proved to be the lead they couldn't come
back from. Yeah, I thought he looked his age for
the most part. You know, definitely sprinkled in some good
But the dinosaur offense was back again for the Colts yesterday.
Jonathan Taylor ultimately you couldn't keep him as an efficient runner.
Defensively again, the big pass rush early on did not last.

(01:45:58):
We did see Sauce Gardner leave early tightness in his calf,
so assuming he is shut down, that would be three
and a half games for Sauce Gardner here in a
Colt's uniform. He left early third quarter. Technically, I guess
wasn't ruled out, but he did not look like a
guy that was returning to play anytime soon. So it'll
be Colton Texans coming up Sunday, Week eighteen, the season finale.

(01:46:19):
A ten point underdog in this one. Moving to the
other parts of the NFL Week eighteen, the schedule is
set well. First off, we got Rams Falcons tonight Monday
Night football. They're looking ahead to Week eighteen. There's really
not a lot to play for from a playoff berth standpoint.
The NFC South is yet to be decided, so that'll
be our Saturday game at four point thirty Panthers Bucks

(01:46:42):
winner is the four seed. The number one seed in
the NFC is also left up in the air. That
could be either forty nine Ers or Seahawks. That will
be the night game coming up on Saturday. Winner of
that is the one seed. Loser I believe loser of
that goes to the winner of the NFC South, right,

(01:47:02):
So it's kind of wild those two games are back
and forth there, so forty nine Ers.

Speaker 1 (01:47:07):
If they win, they're the one seed.

Speaker 4 (01:47:08):
If they lose, then they're traveling to Carolina or Tampa
in Round one. And then Game two seventy two, the
last game of the season, Sunday Night Football Ravens and Steelers.
The winner there is your AFC North champ and your
loser is out of the postseason.

Speaker 1 (01:47:26):
And according to Kevin Bowen, the loser their coaches fired too.
Who else is fired?

Speaker 4 (01:47:33):
So they just trade coaches.

Speaker 1 (01:47:34):
Pete Carroll's fired or no, Kevin Stefanski.

Speaker 9 (01:47:38):
In all seriously, Pete Carroll probably needs to go. So
that's one year and us, Yes, it is that bad.

Speaker 1 (01:47:44):
I don't.

Speaker 9 (01:47:44):
I can't look at the Raiders and look at anything
that they've done and say.

Speaker 1 (01:47:47):
This is good. Zach Taylor in Cincinnati, that's another one.

Speaker 4 (01:47:51):
Interesting.

Speaker 1 (01:47:53):
I mean, that would be a coveted job, would it not.

Speaker 4 (01:47:56):
You would think, well, any time you got a franchise quarterback, yes,
but that owner Mike McDaniel getting another run in Miami.
He's got playoffs on his resume. I'm like Shane Stiken,
He's also like kind of made them like decent seven
to nine the Dolphins winning eight games potentially is not
what I had on my Bengo card.

Speaker 8 (01:48:14):
I feel that way about the Vikings too, just with
the way things started for them, like all of a sudden,
they could be the second place team, crazy for the
third place team in the NFC North.

Speaker 1 (01:48:23):
A couple other all throw out there.

Speaker 4 (01:48:24):
Jonathan Gannon in Arizona, Raheem Morris in Atlanta, any of
that could be possible here.

Speaker 1 (01:48:32):
I'd see Morris.

Speaker 4 (01:48:34):
Yeah, Black Monday coming up here a week from it today,
all right on the hardwood tonight we got a little
bit of action here on a Monday. Pacers and Rockets.
It'll be an eight o'clock tip down there in Houston.
The Pacers have now lost eight in a row. Looks
like Ben Shephard could return, So James, I have this correct.

Speaker 1 (01:48:50):
We could be as early.

Speaker 4 (01:48:52):
As tonight having a McConnell, nem Hard Matherin, Shepherd niece,
Aaroni Smith back in the lineup after a month and
a half out. Pascal Siakam, that's about as close to
the expected opening night core as you've had in a while.
So again, it's eight in a row. You right now

(01:49:15):
you have the worst record in the league. If there's
ever going to be a time, we'll see if it
happens here in January.

