Wednesday 11/5: Colts pull of SHOCKER and trade for Sauce Gardner!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
For oh my, oh my lord, the Jets are trading
sauce Gardener to the Indianapolis Colts.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Sauce Gardner, sauce Gardener, sauce Gardener, He's an Indianapolis coult
We were shocked.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Got the opinions on sauce Gardener.

Speaker 4 (00:21):
Wow, Wowow.

Speaker 5 (00:22):
The Colts looking for help on the back end of
that secondary, to help lou Anaumo, so they go all
in and make the trade for sauce Gardener twenty twenty
six first round pick, twenty twenty seven first round pick.

Speaker 6 (00:34):
The Colts just determined our time is right now, Our
window is right now. We just opened it up and
sauce Gardener is on his way.

Speaker 7 (00:41):
This is not the same old, same old. This is different.

Speaker 8 (00:45):
A team that has aspirations of winning the Super Bowl
epan next year or two, which I think they should.

Speaker 9 (00:50):
The windows wide open.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
It's just a massive, massive swing here by the Colts.

Speaker 10 (00:54):
Collard Nephosis, stuff like this.

Speaker 11 (00:56):
This has the opportunity to be the best secondary in
football in Indianapolis.

Speaker 12 (00:59):
Right now, we turned around.

Speaker 13 (01:00):
Guys.

Speaker 12 (01:01):
We are back, baby, we are we are back.

Speaker 9 (01:06):
Classic, we are bed we are bad.

Speaker 14 (01:10):
I want you to put the word up to here
we back on. I understand me.

Speaker 13 (01:21):
There you go.

Speaker 9 (01:21):
You were worried about whether or not you'd have good
things to write about yesterday Kevin Bowen and James Boyd,
and apparently you got a lot to write about yesterday.
Good job on the intro again, Mark Dyton, Good morning, everyone,
Welcome into the Fan Morning Show. I'm jeff Rickord and
We've got a lot to discuss today. Kevin, We'll start
with you. Sauce Gardner was never a name that I
even considered when looking through trade possibilities. When did it

(01:43):
first pop up on your radar when the news item broke?

Speaker 15 (01:47):
Yeah, yeah, he was definitely not I think one of
the big names rumored. It's certainly one of the biggest
trades in franchise history bar none. It is a sign
of what you think of Daniel Jones. It's a sign
of what you think of your twenty twenty five football team.
And you know now the expectations are February period. You

(02:07):
don't make this trade to stop at any other point
of the season. You make this trade to play in
the final game of the season. And it is a huge,
huge swing, and it's certainly something that is the most
unreally Chris like thing we've seen particularly in season throughout
his tenure.

Speaker 9 (02:24):
Jams are going to have you a drilled down on that,
because that was the first thing I thought too, my
first thought, and I want to get your take on this.
The culture all in on Daniel Jones. They clearly think
they have a championship window. They think they've got a
quarterback worth investing two first round draft picks in from
Chris Ballard to go shore up a defense to go

(02:45):
along with that offense. What was your first thought and
where do we go from here?

Speaker 16 (02:50):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (02:50):
My first thought was, Wow, I have to work a lot,
which was fine, and I think from there on a
more serious no, it had to be the reinforcement of
the Holy Trinity, so to speak. I think this move
solidifies the future a bit. This tells me that Carl ERSA. Gordon,
who I believe probably had some say in signing off

(03:13):
on this deal, trust Chris Ballard, trust Shane Styking, and
trust Daniel Jones. And so it's all but a formality
that Daniel Jones be brought back in some capacity after
the season, whether that's the franchise tag or an extension.
We will see before the present, like Kevin said, you
don't make this move to do anything other than playing
the last game of the year. And this is a

(03:35):
team that, by the way, hasn't been to the playoffs
since twenty twenty, hasn't won a playoff games in twenty eighteen,
So you're trying to check a lot of boxes this year.
And I don't hate the move. I think that it's
an aggressive move. Certainly a lot of risk involved in it,
because I feel like cornerback is a very volatile position.
You can be very good, you know, one year, and
very not till good the next year. But even looking
at some of the numbers that saws Gardner's put up

(03:57):
this year, I know he missed his last game with concussion,
and unless it's a very severe concussion, I believe he
should be available at some point when they get over
to Germany to play the Falcons and perhaps make his debut.
But even looking at some of the advanced numbers, he's
still been a pretty good cornerback the last couple of years.
On his first two years in the league, he was
an All Pro first team All Pro first got to

(04:17):
do that since the NFL AFL merger in nineteen seventy
dropped off a little bit since then, but still a
very good player. And if you're thinking as a unit,
you'll get healthy with Tavera's Ward returning to the lineup. Then, man,
that gives you quite the trio cornerbacks with Ward, Gardner
and of course Kenny Moore.

Speaker 9 (04:36):
Who was a pro bowler in twenty twenty one. Well,
this a big, huge move for the Indianapolis Colts and
they are not going to be without a first round
pick for the next two drafts. I don't want to
work anyways. I don't want to work own draft day.
You guys will have a day off, but unless something
major happens rightly now and then, and Mark Dyketon, I
know you want me to get to it all addressed earlier.

(04:57):
No more a d Mitchell. He also goes to part
of this deal.

Speaker 15 (05:01):
No, no, no, we still have to keep the draft,
the counter going.

Speaker 9 (05:03):
At least still have more catches now because they have
no one other than that, huh, other than Wilson, they
got nothing left. Do you know plays quarterback for the Jets.
I'm just saying, you got to throw the ball to somebody.
Do you know, of course plays quarterack for this He's
gonna have for us for completions a game, Justine, mean,
do you know who plays quarterback with that Jet? Yeah?
They have quarterbacks who can't throw. My point is he's

(05:25):
not on the Colts anymore. Yeah, I ain't gonna lied Tojae.
He's on the Jets.

Speaker 17 (05:28):
We've all had some takes that one as like milking
the desert brother.

Speaker 9 (05:31):
That's okay. I still believe that Ady Mitchell is gonna
be a good wide receiver in this league before it's
all said and done. The talent is just there's talents
of talent there, Kevin Bowen. As we now go forward,
Sauce Gardner is even going to play on Sunday. I
know he's coming off concussion. He's also got to get here.
Then he's got to go over to Berlin. I'm guessing
he's gonna play. But what do we know about that?

Speaker 15 (05:51):
Yeah, I mean, I would hope as long as he
gets through concussion protocol. And as James said, didn't play
in week eight, they had a bye week in week nine.
Passport should be good, right, didn't Jets already play in
London earlier this year?

Speaker 17 (06:03):
So let's get Milandy Low on the phone again. Make
sure she gets sauces no for that, So yeah, I
think probably too. Should you send a gift basket to
Xavion Howard for retiring? If Xavion Howard doesn't retire, does
this move happen?

Speaker 9 (06:17):
Probably not, yes, all you think it happens anyway? Yes,
because you cut him.

