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December 22, 2025 13 mins

On the national radio call for tonight's Colts-49ers game, Westwood One's Ross Tucker joins the show to talk about the crazy stories that have filled the Colts' season, how the 49ers might play Phillip Rivers, how DeForest Buckner's return helps the Colts defense, how quickly did Ross accept that Rivers was going to start right away, does he think Daniel Jones should be back

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, less than twenty four hours from now, twenty four
less than twelve hours from now, inside of Lucas Oil Stadium.
For the first time in three years, the Colts play
Monday night football game. It will be Colts and forty
nine ers. Believe the spread settling in at five and
a half for San Francisco and on the Westwood One call,

(00:20):
we head to the Payloss Liquors hotline right now. He's
the host of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast and you
can follow him over on Twitter at Ross Tucker NFL.
He's one of our favorites. Always enjoy chatting with him,
and he will call Lucas Oil Stadium home tonight. He
is Ross Tucker.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Ross. Good morning to you. Hopefully you have some safe
travels here to Indy.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, I'm here. Good morning to you guys as well.
I did the Jets and the Saints yesterday for CBS,
so it took me a little bit of time to
get here from New Orleans. But I'm here. Just hit
up the hotel restaurant. I'm ready to go.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Your level of shock.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
If I would have told you two weeks ago, go hey,
that Monday night game in Indie.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
It'll be Philip Rivers. You're talking about a quarterback.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
You know, it really hadn't even occurred to me, hadn't
thought of it. And I just must say personally, really
really disappointed for Daniel Jones and all of the Colts.
I called their game runner in the year for CBS
against Tennessee and they were really rolling. I was a
firm believer that they were one of the best teams

(01:30):
in football, and very very excited about the marriage between
Daniel Jones and Shane Stiken and how well that had
been going. And just kind of really bummed out about
everything that happened. Kind of started, I think with the
cracked fibula for Daniel, and then obviously was what happened

(01:50):
with the torn achilles. You know, Philip Rivers wasn't really
on my radar. It's kind of crazy if you think
about listen to this. Okay, the Colts signed a forty
four year old quarterback who hasn't played football in five
years because their starting quarterback who was playing with the

(02:13):
broken leg towards achilles, and the backup quarterback fractured his
eyebones with a rubber band before a game. I mean
that if that was in a movie I don't think
you'd even believe it, and yet that's basically what happened
to the Colts and it's extremely unfortunate.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, I think you hit right on the head there,
Ross with a lot of the circumstances that led to
Rivers coming out of retirement and joining the Colts. But
how much of it do you think is just beyond
the movie aspect of it, because there is a certain
level of whow the old guys doing it to? You
got to win games. So when you're analyzing this team,
how do you think Rivers can potentially help them keep

(02:55):
their playoff hopes alive with the win tonight against the
forty nine ers.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Well, I think that he gave them a chance to
win against Seattle. I am really curious to see how
the Niners play them tonight because he did not try
to drive the ball down the field very much at all,
and when he did, it was not effective. The Niners

(03:21):
themselves don't have a very good rush. But I don't
think you want to blitz Philip because he knows where
to go with the football. You know you're not going
to get to him. He's not going to let you
hit him if you try to blitz them. So this
could be a truly unique game and in which the
Niners are either you know, playing breast man and trying

(03:41):
not to give up anything underneath. I actually think they're
going to play a bunch of super condensed zone where
everything is pushed up and they're basically daring Philip Rivers
to try to throw it deep. You know, now that
you've got a full game of hate back on film,
the part that I think is really cool is to

(04:01):
kind of see what ends up happening now now that
they've seen what he can or cannot do. I do
think he'll give them a chance to win again. But
the Niners offense is really good. I thought that was
one of the big takeaways I had from the Colts
Seahawks game. Is Seyorks defense played well. I mean, Seeks defense,

(04:22):
give him a chance to win, and now you get
Buckner back. I thought Buckner would be done for the year.
He is a difference making player. He's a top two
or three most important player on the Colts team. So
to get him back tonight is massive.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
And that's a voice of Ross Tucker. I hear him
on the Ross Tucker podcast. Here him everywhere, CBS he's
done some Colts games this year. He'll be on the
west Wood one call tonight over on Twitter at Ross Tucker, NFL.
It's funny you say that because I was talking with
an NFL assistant on another team and he said, if
he was facing Rivers, he would just drop eight.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Do you kind of you that general thought?