Speaker 9 (01:49:21):
It's not for me to start checking the schedule again
to see when does Darren Peterson play. AJ debands to
the Cameron Boozer if the basketball guys want to reward
us for the loss of Tyres Halliburn's achilles. By the way,
he's back on the court doing some workouts four games now,
which is good to see. Give the Pacers that number
one pick.

Speaker 4 (01:49:39):
By the way, and I just saw this pop up
on my Twitter timeline. I kind of forgot this about
Liam Cohen, Jack's head coach. Remember how Saga filled It
was crazy that head coaching search was.

Speaker 1 (01:49:50):
Yeah, didn't he like it?

Speaker 9 (01:49:51):
Didn't he agree to come back to Tampa Bay as
a coordinator. And then he went to do the interview
with Jacksonville and got the Buccaneers and then took the
Jaguars job well.

Speaker 1 (01:50:04):
And he got the jack Gm fired. Remember that Trent Bulky.

Speaker 4 (01:50:07):
Oh yeah, that was one of his sticking points. And
they hired the young dude. Yeah, well, I saw him
on the sidelines before the game, that is the young
I cannot believe that dude is a GM in the NFL.
James Gladstone, I believe.

Speaker 8 (01:50:18):
Is the name.

Speaker 1 (01:50:19):
Shout out Torod James. You know black don't crack. He
did nice black jack jacking on, yes, flipping the ball up.

Speaker 4 (01:50:27):
Okay, keep here. You talking about black Monday.

Speaker 1 (01:50:28):
I've been black on.

Speaker 4 (01:50:29):
Every Monday of my life.

Speaker 1 (01:50:29):
By the way, he speaking of black that bus sash
on Shod Cohn. You see that thing in person? Oh
my gosh, luscious. Oh it's an immaculate you know, it's crazy.

Speaker 4 (01:50:38):
I never felt more.

Speaker 1 (01:50:39):
You could have a family in there. That thing is
so just look, I mean, that thing is awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:50:44):
No, this is true.

Speaker 1 (01:50:45):
To shake his hand.

Speaker 9 (01:50:46):
I have never felt more broke in my life than
last year at the owner's meetings down and was it
Palm Beach or whatever. And we're at this fancy hotel
and they get out of the like owners meet the
literal owner's meetings, and shot Con comes walking down the
hall and he's got liked you said, the luscious mustache.
And then you see all the other owners walking by,
and I'm like, okay, that's that's ten billion, that's two billion,

(01:51:07):
that's and I still got to pick my car. No,
on the Honda Civic. You know, dude, you and.

Speaker 1 (01:51:12):
I could agree on this. We could tell stories for days.

Speaker 4 (01:51:14):
James. There's nothing that will humble you more as a
human than attending the NFL owner's meetings. Yeah, true story,
real quick. There was seeing how you arrive and how
you were and how you whatever versus bat World.

Speaker 9 (01:51:26):
There was and it was my first time I think
going to was this is my first time going to
owner's meetings, I believe so it might have been. And
there was a child to the security guard. He saw
me the first couple of days and maybe like by
like the third day or whatever, he stopped me. He said, uh,
I was like, I thought I was in trouble or something,
or I was walking somewhere. I went supposed to be like,
He's like, nah, no, he's that one. Lets you know

(01:51:47):
the look on your face has finally changed. He said,
it looks like you're, you know, actually kind of like
relaxing that you might have belonged here, because he said,
for about two days there, you.

Speaker 4 (01:51:56):
Was like you didn't know what you were doing. I
was like, I it was that easy to spot walking
through those hotels.

Speaker 1 (01:52:00):
I was hands in the pocket.

Speaker 4 (01:52:02):
You don't touch one thing you don't love, you had
on a swivel, and if you run into the wrong person,
Oh boy, you got kids running around because of the holiday
and express. I got a couple of calls to get to.
We'll do that coming up after the break. It is
the fan morning show here on a Monday that I
look outside and I'm seeing snow floors.