Speaker 15 (06:22):
It all comes back to, well, I don't think they
were going to cut him until he did retire. Well,
they should have been thinking about him. Well, should have
been thinking and going to cut him two very different
things in LouAnn Riumo's world here. So I did think
about that yesterday. But yeah, I would assume he plays.
You know what, what could he do? Could he shadow
Drake London as early as Sunday? You know, could you

(06:42):
give him those responsibilities? I think those are all questions
that we'll obviously see a play out here. But you know,
after the bye week, it's quite possible when you make
your trip to Kansas City, your cornerback trio could be
you know, Sauce Gardner, Mooney Ward and Kenny Moore the
second and that is right up there with any and
if you gonna take a swing like this, you know,
doing it at a premium position, doing it with a

(07:04):
player still in his prime, doing it with a player
that is not a rental contractually by any means, that
checks kind of all of those boxes there. You know,
we'll have James College, Zach rosenblat. It covers the Jets
on in a in a little bit, and it did
sound like and listening to Darren Amogi the Jets GM

(07:26):
yesterday that you know, basically the Colts offer kept on
getting richer and at some point, you know, to your
point Jeff earlier, sauce Gardner was never really a name
thrown out there as a trade deadline, you know rumor.
But as the Colts continued to up the ante, and
it seems like maybe ad Mitchell's presence in the deal
finally got it to the point where they said, all right,

(07:46):
we will do this. They said it was too rich
to say no to, and that's why they ended up,
you know, doing this trade. So it is kind of
wild that, you know, the ad Mitchell aspect to it
sounds like it might have been the reason why the
Jets finally said yes to it.

Speaker 9 (08:02):
Yeah, and also crazy for the Jets. I think they
picked up three first round picks and an additional second
round pick yesterday, didn't they through all this stuff?

Speaker 17 (08:12):
Yeah, they got Quinn Williams out of there and sent
him to the Cowboys. So they're tearing it down, trying
to reload man.

Speaker 9 (08:19):
And where does that now rank the Indianapolis Colts in
the AFC hierarchy? You still have the Chiefs, still have
the Bills. I have to think at this point in time,
the Colts are right there with those teams for this
particular year. Do you feel that way?

Speaker 13 (08:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 15 (08:34):
I saw, and I don't know if they've been updated,
Mark maybe taking a look. I saw they were sixth
in Super Bowl odds. I believe third among the AFC teams.
I mean, it's a very jumbled group in terms of odds.
It's not like it's an overwhelming favorite or so. But again,
you make this trade firmly saying we are going to
play into the month of February, and you know, when

(08:56):
you look at their defense, I don't know if there's
a way to kind of quantify, but if you just
added up the sheer money, the contractual nature to the
starting eleven, certainly, and you look at where these guys
were drafted, I would venture to guess it's the most
invested defense in the NFL. I don't Maybe I'd have

(09:17):
to take a closer look at that, but I can't
think of anything that has more investments into it. So,
you know, for this to be a good trade, you
I mean that your defense has got to climb to
be in the top five unit. You know, James laid
out a little bit earlier how sauce Gardner's career's gone.
He's got to get back to be in the definit
all pro that he's been. And then lastly, you know,

(09:41):
you need to make the Super Bowl. I think those
are kind of your your parameters with where you're at
with this trade. But you know, to me, if you're
going to make a move like this, you do it
to impact the passing game, and that has been an
issue for the Colts defensively. You know, in a perfect world,
you know, would you have found the sauce Gardener equivalent
as a pass rusher? You know, yeah, But you know

(10:03):
that's a little nitpicking. I think Russian cover can go together.
And if your ability now is having a lockdown secondary,
that allows some of your longer developing pass rush pressure
to get home. And that's probably how you could view
this trade as well.

Speaker 9 (10:17):
You are correct. The Indianpois cults are now plus one thousand,
in other words, ten to one to win the Super Bowl.
Kansas City is first at plus six hundred, Buffalo Bill
second at plus seven hundred. Then you have the Eagles, Lions,
and Rams in between the Colts as far as what
the odds are for Super Bowl winners, and those will
obviously change over the second half of the season. And

(10:37):
that's the other thing, James, we still have a whole
half season to go here. It's great to be seven
and two, it's great to make the trade. You give
up two first round picks. Now the rubber starts to
meet the road.

Speaker 17 (10:47):
Absolutely got to hit the ground, run in and you
won't be whole at the very earliest. It will be
the Kansas City week when javaiaus Award is eligible to
come back from ir if he does come back that week,
so he won't be whole for a little while longer.
But at the same time, as Kevin alluded to, you
made this move to not only bolster right now, but
to give yourself, you know, a chance in the future

(11:07):
as well. So I look at this kind of like
a two year window. You know, you've got a chance
to try to do something special this year. For sure,
you're going all in on this year. I'll make that
very clear, but I would imagine next year is pretty
big too. So just thinking back to when I first
started covering the team twenty twenty two, you're in the
year on a seven game losing streak, get the number
four pick in the draft. I mean, Jim Mersey hired

(11:28):
one of his former players to coach the team. It
was an awful decision. And then you look fast forward
to you know, four years later, and you're seven and
two with a chance to pete with you know, the
perennial contenders and try to stop you yourself as one.

Speaker 9 (11:40):
All right, coming up at a moment, we'll have to
check down. We'll talk about this all day long. We've
got Stephen Holder coming up top of the hour eight
o'clock talk some pacers with Jeremiah Johnson. Letter today, Marcus
and I see on the on the schedule today, looking
forward to that at a thirty Then Zach Rosenblatt will
stop by to talk a little bit more about all this,
coming up at nine o'clock. So a busy day. We've
got to check down coming next, can't wait to get

(12:01):
to your texts, to your calls, yet your reactions as
Colts Nation responds to this major trade by the Indianapolis Colts.
It's all straight ahead, and we'll tell you a little
bit about the first official playoff rankings in college football
next on ninety three five and one seven.

Speaker 18 (12:18):
The Morning Checkdown on ninety three five and one oh
seven five the Fan.

Speaker 9 (12:25):
A very busy day for the Indianapolis sports scene on Tuesday.
If you're living under a rock, or maybe you had
to work all day long, or you're doing a school paper,
whatever it happens to be, here's the deal. The Colts
made a trade at the trade deadline yesterday. They send
two first round picks next year's and twenty twenty seven,
along with wide receiver A. D. Mitchell to the New

(12:47):
York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. James Boyd give this
a grade as we sit here today, Oh Lord, I
hate these great You know it's but everybody wants to know.
Did the Colts make a good deal?

Speaker 17 (13:00):
Gotta wait and see, right, I'll give it a B.
You had to give a two first to get them.
But I don't like the move. I like the aggressiveness.
If we look back in a few years and say, hey,
it didn't work, so what you went for it? But
right now today I feel very good about this trade.

Speaker 9 (13:15):
Kevin Bowen, where would you put this trade? As we
sit here today?

Speaker 3 (13:19):
It's funny.

Speaker 15 (13:20):
I feel like I saw headlines on both sides. The
Colts fleece the Jets. The Jets fleece the Colts.

Speaker 9 (13:25):
That happens everywhere. I feel like, yeah, I mean, I think.

Speaker 15 (13:27):
For both teams it made a lot of sense.

Speaker 16 (13:30):
You know.

Speaker 15 (13:30):
The Colts obviously feel like they are in a position
to push those chips into the middle of the table.
They haven't sniffed a record a position like this in years,
so they're doing it. And the Jets are in a
massive tear down with a new head coach and a
new GM and a rebuild. So I for both organizations,
I think you can see the why behind it, certainly.