Speaker 1 (05:01):
I mean you mentioned condense that zone a little bit there,
because yes, you obviously manage the game great in Seattle.
But you know, I think we all can look at
that and say that's not an offense that's sustainable over
the course of however long you need him.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
You know, I don't think that I'm going to Yeah,
I don't think I would say necessarily drop eight. But
that's interesting because you know, he doesn't have that strong
of an arm. So you sit there and you think about,
you know, just how much he'll have to be able

(05:38):
to put it ball into a window. If you drop eight,
that that's you know, I might steal that and use
that tonight. That's certainly a possibility. I'd probably still rush
for to try to get somebody at him eventually or
at some point, but I do think, you know, dropping
eight is a real possibility. The point will be make

(06:00):
him throw it deeper down the field. I think you
guys have probably talked Dad and Knowledge about the statistics
of the throwers that were more than ten yards in
the air. That's number one, and then number two. Really
make sure that he has to drive the ball into
small window. So drop eight stone coverage and really, you know,

(06:24):
get close to sticky coverage on the underneast guys, and
see if he can see if he can do it,
see if you can fire a ball in there. There's
a real chance he throws a few picks tonight because
he's going to try to fit the ball in there.
I mean, he didn't come back from retirement to be
throwing the ball away all night.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Ross.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
How quickly did you perhaps pivot to the idea of
him playing again when the news broke because at first
it was you know, practice squad, tryout. He knows Roley
Leonard very well. But as you said, he didn't come
back to hold a clipboard. So how quickly did you
wrap your mind around that? And I'm I mean, I
don't want to gloss over it. If he wins tonight,
he would be only the third quarterback.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
In the history of the sport.

Speaker 4 (07:06):
To win a game at age forty four or older.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
Well, I kind of thought, and maybe this was selfish
of me because I'm calling the game tonight, but I
kind of thought they might see what Riley could do.
In the first game, you know, against Seattle. I know
Riley was a little bit banged up, but I kind
of thought they might give Riley a spin with a

(07:31):
full week of practice, getting all of the reps and
having the whole game plan designed around his skill set.
Because Riley's I think, pretty good and he can run.
So I kind of thought they would give Rivers a
little more time to get acclimated and give Riley one
chance to see what he can do. You know, it's

(07:52):
almost like I'm not saying he's Malik Willis, but you know,
when the Packers have had to play Malik Willis, lafour
like totally changes his game plan. Malik runs a lot,
and the Packers have won. You know, they've won every
game as Malik Willis. I thought Steichen might sort of

(08:13):
dip into the Jalen Hurts twenty twenty one game plan,
have Riley run a bunch and use those legs and
end up having success as a result, and potentially winning.
I guess the concern there is, you know, Riley gets
hurt and you're in trouble. But I thought they would
give Riley one game with all of the reps in

(08:35):
practice during the week, but they elected not to.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, definitely debate we have had here in they all right,
Ross last one for me and again hosts of the
Ross Tucker podcasting follow him at Ross Tucker NFL and
you'll hear him tonight on the Westwood One calls. Kevin
Harlan here on Monday Night Football. Going back to what
you said a little bit earlier in the conversation about
Daniel Jones about how this team was looking pre injury.