Speaker 2 (01:52:20):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:52:20):
I think that's the hard part too.

Speaker 2 (01:52:21):
It doesn't last forever. And if I've had one right,
one or two appearances and you just go, man, there
is a time going to run out.

Speaker 1 (01:52:28):
And that's just reality, right. That happened.

Speaker 2 (01:52:30):
We had a stretching San Diego where we went four
in a row, six, seven, eight nine, and we were like, oh,
we're gonna get one and then all of a sudden, you're
just gonna skid, you know, And it's it's the reality
of the business.

Speaker 1 (01:52:40):
Room.

Speaker 4 (01:52:44):
Certainly been a cool movie, fun story, inspirational, all of
it heartwarming, but NFL reality is set in and the
Friday night lights feel to the Permian Panthers. Big Philip
Rivers is seen as Dallas, Carter and I Bold leave.

Speaker 1 (01:53:00):
It will be Riley Leonard coming up.

Speaker 4 (01:53:02):
On Sunday and Houston will wait official ward on that
from Shane Stiken later this week. I guess Philip Rivers
would still be the backup.

Speaker 1 (01:53:10):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:53:10):
Anthony Richardson doesn't need clearance to be ready for a game.
These are all still some questions that need some answers here,
so we'll see as the Colts get ready for their
season finale in Houston. Just getting you set on the
lay of the land for the week, we're back to
some basketball action. I know we usually I think locally NBA,
even certainly college typically around Christmas is pretty quiet. Perdue

(01:53:31):
back in action tonight their final non conference game. They've
got Ken State Indiana. I still think we got to
wait a little bit before Darren de Freeze and company
later this weekend that they'll get back to the hardwood there.
Butler's at Creighton tomorrow night and the Pacers, they've got
the Rockets coming up here at eight o'clock tonight, will
of course have your coverage. And then the big one
this week four o'clock Rose Bowl Thursday, the Indiana Hoosiers

(01:53:57):
as a touchdown favorite against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Speaker 1 (01:54:03):
I did see I think.

Speaker 4 (01:54:05):
I saw Kurt Signetti mentioned maybe it was a little
bit ago. Omark Cooper Junior good to go. You know
he left early in that Big Ten title game. James, Yeah,
I think Omark Cooper Junior is a stud. I think
that dude is well.

Speaker 9 (01:54:15):
Then we talked to Dame Brugler, the athletic draft gurer.
I think he caught him a tope hundred guy, yeah
for the draft, and I think he is a very
key ingredient to getting on a run here. You know,
absolutely the.

Speaker 4 (01:54:28):
Elijah Surratt back shoulder, Charlie Becker down the field. Is
that still going to be their weekend and week out
against elite, elite competition. But I think Cooper Junior is
a hell of an athlete just creating on his own.
So we'll see if you know, him back to full
health can help out Indiana again.

Speaker 1 (01:54:45):
Four o'clock on Thursday, New Year's Day. I want to
say this real quick.

Speaker 9 (01:54:49):
What's crazy about this matchup is that it used to
be the running joke if you went to a bag
college program for football, you'd win against No and say
bring on Alabama.

Speaker 1 (01:55:02):
And now they really have Alabama and a chance to
be we want Bam.

Speaker 4 (01:55:05):
I mean that was the thing we did in Illinois
when they used to beat some directional school and you know,
week zero or whatever. But you're legitimately the favorite to
beat Alaba. Touchdown favorite. You've got them in your touchdown
for the boy. That's four o'clock New Year's Day again.
We'll get things started. Quarterfinal wized Wednesday night. I think
that's gonna be a good game. That Miami Ohio State spread.
I think it's a little too big. I think it's

(01:55:27):
reaching ten points. I think it's a little too big.
So we'll get things started there with the first quarterfinal
game on Wednesday. Caleb. He said, Matt's been hanging in
there for a little while he has. Let's get to
him on the airwaves.