Speaker 9 (13:50):
All right, So the Colts now well hopefully have Sauce
Gardner available on Sunday when they play in Berlin against
the Atlanta Falcons. That one will start at nine to
thirty in the morning Sunday morning. Our pregame coverage. We'll
have breakfast with with JMV and Matt Taylor and everybody
else beginning at six thirty right here on ninety three
five and one oh seven five the fans and for

(14:11):
what it's worth, the Cults are now number six in
odds to win the Super Bowl on FanDuel as the
last site that I checked there. Meanwhile, we've got our
first college football playoff rankings after last night. Ohio State
has expected number one, Indiana number two, Kevin. Notre Dame
is number ten, and assuming nothing changes over the last

(14:32):
month of the season and we know things will, Indiana
would get a first round by if Notre Dame wins
their first game, they would play against Indiana. How are
you feeling about that?

Speaker 15 (14:43):
Yes, neutral field, I don't know, if my heart that
would be the best thing for it. Frankly, if the
Seeds hold I you would play BYU Texas A and
m Ohio State. If you look at it, you know,
I did think listening to the committee last night, there's
a little bit of subjective nature in how they spliced
out these early rankings. You know, Ohio State in Indiana.
They pointed to they feel like Ohio State's better in

(15:03):
the trenches a little bit more explosive playmaking. I tend
to think Kurtzignetty is clipping that right now for what
is it a month from today? Is a month from
today the Big ten title game, something like that. And
then for Notre Dame. You know, obviously seeing Miami at
nineteen and Notre Dame of ten was the big, big difference.
You guys have any issues with that? No, not at

(15:24):
this point in time. I think the committee for the
most part got it right. Not one single group of
five team ranked in the top twenty five, but still
because they have to have one. Memphis came in at
the number twelve seed. If Indiana went all the way
to a national championship game, they would have to play
by seed. If they had to play the highest seed

(15:46):
each round, they would play Notre Dame, Texas A, and M.
They played, Well, you're right, I U A and m OUSE.

Speaker 9 (15:54):
I'm hoping Notre Dame wins that game, So yeah, it
would be BYU and then you're right, they would have
to play Texas A and M at that point in time,
and eventually that I have to play Ohio State. It
would be a very rough go that have all missed
in there.

Speaker 15 (16:06):
This is just the current standing, right, Yeah, this is
a current standing.

Speaker 9 (16:09):
It'll change a lot between you. No, you number one,
you cowards, So looking forward to that. You go check
out the brackets online. Also, we've got the Pacers playing
home again tonight against the Brooklyn Nets. That one scheduled
the tip off at seven pm, six thirty year time.
Here on the fan. Who's going to be available in
this one? Kevin Bowen?

Speaker 15 (16:28):
Yeah, I mean the injury report is pretty much the
same as what it was the other night, plus the
guys that got hurt in the game, So they're gonna
have to find a new starting point guard with Quinton
Jackson out for tonight? Is that Ray J Dennis? Is
it Mac McClung. Do they go back to Ben Sheppard again?
I'm team get a somewhat traditional point guard in there.
But yet none of the other injured guys got bumped up.
It seemed like Rick Carlisle was possibly open minded to

(16:51):
Andrew Nemhard maybe Ben Dick Mathern playing out west once
they go out there coming up this weekend and next week.
But for tonight it is pretty much the same as
the other and they are a huge favorite. The Nets
stink and that's honest, say comp it's a disservice to
the word stink. The Pacers are a six and a
half point favorite for tonight.

Speaker 9 (17:10):
All Right Down Again starts at the Fieldhouse seven pm,
six thirty year time here on the fan. Last night,
number one ranked Perdue in basketball at home, they beat
Evansville by a score of eighty two to fifty one.
No real drama there. Fletcher Lawyer had thirty points, Jack
Bettner and Daniel Jacobson had eleven points a piece. Braden
Smith dished out eleven assists. Valpo beating Eastern Illinois by

(17:30):
a score of sixty six to sixty three. Later on tonight,
Butler will host Southern Indiana. You'll be able to hear
that game beginning at six thirty on Fuego ninety two
point seven. Looking forward to hearing that one there, and
Indiana opens their basketball season against Alabama A and M.
That one starts at eight pm. You can listen to
that on WIBC ninety three point one. Anything else you

(17:54):
guys want to throw in right now as we talk
about a big trade for the Indianapolis colt yesterday on.

Speaker 17 (17:59):
That train, I think it's funny that saws Gardner could
technically make his home debut thousands of miles away from
Lucas Oil Stadium. That's just a funny, like, you know,
I feel like that's gonna be like a Mike Chapel
fact that he's gonna share five years from now.

Speaker 9 (18:16):
We're not gonna be like, oh yeah, by the way,
that did actually happen.

Speaker 15 (18:18):
A couple other basketball notes to going back to that, No,
Trey Kaufman ren for Purdue last night with that hip injury,
and so it sounds like not too big of a
worry there. Maybe it'll be out Friday, Matt Painter said,
but oh uh, no, real big worry on that. A
note Butler favored boy about twenty tonight Indiana a little
bit north of that as it's an eight o'clock tip
for the Hoosiers.

Speaker 9 (18:39):
All right, looking forward to all of that, a lot
of discussion. We'll get to some of your comments, both
on the phone calls to nine ten seventy. The lines
are open there and also the fan text line at
two three, nine ten seventy that's starting to fill up already.
Get more thoughts from the guys who covered the cults.
James Boyd Kevin Boonene. As we continue, it's ninety three
to five. Well, ye, I'm in on Ady Mitchell kind

(19:09):
of having a little bit of a breakthrough this year.

Speaker 15 (19:12):
For all kid numbers or James eighty catches for seven
hundred and fifty yards. He's got for Adie Mitchell.

Speaker 9 (19:17):
This is that is that way out of the of
the possibility, because I I think this guy is incredibly talented. Yeah,
that's about that's about five catches a game.

Speaker 17 (19:29):
Yeah, I don't think you're getting five catches a game.

Speaker 3 (19:31):
That's a lot. He'ld be a number one receiver, That's
what I'm saying.

Speaker 19 (19:36):
No, you send Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis, Indiana, two first
round picks, and the cults are like, Ady Mitchell, take
a nice having you here. You know, we got Pittman,
we got Pierced, we got Warren, we got downs, and
we got no time for you've flipping the ball before
the go line.

Speaker 9 (19:55):
Send him to the Jets. I'm in on Ady emerging,
especially in the second half of the season. I'm in there.

Speaker 17 (20:01):
Let's just say, if he has, you know, thirty top
catches for five yard, it's probably a good.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Year for him.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
A couple of uts.

Speaker 9 (20:06):
Now I think it'll be more than that.

Speaker 20 (20:09):
We'll see, I'll own it.

Speaker 9 (20:22):
I don't mind. I still think he's an incredibly talented guy.
He's incredibly adept at shaking free of people, getting himself
open in space. When he figures it out, he's going
to be a number one receiver. James Boyd. I don't
know if it's going to be in the next year
two years, but I think he's going to be a
really good player in this league. I still do.

Speaker 15 (20:40):
Mark him picturing the scene from et Ady Mitchell forwards
the last night and Jeff just out in the front
yard yep, looking up into the sky. Heads out there,
got one out for him. He's in poor something out
for him.

Speaker 9 (20:57):
In my mind, they traded Ad for saus Gardner around
going to.

Speaker 15 (21:00):
Boys in the front lawn as they slowly walk back indoors.