(09:00):
Are you under the belief or think the Colts should
operate in a bring everybody back, including Daniel Jones for
twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
I am. I am. Now that's not to say that
there shouldn't be some tweaks, but I honestly think they
have a really good team. You know, I don't look
at Denver or New England and think that they're way
ahead of the Colts. I don't even think they're ahead
of the Colts at all. You know, if Buckner doesn't

(09:31):
get hurt if Garter doesn't get hurt. And I know
that every team has injuries, but there are certain guys
that are game changing players. There's only three or four
on a team, maybe five, And you know, obviously we'll
see you about Sauce Gardner, but the Colts think he is.

(09:52):
Buckner definitely is, and the starting quarterback is, which, by
the way, is one thing that makes what the Niners
have done this year even more impressive because I would
tell you that Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are those guys.
They are game changing players. You know, they're two of
the top twenty defensive players in the NFL, certainly the

(10:13):
two best defensive players for the forty nine ers. So
the fact that the forty areas are even in this
position says a lot about them. But yeah, I would
try to keep the band together as much as possible
with Daniel Jones and the Colts, you know, assuming you'd
be able to come back to help. I think it's
better than whatever other alternatives would be out there.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
All right, Ross, it is the holiday season. Typically you're
saving us from a present standpoint. Have you got something
cooked up here around Christmas?

Speaker 3 (10:43):
Well? It's funny because I usually tell you guys about
myfront Big story dot Com, which is incredible to give
to like a loved one, your wife or whatever. Just
an incredible, incredible gift. But I recently found out about
futurefans dot Com and I don't love if either one
of you guys has kids. But it's different than it
wasn't when we were growing up. I mean, it is

(11:04):
really hard to get young kids to sit and watch
a whole football game, you know, for you guys, whether
it's the Hoosiers or the Colts, they want to be
on their iPad, they want to be doing a million
other things. These guys at futurefans dot Com have really
cracked the code, and so think about being able to

(11:24):
give your child a gift for Christmas or whatever that
you're giving it to them, I think it's sixty bucks,
but with the twenty percent discounts fifty bucks, you're really
giving the gift to yourself. Because if they'll sit there
and watch every IU game and every Colts game with
you for years, that's probably the best gift you could
ever get your son, your daughter, grandson, granddaughter, niece, nephew.

(11:48):
I actually invested in the company after I spoke to
five different families five they all said it worked. I'm like, Okay,
that's good enough for me because, by the way, these
sports leagues are dying to try to find solutions to
get young people to get engaged and want to watch
the whole game. So it's Futurefans dot Com. These guys
are geniuses, a couple of NBA guys that crack over

(12:10):
there and check it out. Futurefans dot Com is really
really cool.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
And you're gonna hear Ross tonight him and Kevin Harlan
Westwood one Monday Night Football.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
Ross, great work all year long.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
I know you're super busy man, so thanks for making
time with us.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
My pleasure. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
Ross Tucker, pay Less Slickers Hotline Again, hosts of the
Ross Tucker Podcast at Ross Tucker NFL. You know the
drop eight idea, James, that I kind of threw Ross's
way against Rivers. I think the thought there is he
is so cognizant of getting the ball out quick, you know,
think a little hot potato eat that it really doesn't
matter how much you rush him per se like.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
Because you won't get there.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
Well, you won't get there, and he's not dumb enough
to hold on to it like he's not going to
try to extend.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
He's he knows his internal clock. He knows has got
to get the ball out here.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
For a guy who's played as much as he has,
he's rarely taken a lot of sacks in his career.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, so he's not three four second. So it's like, yes,
a pass rush could aid, but even if it doesn't
get home, he knows what that clock is in his head,
so he might naturally just get rid of it, even
if the pocket isn't necessarily collapsing around him.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
So I think it's a really interesting thought.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
Again, on paper, the San Francisco defense one of the
more vanilla defenses in the entire NFL. Gus Bradley on
that staff there with Robert Sala as their coordinator. So
definitely something to keep an eye on as we continue
to look ahead to tonight. It is Colts, It is
forty nine ers a half hour from now. Joe Buck
is going to join us right here on the Fan
Morning Show. Kevin bow and James Boyd, Caleb Zuover, thanks

(13:39):
for spending this Monday with us.
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