Speaker 5 (01:55:39):
Good morning, Matt, how you doing, Hey guys, Good morning
from ann Arbor, Michigan, where we've certainly never had any
coaching or staffing.

Speaker 1 (01:55:46):
Issues, no nothing speak of.

Speaker 5 (01:55:48):
Yeah, so I figured chime in on the Colts. Being
an Indian native, Katie, I know you're your local, so
you remember the two thousands, and I know it's a
little different because we had a Hall of Fame.

Speaker 1 (01:55:57):
Quarterback, but.

Speaker 5 (01:56:00):
We took advantage seeing the Titans, the Jaggs and the
Texans on the schedule twice here and sort of saying, oh,
there's an easy five plus wins, you know, probably for
what ten years in a row, so sort of how
far we fall and remembering from that and so instead
over the past ten years, you know, with Chris Ballard
at the Helm, we've had from some of the following
headlines that I remember one quote a career day for

(01:56:21):
Drew Locke against Indianapolis, quote, Davis Mills carves up the
Colts defense, Taylor Heineke authors a gritty win against the Colts,
and what a win from Elie Willis. And so I
was just thinking about it about those that, you know,
no disrespect to those guys. I certainly wouldn't call them
Tom Brady's, but I think that's sort of emblematic of

(01:56:41):
I would call it the purgatory that this team is
in right with Chris Ballard at the Helm. And it's
not personal at all. It's just that this guy leads
an organization and it's his responsibility to feel the football
team that can compete and make those sorts of headlines
not consistent or at least annual. And I look at
the now in the twenty twenties, far moved from where

(01:57:02):
we were in the two thousands, and sort of say,
what is the identity of this team? You know, what's
the ability for this team to compete on a basis?
And is this team considered a threat by anybody else?
And I don't think so, And so succinctly as I
can just briefly say why I think that Chris Dallard
needs to go, And it's simple. It's that they're thirty
two of these well thirty of these jobs. Because Jerry
Jones whatever is a GM two, but they thirty one

(01:57:23):
of these jobs. Right, That statistically makes me a GM
in the NFL one of the most hard and challenging
jobs to obtain, right, I mean, it just is thirty
two of how many million people live in this country.
And there are hundreds of NFL assistant gms or front
office workers waiting for their shot to step into one
of those jobs. It's the pinnacle of their career. And
I don't know if any of them are going to work,

(01:57:45):
but I know that hiring one of them is the
representation of trying something else to fix a problem that
you can't figure out. Because here we are again, right
eight and nine. I think will be at the end
of the year, just like last year, just like the
year before, you know, consistently with the same problem on
our hands, and the idea that we can just go
into twenty twenty six. I guess it will be. Which

(01:58:05):
is crazy to believe. Saying that we like our guys
and we're just a player or two A way is
I think malpractice, and I think that the only solution
is to make a change. So anyway, guys, I'll leave
with that and I'll call you back this time next
year when we're when we're not going to be in
the wildcard.

Speaker 4 (01:58:19):
Yeah, Matt, Happy new year. Kyle Winningham right up there
in an armor? Are there interesting higher for Michigan? And
I thought he I'd have been retired.

Speaker 1 (01:58:29):
I guess not. After leaving Utah.

Speaker 9 (01:58:31):
You will come out of retirement for millions of guaranteed money, right, I.

Speaker 1 (01:58:34):
Could be talked into a lot of things. I think there, Yu,
you got to get to retirement first, right, Matt hit
a ton of great points there.

Speaker 3 (01:58:43):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:58:43):
I don't know if maybe there's a grand takeway you
had in particular James, but I think to go off
of what he said a little bit early in that conversation,
I'd say the divisional aspect to it is probably the
one that's really hard for me to comprehend it. Maybe
Matt's right, Maybe it's because you know, I grew up
in this market, was use to And again it's not
just the Colts dominated the AFC South when its existence

(01:59:04):
began in two thousand and two for so many years.

Speaker 1 (01:59:07):
I mean you go back to the.