Speaker 9 (21:05):
Mark, let's get some reaction to cults Nation over the
trading of a D Mitchell for Sauce Gardner. Oh, by
the way, two first round draft picks went along with that.
To the New York Jets yesterday, who do we have
on the line to get things started off? Good to John, John,
good morning and Welcome in to the Fan Morning Show.
Give me your thoughts and first reaction to the Cults
trading for Sauce Gardener.

Speaker 21 (21:26):
First reaction trying not to laugh to that image of
you and the boys thinking about it. But you know,
Sauce has shown that he can be a top three
corner in the league. He's going to be a good
fit and lose offense. And ultimately this is the next
best thing after getting an elite pass rusher, is getting

(21:50):
an elite cornerback who can help generate more coverage sex.
There's been a lot of talk, especially national media, about
what the Colts gave up. I think in the case
of any trade, you have to look at the team
itself and what they have, what they stand to lose.
First round pick next year, it's going to be in
the twenties. What would you potentially take. You probably want

(22:12):
to get a cornerback. Oh, well you could possibly get
in the elite cornerback at say twenty eight or hopefully
thirty two. Well, here's your guy.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
This is a moment when you got to.

Speaker 21 (22:21):
Put all chips in periods, so to speak. And as
the Colts the end, you just have to be you know,
a bit shocked but grateful that this is what they've
ballied in the Big three have chosen to do. And
you know, as fans, we're very motivated. Let's let's show
them what we got and hopefully make a deep run.
And you know we've been on Ballard hasn't made you know,

(22:44):
moves in free agency, hasn't made moves at the deadline. Well,
he made big moves in the secondary and free agency.
Here's this huge deadline moves. Let's get after him, show
him what we got.

Speaker 15 (22:53):
Thanks guys, John cal we get one more All Chips In.
I thought the first one.

Speaker 9 (22:56):
Was excellent.

Speaker 15 (22:59):
Out gosh, I was really hoping we get chips and
was that Jim Merseay and Quinn Buckner having a child there?

Speaker 14 (23:07):
You know what?

Speaker 17 (23:07):
You know, I can only do a Quinn Okay. I
did go back and watch that video though, use it
in my story.

Speaker 9 (23:15):
Ship and period there we go.

Speaker 17 (23:19):
Yeah see, I don't know if I could do that
kind of voice. And also I can't you know that.

Speaker 15 (23:22):
Didn't really seem to play out to All Chips In.
By the way, memory service, right.

Speaker 17 (23:26):
I mean, it took a few years to get there,
but we're here now. I will say I can't interpret
that or really reenact that, because I'm not rich enough
to have the chopper in the back. I don't know
if I if I send it on the tarmac over
at the airport, I think I might get arrested.

Speaker 9 (23:40):
We've got a text here from Elliott who wants to
know did Ballard get hit over the head? The Chris
Ballard I've been bashing the last few years has gotten
everything right. This year, got the quarterback right, hammered the
first round, picked with Warren, made aggressive signing with Ward
and biting him in the off season, and yesterday the
blockbuster double down trade for Sauce Ballard. I am now
off your back. You put the cults on the map

(24:02):
yesterday saying we are all in congratulations for making Colts
fans happy and giving us hope. Kevin Bowen, how do
you feel about a lot of people saying that today?

Speaker 15 (24:12):
You know, I think certainly I would add two defensive philosophy.
You know, Ballot, I think it had been a big
fan of what they were doing previously. I don't know
how much Schaine Stiken kind of influenced the lou Anarumo higher,
but you know they obviously were on the same page
to you know, get a little bit more creative on
that side of the ball, which I thought was absolutely critical.
So yeah, I mean, I think when you have eight

(24:33):
years of the results that you have, you don't want
to see continued stubbornness. You don't want to see you know, no, no, no,
I'm gonna double and triple down. You want to see change,
you want to see. You know, I've used this quite
often with Kevin Prichard. You know, Okay, sabonus and Turner
is not going to work. We got to do something different.
It takes a lot, I think when your positions of

(24:54):
authority to admit when you're wrong, to admit that your
blueprint isn't working, to admit that you should do something else.
And I think that's what you've seen from Chris Boward
here over the last you know, seven or eight months
on a variety of levels. Again, I would go back
to January in the defensive scheme, to John's call there earlier.
Look at the whiteouts. You're about to play the rest
of the season, you know, and we'll see how much

(25:15):
Drake or how much Sauce Gardner can play on Sunday.
But you got Drake London this week, you got Rashid Rice.
When you come back to the bye, you've got Nico Collins,
You've got Jackson Smith in Jibba, You've got we'll see
about Travis Hunter and his health, but you've got Brian
Thomas Jr. I mean, these are some very notable whiteouts
that you're going to face the rest of the season.

(25:37):
And so you know your cornerback room getting to this
leve We're gonna see Nino Collins twice. You're gonna see
the Jacksonville whatever do oh they trade for Jacob Baller
and Nico just seemingly cooks the Colts. You know, it
is I think paramount that you try to address the
area of your team that was not at a January level,
and that is the passing game. And you know, the

(25:58):
whole Ballard thought is always a debatable one.

Speaker 9 (26:04):
You know.

Speaker 15 (26:04):
I try to look at Ballat's ten years. Let's evaluate
each individual move by no means. I think Chris Baoud
has been a poor drafter. I think he's had big
misses at the premium positions too often, particularly on the
defensive side of the ball. I'm talking edge rusher in
corner and when you look at the side of the building.
Guys mostly the side of the building guys are not

(26:25):
premium position players. Well, this is an attempt to get
an elite talent at a premium sort of position, and
if you are able to hit on that, then all
of a sudden, this is a team that could be
one of the last standings. So that I think is
a hat tip of Hey, if we're going to take swings,
you're not taking a swing for whatever, A guard, a linebacker.

(26:47):
You know, even as great as Jonathan Taylor's been in
his career or the Force Buckner's been his career, how
many playoff games of the Colts one with those guys,
That's just the reality. So, you know, taking a swing
for again, to me, one of the more elite positions
that you can take a swing for is something that
makes it makes a lot of sense, even though the
price tag is one of the biggest, if not the biggest,

(27:08):
in franchise history.

Speaker 9 (27:09):
Two through nine, ten seventy number to call. Let's go
to Matthew next on the Fan Morning show. Matthew, let
it out. What do you got for me today?

Speaker 22 (27:17):
Hey, good morning, fellas. I don't have too much to
talk about today. To be honest with you. I do
work every weekend, so I don't get to see a
lot of the Colts games. But I haven't called in
a few months, so I thought I would at least
call to acknowledge the Colts trade is definitely solid. I

(27:37):
don't want to give Ballard a ton of credit for it.
I'd rather give credit to Carly. I think it was
more fer hand than his.

Speaker 9 (27:46):
Hmm. Interesting. I appreciate the phone call. What about the
people James that are saying this is all Chris Ballard's
thinking all changed once Thesa girls took over.

Speaker 17 (27:58):
That's a hard one answer. I don't think that's the case.
I just think that they're a lot better than anybody
saithm to be. So I don't know, if you know,
any owner is gonna sign off on this move if
you're five and four versus being seven and two. So
I pushed back on that, I think, and I think
that would insinuate that. Carl Air said Gordon is like
this super hands on owner where and I get that

(28:20):
she wears the head set she's on the sideline and
that kind of makes the headlines. But in reality, from
everything I understand about her ownership, style and what I've
gleaned from people who work with her every day, it
seems like she's very much allowing people to do their
jobs and allowing them to do, you know, what they
have to to hopefully make this team better. Now I'm
not saying she doesn't have a saying who you know
comes and who goes. Obviously their ownership group has to

(28:44):
pay the players you bring in, and saws Gardner is getting,
you know, a nice bag to come over to the Colts.
But no, I don't think that's the case.

Speaker 9 (28:53):
Yeah, you bring up the bag that Sauce Gardner has.
It's pretty friendly the first year or two, but it
starts to late and by the end of his contract
you're looking at over thirty million dollars of salary. So
it really is let's see how these first couple of
years work out and then we'll go from there.

Speaker 17 (29:07):
Right, Yeah, absolutely, And then I look at it like,
what's the guaranteed money that's left on the deal. I
think it's forty And then when's you're out, meaning when
does the guaranteed money in? And you know, after whatever season,
because honestly, if you're not a quarterback, you rarely ever
get all of the money anyway. So yeah, I think
this is a fairly team friendly deal. I would have
to go back and look at the specifics of it,

(29:28):
but from what I understand, you know, if you look
at the salary cap and the way that position group
is getting paid. I mean, Sarros Gardner a few months
ago signed of the richest deal ever for a cornerback,
and then you know how it goes Kevin and a
year that'll be the fifth highest paid cornerback in the league.
And it looked very good, especially if Sauce is able
to return to an all pro form.

Speaker 15 (29:48):
James big picture, yesterday's move says what to you? And
let me throw a couple of Oh okay, Chris Bout
and Jane Stiking. I guess we want to tie them
at the hip. Let's has talked to Ballard because he's
a longer term guy. He's going nowhere. Now you're here
to stay, brother, We'll see about the extension he is,
I believe through twenty twenty six. We'll see how that

(30:09):
plays out. Daniel Jones, Oh you're here, brothers. It's either
a franchise tag or an extension. And samoth Alec Pierce, Yes,
I mean because you drafted in theory in the past.
You drafted Ady Mitchell with the idea that he would
morph into a number two type of receiver, possibly number one,
and he hasn't amount to any of that. He isn't

(30:29):
even close to that.

Speaker 17 (30:30):
So with Alex having the year that he's having, yeah,
I definitely than't he's somebody you got.

Speaker 15 (30:33):
To pay anything else I missed.

Speaker 17 (30:35):
I guess my question that I've been wrestling with is
what would be a successful season now? Meaning is this
we have to get to the super Bowl or it
was all a waste? Or in my mind, I'm like,
is the AFC Championship Game enough for you to say
this was worth it and we're building something here and

(30:57):
we are close to breaking through.

Speaker 15 (31:00):
Yeah, that's a great question. I definitely wrestle with the
same thing last night as well. And I've kind of
come back to these three things in defining the success
of this trade. One Sauce Gardner getting back to be
an all pro. I don't want to act like he's
been a bad corner by any means here over the
last couple of years, but you know you are sending
a message by sending two first round picks for him

(31:21):
that you think you are one of the best players
period at your position. So that's for Gardner individually as
a defensive unit. As a whole, you got to have
a top five defense. I'll go back to what I
said earlier in the show. I would argue there's not
another defense in the NFL that has more first, second,
third round picks either where they were drafted or how

(31:41):
they were required than the Colts, plus all the contractual
money involved in that unit. And lastly, I don't know
if you necessarily say, James like super Bowl or bust
this year, but at some point here and however, we
want to define this window two to three years. I
don't know what you know, how long this window is open?
I get, especially in football, it changes so fast. I mean, hell,

(32:03):
two months ago it was blow everything up and now
two months.

Speaker 17 (32:06):
Story was the window was boarded up after you missed
the know you missed the playoffs at their four straight year.

Speaker 23 (32:13):
Uh.

Speaker 15 (32:13):
And at some point you gotta you gotta, you gotta
win a super Bowl period. I mean, you don't trade
to first, you know, you don't make the move for
Jalen Ramsey or AJ Brown and the Rams and the
Eagles just to you know, make it to January. No, no, no,
you do it to hoist it, to use the Chuck
Pigano phrase, So that I think is a very fair barometer.

(32:34):
And I get that it's as lofty as it comes
from a team's success standpoint, but I mean it is
very rare for teams to trade to first round picks
and consecutive drafts, and like, I don't want to act
like Ady Mitchell has obviously done much in the NFL,
but to other teams around the NFL, Ady Mitchell is
an attractive piece.

Speaker 9 (32:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (32:55):
I mean I'd be hard pressed in my whatever thirteen
years covering the Colts to find a player that has
been more universally talked about for his individual talent by
the coaching staff than Adie Mitchell. Yeah, I mean, Jimbob Couter,
Reggie Wayne James. They almost weekly go out of their
way to express what they feel in Adi Mitchell. I

(33:16):
think they draft them thinking a little project, like absolutely,
and we're only a year and a half into it,
so obviously the two first round picks are ten years
of team control. Yeah, I mean that's a big deal.
You know, Mitchell of course is already you know, nearly
halfway through his rookie contract. But yeah, that's where I
would go, saus Gardner, back to an All Pro defense
being a top five unit, and I don't know about this,

(33:38):
I mean this year, Yeah, AFC title. Yeah, that's probably
where I would go. But at some point in this era,
you gotta win it all absolutely.

Speaker 17 (33:45):
Then, one thing to make clear on the trade that
involved Adie Mitchell from my guy, that's the athletic our
Jets reporter Zach Rosenblatt, who will talk to in nine
o'clock hour. He reported that initially the trade did not
include Adie Mitchell in the Jets push form, so they
believe in his talent, physical gifts. And I think I
wrote that in my story yesterday he is or was

(34:07):
the most physically gifted wide receiver on the roster. I
don't think that was even a question. I mean, the guy,
if you look at his what was the RAS the
relative athletic scorer we all look at and for those
who think I'm not speaking English, that basically is on
a ten point scale, how athletic are you for your position?
And I believe Adi Mitchell is like a nine point
ninety nine, So you know he's big fast, strong, can

(34:28):
run like the win so to speak.

Speaker 15 (34:30):
But Chris Bolitz the Bible Book exactly right.

Speaker 17 (34:34):
But I think the issue that has played Ady Mitchell
so far in his career is the mental side of
the game. Can you lock in enough to be an
actually productive player? And that's the challenge that he will
face in New York. And to be quite honest with you, yes,
they might believe in your talent, but at the same time,
you're going to a situation where it's going to be

(34:55):
harder in my opinion, to show that Joe case that
talent they have. The Jets have pleaded the third fewest
PAS in the lead. You're not going to an offense
that airs it out like with the Colts. And when
I was going back and reading the story, when I
talked to Adie Mitchell about the fumble his mindset afterwards,
and he said, you know, my biggest takeaway from dropping
the ball in LA was not just holding onto the ball.

(35:16):
It was oh, I'm expendable. And he used those words.
He literally said, quote, they don't need a wide receiver,
they already have some.

Speaker 9 (35:24):
And you know, lo and behold, you're getting moved.

Speaker 15 (35:26):
And if you believe the Jets GM who spoke yesterday.
He pretty much said that the Colts deal kept on
getting richer and richer.