Speaker 4 (01:59:08):
Gregsonara they did win sixteen straight AFC South games, sixteen
straight and now in Shane seconds three years, they're two
to nine against the Jags and the Texans, and guys,
let's not act like the Jags and the Texans have
been the Eagles over the last three years, or I'm

(01:59:30):
trying to think who else deserves a Buffalo. I don't
know whoever has the best record in the NFL of
the last three years.

Speaker 9 (01:59:35):
Yeah, like they're not. I mean, this is the Chiefs
for years right in their division.

Speaker 4 (01:59:40):
I mean Demiko Rans was hired the same year Shane
Sekond was and Liam Cullen was a first year head coach.
So I think that aspect to it, when you play
in the end, I get this year the AFC South
has been better, of.

Speaker 1 (01:59:53):
Course, but you play in the lowliest.

Speaker 4 (01:59:55):
Division in the AFC, and as you've pointed out James
throughout the show, ever, everybody in this division has won
it now twice since the Colts last won at once.

Speaker 1 (02:00:05):
I'll raise you this.

Speaker 9 (02:00:06):
I believe every other team has won it twice since
Chris Baller took over.

Speaker 1 (02:00:12):
Yeah, twenty seventeen. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean right,
that's dann. When you look at the quarterbacks that have
won it, Blake Mortles was one of them.

Speaker 4 (02:00:21):
Yeah, I mean you get into some of those Houston quarterbacks.
Oswiler I believe was a quarterback one year. I mean,
it's just a it's a very humbling and this is
where the Carly Urth say, Gordon Element, I'm curious about James.

Speaker 1 (02:00:34):
We did this exercise last week on the show.

Speaker 4 (02:00:35):
I think both of you two were, I don't know,
surprised by it, but it was kind of jarring. Remember
when I went through the list of sporting events that
Lucasola Stadium has had since the Colts last had a
home playoff game, swim trials I believe was on that list,
or just talking our market, like we consider I you
basketball to have been bad over the last decade, right

(02:00:56):
largely or like whatever notre Dame basketball. I mean, those
programs have won multiple nca Tournament games since the Colts
last hosts at a home playoff game that won financially,
James or eyes on your franchise, Like, I don't want
to act like the Cults are in this like dire
financial state by any means, but in the NFL landscape,

(02:01:20):
they're not one of the richest, and the amount of
primetime eyeball games they get are not.

Speaker 1 (02:01:26):
At the top of the list.

Speaker 4 (02:01:27):
So from an ownership standpoint, missing out on those opportunities
now for eleven straight years and watching this city react
and if you're the RSA daughters and all your kids
want to go to the Pacer playoff games, want to
go to the Fever playoff games, and they see how

(02:01:47):
this city responded to that run last season.

Speaker 9 (02:01:51):
Yeah it was special, man, like that that.

Speaker 4 (02:01:54):
Would get me a little toss and turn in a night.

Speaker 9 (02:01:57):
And I know, I just got chills thinking about it
because Kevin, the city was on fire during the Pacers run.
And granted again, I haven't lived here all my life,
so I can't speak to how it was. And Reggie
was in his heyday, but boy walking into games and
knowing you had won, a dude, and that you were

(02:02:20):
going to win was a different type of feeling. And
even for the Fever seeing the rise of that franchise.
Granted a lot of it has to do with the
arrival of Kaitlin Clark, but without her, they still get it.

Speaker 4 (02:02:33):
It's a totally different sport, different league.

Speaker 1 (02:02:35):
I get it.

Speaker 9 (02:02:36):
But they were decimated by injuries and still found a
way to get to within a game really a quarter
overtime period of the WNBA Finals. So yeah, that should
keep you up at night. Yeah, that part of it. Again,
eleven years, I believe, If I haven't correct, I think
it's twenty five teams I have had a home playoff

(02:02:57):
game since the Colts last have had one.

Speaker 4 (02:03:00):
That's a big, big number. And you know that part
of it continuing. And again last year, what you eliminated
from the division. I want to say with three weeks left.
This year, you're eliminated from the division with two weeks left.
I think that would add to it all. All right,
we'll do it one final time here Fan Morning Show
ninety three five on a seven to five of the
Fan A good Monday morning, Thank you for spending with us.