Speaker 9 (35:35):
It was not.

Speaker 15 (35:35):
And again, believe what you will, but you know, I think,
based off where I was at the trade deadline from
a New York standpoint, I had heard quentnin William's name
more than I had heard sauce Gardner's. Stay right, and basically,
once the deal got to two first round picks, and
as James just said right there, it did sound like
the Ady Mitchell aspect to it kind of said, all right, now,

(35:56):
it's just not the pure picks. Also the player thrown
in there.

Speaker 9 (36:02):
All right, let's go to the phone lines two three nine.
On the Fan Morning Show, the Colts trade two first
round draft picks and ad Mitchell to the New York
Jets for cornerback sauce Gardner, a two time pro bowler,
all pro, I should say too, coming off concussion though,
So we'll wait and see if his availability is good
for Sunday in Berlin. Jinga Ninja joined us next here

(36:24):
on the Fan Morning Show. You got to live up
to that name. Now, what's up?

Speaker 24 (36:28):
Hello's good morning.

Speaker 9 (36:29):
Good morning, what's up?

Speaker 24 (36:31):
All right, Tupac had the juice. We got the sauce.

Speaker 9 (36:34):
We know that now, good start start.

Speaker 13 (36:38):
Mark.

Speaker 24 (36:39):
Feel free to hit me on the ones and twos.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
JB.

Speaker 24 (36:42):
I'm killing you.

Speaker 25 (36:43):
In the chat.

Speaker 24 (36:43):
You look good, dog, I'm kidding.

Speaker 20 (36:46):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 13 (36:47):
Anytime you do.

Speaker 24 (36:51):
I'm getting killed in the chat too. I really think
A d Mitchell is gonna George Dickens.

Speaker 13 (36:57):
That's right here.

Speaker 24 (36:58):
As long as the Jets can get any sort of
a quarterback in the draft tank, this year gets quarterback
Aden Mitchell is borderline all pro. Next year, guarantee it.

Speaker 9 (37:10):
I'm gonna buy you lunch.

Speaker 3 (37:12):
You hire you for this.

Speaker 9 (37:14):
Call about to say, you know, but I will.

Speaker 24 (37:17):
Hey, if we're going with a nine point nine r
A s that man can ball. Let's he's just mentally
not there.

Speaker 4 (37:25):
Let's get this man problem.

Speaker 9 (37:28):
You gotta.

Speaker 24 (37:30):
Trade and the scenery is gonna I'm telling you, it's
gonna help him. And the blonder kid's gonna come in
work his butt off. I'm gonna go to a news
I think that's gonna happen.

Speaker 13 (37:41):
But it's all on the.

Speaker 24 (37:42):
Jets and because they are horrible now he can play
as good as he wants to play. But they're tremendously
bad and can't get him the ball.

Speaker 15 (37:52):
You think fans would feel it? Jinging Ninja, thank you
for the call, Jeff will venmo you here shortly. Uh
do you think fans are feeling differently if it was
Anthony Richardson in the trade versus Adie Mitchell. Thank you
to Heath for that.

Speaker 9 (38:03):
I think it would be probably more of a some
fans that would.

Speaker 17 (38:07):
I think it would be more of like a bigger
reaction to, Hey, this is the number four pick you're
punning on him.

Speaker 9 (38:13):
He told us he was a future.

Speaker 17 (38:14):
But honestly, Kevin, I fel like that's a conversation that
we'll have at the end of the season. I don't
see a world where you give up two first round
picks and you hold on to a quarterback who, by
the way, is not going to be your guy moving forward.
So do you try to recoup some of your draft
capital that way? But probably grab more headlines if it
was ar but player for player, I mean, who's more

(38:34):
valuable at this point in their career.

Speaker 15 (38:36):
I did think about this yesterday, going back to the
Deforce Buckner trade. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Buckner
and Sauce Gardner a kind of similar ages in their
respective NFL careers upon these trades. Buckner was traded for
the thirteenth overall pick, so obviously a higher pick than
what you think the Colts will be this year, but
that was it. That was the only pick he was

(38:57):
traded for. With Sauce, you are trading another first round pick.
And then again, however you want to define Ady Mitchell's
trade value, like I think Buckner's been a really really
good player, and to kind of make the equivalent of
like what does Sauce Gardner then need to play at
to make you think the same way you do about

(39:17):
the Forest Buckner trade.

Speaker 9 (39:18):
You want them to come back and be an all
pro again.

Speaker 15 (39:20):
Yeah, which again which is very high, high praise, And
I think there's an element of team success like people
would call the Buckner trade. I think if you did
a poll, people would say Buckner trade was a good one.

Speaker 9 (39:31):
Right, Yeah, I like it.

Speaker 15 (39:32):
And the team success has been what nothing.

Speaker 9 (39:35):
But that's one player out of twenty two as well.

Speaker 15 (39:37):
Right, But again, when you make these trades, when you
trade first round pick, and now this being picks plurally,
there is a team component you can't ignore. You can't
just sit here and say, oh yeah, you know, checking
a box of January and putting up a wild card
participant banner is enough.

Speaker 17 (39:55):
I will say this to your point about what it
means to the rest of the team. What does this
move me for your pass rush? You guys got to
get home. If Sauce Gardner returns to an all pro level,
Javarius Ward returns and he's back to an all pro level,
you got two guys who are studs on the outside.
You have Kennymore the second in the slot, who, by
the way, is a stud as well. If you cannot

(40:16):
get home, which has been an issue for them this year,
if you can't bring consistent pressure and make life miserable
on the opposing qbs, moving forward, Lord have mercy, I
will have a lot of doubt moving forward about this
past Rows group, because this is a dream. If you're
if you are a defensive end right now today on
the coach roster, you're thinking, all right, these guys can

(40:39):
go press man and we can just go get out
to the quarterback.

Speaker 9 (40:42):
And that's the idea.

Speaker 17 (40:43):
I do think that it'll allow Luin Arumo, the coach,
the defensive coordinator to be more aggressive with some of
his play calls because he trusts the back end more.
But you got to get home. I mean this is, hey,
we didn't go get a defensive end. We believe enough
in you guys, so make me right.

Speaker 15 (40:58):
Yeah, that's the beauty of Russian cover is that you
do have the ability even though you didn't acquire specifically
a pass rusher too, and James, you just laid it
out perfectly to still impact that part of the game,
which you know, again when we have these conversations the
past whatever week or two, I was a little bit
more team pass rush than corner. But they do go

(41:20):
hand in hand to a degree. Right, Obviously, the pass
rusher can insert himself into the game. I would, I
would argue easily acts like well, first off, that's not
a word. Secondly, you know TJ. Watts probably the best
example of the last Sunday. You know, you just don't
throw out a corner for example. So yes, he impacts
the game, but the pass rusher can literally go get

(41:42):
the football a little bit easier.

Speaker 9 (41:43):
I think it's also clear looking back at the trade deadline,
all the big names that people talked about for pass
rushing and some of them were already said to not
be on the market, right. We knew that Max Crosby
and Miles Garrett were said by their teams they are
not going anywhere. Brian Burns didn't get moved by the giants.
I didn't even hear a lot of chatter about that.
That didn't seem like it was going to happen. Trey Hendrickson,

(42:05):
you know, So I also wonder if after kicking the
tires and looking around at defensive end and edge rusher,
there really wasn't a huge upgrade guy to be had,
So then you turn your attention to corner and go
all in at that position. I think kind of feels
like that's kind of how it went down.

Speaker 26 (42:20):
I think what Sauce Gardner got basically like the market
Michael Parson's trade means that the demand for pass rusher
or the compensation for pass rusher was so outlandish, people like,
we can't even go there.

Speaker 15 (42:32):
It's too crazy.

Speaker 9 (42:33):
Two first rounders and a wide receiver for a corner.

Speaker 26 (42:36):
Right, But so then what was that going for Trey
Hendrickson or Max Crosby, Like you're probably starting at three
first round picks or something.

Speaker 15 (42:41):
Have the Colts been in the position Green Bay was
in back in the start of September. Do you think
they would have been in the mix for that Michael
Parson's type of deal.

Speaker 9 (42:50):
If they knew they had the a quarterback.

Speaker 15 (42:52):
Yeah, I think for sure, Right, if you knew, you
sure view pass rush like that or they view corner
like that.

Speaker 17 (42:59):
I think they view passed for us like that. I
think every team has to. Yeah, Micah is Michaeh.

Speaker 15 (43:03):
Because they've been much more active at corner. Yeah here
in the last two months. But I I love Sauce Gardner.
But if you put them on a list, who's more valuable,
I think you say Michael Parson is not even close.
Pass rusher is the second most important position in football
in my opinion. Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 9 (43:17):
Let's go talk to Dave next to two three nine
seventy on The Fan Morning Show. You go, oh, we
got to take a break already, and we we got
rolling there. Yeah, Stephen Holder coming up next. We'll get
some phone calls on the other side of that. It's
The Fan Morning Show at ninety three five and one seven.

Speaker 1 (43:39):
Oh my, oh, my lord, the Jets are trading Sauce
Gardener to the Indianapolis Colts.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
Sauce Gardner, sauce Gardner, sauce Gardner.

Speaker 9 (43:50):
He's an Indianapolis Colt.

Speaker 3 (43:51):
We were shocked, got the opinions on sauce Gardener.

Speaker 4 (43:53):
Wow, Wowow.

Speaker 5 (43:54):
The Colts looking for a help on the back end
of that secondary to help lou Ana Roumo. So they
go all in and make the trade for sauce Gardener
twenty twenty six first round picks, twenty twenty seven first
round pick.

Speaker 6 (44:06):
The Colts just determined our time is right now, our
window is right now. We just opened it up, and

Speaker 7 (44:14):

Speaker 8 (44:18):
open next year or two, which I think they should.

Speaker 9 (44:22):

Speaker 4 (44:23):

Speaker 10 (44:27):
Collard neversas stuff like this.

Speaker 11 (44:28):
football in Indianapolis right now, especially turned around.

Speaker 12 (44:33):
Guys, we are back, baby, we are we are back.

Speaker 3 (44:38):
We got a classic.

Speaker 9 (44:40):
We are backs.

Speaker 20 (44:42):
We are back.

Speaker 14 (44:43):
I don't want you to put the word up tore
we back them. I understand me. We back on.

Speaker 9 (44:51):
What Mark Dychen outstanding work. And the question today is
are the cults in fact and where they met? According
to they are shout out to the wire. There you go.
Let's go to the payless lookers hotline right now. One
of our favorites. He covers the colts at ESPN dot com.
Steven Halder joining us on this fine Wednesday morning, Steven,

(45:14):
are the cults in fact back? And what does that mean?

Speaker 16 (45:18):
Even well? Mark Dyson first of all, the MVP with
the wire reference first thing in the morning. Look, I
think they they are definitely onto something here. They think
they are Excuse me, that's some allogies going on, so
bear with me here, but they think this is their time.

(45:38):
I agree with that, and now they've got.

Speaker 9 (45:41):
To go prove it right.

Speaker 16 (45:44):
This is the boldest move they have made since I
don't even know for sure, the boldest move under Chris Ballard.
And I think you have to take the context here.
Chris Ballard someone who is more likely to trade out
of the first round and try to collect more picks
and values his picks more than perhaps anybody in the NFL.

(46:08):
That's the guy who did this. So imagine the conviction
they must have for him of all people to make
this deal. So I think they are thoroughly convinced that
they have a shot here. And I don't think they
I don't. I don't think there's anything wrong with them
seeing it that way. I think they're right to feel
that way.

Speaker 17 (46:27):
Well, I'll tell you what, Steven, you better get those
allergies together. Brother, you can't be allergency.

Speaker 9 (46:31):
The sauce. The sauce just got here, okay, so get
it together. Today. I sound terrible, I'll be on TV.

Speaker 16 (46:38):
Sound like a like an allergy commercial.

Speaker 9 (46:41):
But anyhow, that's all right. You're a pro.

Speaker 17 (46:42):
You know again, I won't snitch to anybody about how
you get things done. I remember a few times, you know,
the the upper torso was all dressed up and then
he had a couple of you know, shorts of sneakers
on it.

Speaker 9 (46:52):
Underneath.

Speaker 17 (46:52):
That's a little you know secret there for those listening
from home. But all seriousness, Stephen, When you look at
what this move means beyond on just the position itself,
bringing in sauce, Gardner find to bulls of your secondary
what do you think it says about the faith carly ERSA.
Gordon has in the regime that being Chris Ballad and
Shane Styking.

Speaker 16 (47:13):
Yeah, I think she's a lot like her father. I mean,
she wants to win, all right. I will tell you
she's not spending all those hours in the building and
putting in all that work just to be eight and nine.

Speaker 24 (47:26):
All right.

Speaker 16 (47:26):
That woman works hard from every indication, right, we all
see her all the time. And you can agree or disagree,
or like or dislike how she goes about her job.
We don't even know anyway, right, But the point is
she's not doing all of that just to be average.
And she was very clear about that, I thought when
she spoke to us in her initial press conference.

Speaker 6 (47:48):
Right.

Speaker 16 (47:48):
I mean she was raised by the man, a man
who cared more about winning than anybody perhaps in that building. Right,
Jim ersay, he wore his feeling on his sleeve, and
this is his offspring. Okay, so why would she be
any different? So I think it reinforces what we probably
should have known about Carlie Ersa Gordon, which is that

(48:12):
she wants to win, and she wants to win big.

Speaker 15 (48:15):
Steven Holder ESPN where you can find his work, Stephen,
this is a great trade.

Speaker 9 (48:20):
If what happens, it's a great trade.

Speaker 16 (48:25):
If Sauce can play like Sauce is capable of playing,
because he's been a little inconsistent, that's just a reality. Now.
Do we attribute some of that to the ups and
downs of playing for the Jets a mound more bounds franchise?
Maybe is he just this was he just disinterested at times?

(48:49):
I don't know, but I think if there's anything that
can get you to lock in and to be the
player that you can be, it's an opportunity to go
win the Super Bowl. So I think the culture on
that here, they're counting on him to come in and
to reset and to be the guy that he knows
he can be. And the reason I say it'll be
a success if that happens is because if he can

(49:12):
get back to being that guy, and he's not that
far away, but if he can be that guy, they
have potentially an elite defense with that secondary. I don't
think that's a stretch. I mean an absolute chance to
be elite. That secondary could be the best in the game.
If this guy comes out and plays the way he
knows how to play.