(02:03:21):
Kevin Bowen, James Boyd, and Caleb Zuver will be back
with you tomorrow, would assume Rick Carlisle later in the
show tomorrow, because they are in Houston Tonight's that has some.

Speaker 1 (02:03:30):
Late travel back for them.

Speaker 4 (02:03:33):
Probably talk a little bit more to college football wise
and the Rose Bowl. It does seem like Alabama's maybe
getting a hair healthier down there. I still look at
their overall team and think to myself, Indiana's I think
you might have used the word earlier, James, a more
consistent team they are. I think it's a really good
way to put it. Like, I just can't bank on out.

(02:03:54):
I mean, Alabama lost the thirteenth best team in the
ACC Florida State.

Speaker 1 (02:03:58):
I mean, you know, I I just can't. I'd be
really surprised honestly if Indiana lost the game.

Speaker 9 (02:04:04):
Yes, and also I think it and then honestly, it
comes down to this, with a lot of college football games,
can you just avoid the busted coverage, weird momentum swinging
play because if you make Alabama have to beat you meodically,
I don't think they can.

Speaker 4 (02:04:21):
Well, that's the only reason they got back in the
game against Oklahoma exactly was the punt and then Oklahoma
I really gave that game and then the awful pick six.

Speaker 9 (02:04:30):
Yeah, from there, you avoid the disastrous plays, the weird plays.
And again it's not a secret, but if you play,
to use a cliche that coach would like to use,
if you play your brand of football, you should win
that game.

Speaker 4 (02:04:43):
Going away a Thursday four o'clock for that one New
Year's Day, No, we did it earlier.

Speaker 1 (02:04:47):
But another shout out to Ashton Doolan. I just shout
out my guy that opening kickoff yesterday.

Speaker 4 (02:04:54):
You know he set up I mean, Colts had three
scores yesterday and Doolan had two kick returns of over
fifty yards to set.

Speaker 1 (02:04:59):
Up each of them.

Speaker 4 (02:05:00):
He continues to make plays on punt. I get it's
not sexy to talk about as special teamer, but.

Speaker 1 (02:05:07):
That guy's got a cool NFL story.

Speaker 4 (02:05:09):
Was it you that tweeted something like if the Colts
had fifty three Ashen duelings, they wouldn't be in this
position something like that in the exact tweet, but I said, yeah,
something along those lines.

Speaker 9 (02:05:20):
Yeah, I mean, seriously, do you talk about great tenacity,
toughness he brings dad, and for a game that again
was quote unquote meaningless, he played like it meant something.

Speaker 4 (02:05:30):
I think they're also trying to take a deep shot
to him. At one point there it looked like granted,
Philip rivers and the deep shots. Probably not something that's
happening too too much.

Speaker 8 (02:05:39):
I gotta just throw this in because I was thinking
about it being at the game yesterday. We're talking a
lot today about cleaning house. Potentially if that happens, there's
one more thing that I would like to see go
or at least tweaked adjusted. Can we retire Blue pyeing

(02:05:59):
people in the face. No, I don't think it's funny anymore.
You gotta have some twist on it here. Yeah, let's
just get the opposing team's jersey with somebody sitting down
and wearing it, and let's just pime in the face
like I've seen that for as long as Chris Ballard's
been the general manager.

Speaker 4 (02:06:19):
Put a put at Chris Ballard era probably right.

Speaker 1 (02:06:24):
But is there anything better than Blue and the allegiant toss?
I swear to play quarterback.

Speaker 9 (02:06:31):
All the opposing beat writers always impressed by that. But
I'll say this real quick Caleb. I want to say
Blue might be the most popular NFL mascot is not close,
but he's.

Speaker 4 (02:06:41):
Gonna cose that if he just like not saying I'm
trying to tell you, like I've had serious conversations about this.
He's got a huge TikTok call admin and with the admins,
with the social media team, with the colts, with the
people who are involved with Blue. Existence. Brother, the pie
is when they struck Gold. This is like oil in

(02:07:02):
I don't know, land man. If you watch that show
like they are not going to ever stop doing that
and people love it, I think it's redundant.

Speaker 9 (02:07:10):
I think we're probably just too into it. But boy,
the numbers that I see on those videos they'll never
stop doing.

Speaker 8 (02:07:16):
The halftime show is embarrassing. Yesterday, I'm gonna say it.

Speaker 4 (02:07:19):
I didn't I love be some trademark. I did not
totally follow the halftime show. Granted I wasn't necessarily paying
attention to it, but it was a lot going on.

Speaker 1 (02:07:27):
What was going on, I couldn't really fall I will
say this.

Speaker 4 (02:07:29):
When I saw it was Blues turned to bang the anvilla,
I leaned over to Mike Chaplin said, I swear Blues
bang the anvilla three games, Like, there's nothing that says
you're eliminated from the playoffs more than blue bang in
the anvil. Well, you can always call it Johnny Manziel.
He might show up.

Speaker 1 (02:07:46):
Or might not.

Speaker 4 (02:07:47):
Talking about guys's playing quarterbacks coming up in week eighteen.
That news item could come today, you know, Shane Sechin
mentioned Tuesday maybe for that, but we'll see. Twenty four
hours after the game, he will have his normal Monday
conference call and we'll see if he indeed decides to
name a starter.

Speaker 9 (02:08:05):
One more thing and we can get into this tomorrow
and throughout later the week. I know you talked a
lot about the AFC South and we will have that
discussion for years to come into the coach finally won it.
But one last point I want to make about that
whole thing. When you look at who's won it, it
hasn't even been with the same quarterback, yes, but also

(02:08:26):
the same regimes. I mean you looking at teams like
the Jaguars and the Texans that have won the division,
bottomed out, reset at their general manager, head coach or
quarterback position, and won it again, all during the span
of Chris Ballard's tenure.

Speaker 4 (02:08:45):
Yeah, I mean, it's honestly probably worth looking at the
quarterbacks and the head coaches. I was Bill O'Brien the
first head coach to get this started. I believe he was.

Speaker 9 (02:08:55):
I was actually looking back at Houston and the quarterbacks
that won the AFC South Back in twenty sixteen when
they went nine to seven, they started Brock Oswiler for
fourteen games and Tom Savage for two.

Speaker 1 (02:09:06):
Oh Tom Savage. Shout out to Tom Savage. I did
not have that on the Bengo car today, Tom freaking Savage, Pittsburgh.
It's right for Tom Savage. Maybe it does sound right
unbelievable on that front.

Speaker 4 (02:09:19):
Gosh, when you put it like that, I mean, boy,
whoa boa boy? Yeah, I mean there's so many stats
that just kind of make you want to all of
a sudden ve you're off the road. But you know, the
whole starting of eight and two, and then again you
get thrown a couple of different numbers, but the you know,
I just decided to go back to two thousand, Turn

(02:09:41):
of the century ninety six teams to start eight and
two in a season, and you're the first one to
miss it.

Speaker 1 (02:09:48):
And again you missed it.

Speaker 4 (02:09:49):
With an extra playoff spot available to you that weren't
available to teams from two thousand to twenty nineteen, and
you missed it with a full week left in the season.
You don't even get to week eighteen. That's it's a
historic collapse, no matter how how you slice him. Caleb Zuber,
thank you, James Boyd, thank you as always running back
to any believe Jeff back Wednesday, Mark back next week again,

(02:10:11):
Layla Land for tonight Pacers coverage will begin seven point
thirty down there in Houston. It is an eight o'clock
tip with the Rockets, a little bit healthier for the Pacers.
Purdue back in action, seven o'clock tip, big ten plus
with Kent State. Everybody have a great, great Monday. Kevin
Bow and James Boyd. Caleb Zuber signing off.

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Monday 12/29: Colts lose sixth straight, eliminated from playoffs

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