Speaker 9 (49:31):
We've been talking about that this morning. But also the
fact that does that secondary allow your pass rush that
extra half second, as James says to get home. Does
any of it matter if they still can't pressure the
opposing quarterback?

Speaker 16 (49:47):
Yeah, it's for sure, right, And I would say this,
I've been on a record and I'll say it again.
I really think the pass rush has been adequate and
would have been more consistent if they did not have
what has been, you know, essentially at times a practice
squad level group of cornerbacks. You know, the injuries really

(50:09):
were devastating. Now they're getting better, they're getting healthier. Kenny
Moore's back, Jalen Jones finally makes his debut last week,
so that that has changed, but they still have had
at times one or two frankly bottom up the roster
guys out there playing cornerback in on Sunday against Aaron

(50:30):
Rodgers of all people. Right, So that's going to change.
And then after the bye week, we would hope, I
presume that mooney Ward comes back. I mean that is
think about it. Patrick Mahomes may have to go in
and game plan with Andy Reid knowing that he's going
to face Sauce Gardner and Mooney Ward on the other side,

(50:51):
and then Kenny Moore floating around doing what he does
that is a game changer that has a whole different
game plan. So I really do think if you're playing
up front, if you're the Forrest Buckner, if you're Leatu Latu,
you got to feel like this is the best thing
that's happening to you in a long time.

Speaker 17 (51:09):
So Steven and again we have Stephen Holder coach's esper
and Porter joining us on the pay Less Slickers hotline. Stephen,
I would think because of this move, when you give
up two first round picks which could have been used
on quarterbacks if you wanted to go a different direction,
this means that you believe in Daniel Jones. And so
do you consider that just a formality at this point

(51:29):
that he is going to be the quarterback not only
this season, but beyond and for the foreseeable future.

Speaker 16 (51:36):
I think it's a reasonable, you know assumption. Well, you know,
it's got to play out obviously, but I think it's
a reasonable assumption. One of the things that but the
one thing I would say is that there is some
sentiment here that this is about going to win this year. Now,
Sausagartner's not a rental type of acquisition, right, He's going

(51:58):
to be here because the contract kind of dictates that.
I mean, you don't give up to first round picks
and then you know, cut a guy a year later.
So I think they're they're all in with sauce. But
I think this is about this year too to some degree.

Speaker 9 (52:12):
You know.

Speaker 16 (52:12):
One of the things that that I was told just
not to say that Daniel Jones won't be here. All
I'm saying is I think that is likely to happen.
But I also think this their preoccupation is right now
because this is an opportunity they've not had. One of
the things I was told is that this move is
as much about the Forest Buckner and Kenny Moore and

(52:37):
you know, Zire Franklin and guys who have been here
a long time and held out waiting for their their time,
and they feel like this is their time, and this
is to give them an opportunity to say, hey, let's
finish this job. I remember, coming out of last year,
I wondered if this if this this group of veterans
they had, if it had run its course, we all wondered, right,

(53:00):
and I thought they might blow it up. And they
decided to run it back one more time with some changes,
of course, and it has paid off. So I think
this is now giving them an opportunity to say, hey,
here's another piece, go get it done.

Speaker 17 (53:15):
We'll hear from this team later today or at least
some of the players. If Sauce Gardner isn't made available,
I would imagine that if he's in Indianapolis by now,
he'll be talking today or at least tomorrow. But nevertheless,
even when this trade went through and after I had
done all the stories, one of the reactions I had
was thinking of the guys like the Forest Buckner and

(53:35):
Quenton Nelson, And for those two in particular, what do
you think it does for them to reinvigorate maybe their
belief in a franchise that they've been great for but
haven't had the overall team greatness.

Speaker 16 (53:49):
I mean, it's a it's not even a shot in
the arm man. I think it's a I think it's
a it's a shot in the veins that seems like.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but I mean,
it have to just be a complete rejuvenation for those guys.
I mean, you know, think about it. You leave all
this blood, sweat and tears on the field, man, and

(54:12):
they have nothing to show for it. You know, they've
got all pro selections, they've got awards, they got a
lot of money, certainly, but not a lot beyond that
to show for it. And that's a tough thing to
have to swallow year in and year out. And that
could finally change, you know, And I think that is
a big part of the motivation here. And I give

(54:33):
the Colts credit, you know, for thinking of it in
those terms, because they deserve it. I feel like that
they really do think they deserve it.

Speaker 9 (54:42):
Steven Holder, always great to get your thoughts. Thanks for
joining us again on a morning show. We know you
have a valuable day ahead of you and we will
talk to you again soon.

Speaker 16 (54:51):
All right, guys talks.

Speaker 9 (54:52):
There is Steven Holder with his thoughts on the Jets
and Cults making a big trade yesterday. The Jets sentence
Sauce Gardner our away in exchange for two first round
draft picks and wide receiver A d Mitchell Madison wrights
in on the fan text line and says, I think
realistic expectations have shifted to win division, win a playoff game.

(55:14):
Think that would be perfectly reasonable considering what they did
yesterday and what they've done so far this year. My
question to you guys is is it at least AFC
Championship Game or bust at this point in time.

Speaker 15 (55:24):
Yeah, that's how I would view it. Yeah, you aren't.
You aren't trading two first round picks just to whatever
be one of the final eight standing. You know, I
asked this question yesterday. I think it's one of the
biggest trades in franchise history. You know, the Eric Dickerson
trade in eighty seven is one that I remember that vividly.
I think it's one that you talk to people. You
definitely got the Indianapolis Colts on the NFL map.

Speaker 25 (55:48):
More.

Speaker 15 (55:48):
That was more of a hey, let's make sure the
NFL world knows that we exist. Yeah, gave us some relevance.
This is more of a let's make sure we feel
like we're one of the last team's standing period Like
this has more of a win loss impact versus again,
the Dickerson one. Yeah, relevance is a good word.

Speaker 9 (56:06):
To use, James.

Speaker 15 (56:07):
That's how I would view it. And it's just you know,
this thought hit me a lot yesterday. It is amazing
what has changed in two months. In two months, Daniel
Jones has not only become your starting quarterback. He's now
viewed as your franchise quarterback in two months. To some
of the fan base, Chris Ballard's first eight years never

(56:29):
existed and he can do no wrong. And now you've
made one of the biggest trades in franchise history. It's
it's just wild how And I don't know. Maybe the
NFL is like this.

Speaker 9 (56:43):
I don't know.

Speaker 15 (56:44):
Maybe other professional sports leagues, but I don't even think
you would get this at the midway point of a
I don't know, an MLB season or an NBA season.
Maybe you would. Maybe I just need to pay attention
to those leagues a little bit more. But yeah, I mean,
you are halfway through the NFL season and the estions
you've had at the Pillars are now the total opposite
in how it's viewed.

Speaker 9 (57:04):
Yeah. Jeremy also writes in and says it just seems
the last few years Colts haven't really done the big swing,
which granted, the team hasn't been as good as they
are this year, so it might make it harder to
pull the trigger on something like yesterday that he's thinking
that maybe the Big Three sees this league as a
win now league and gives Ballard more freedom to do
what he needs to build his team for now. I

(57:26):
felt Jim Orsay was just living in the past, off
the Manning era and could never ever move on from
that thoughts on that, KB, Yeah, I.

Speaker 15 (57:33):
Mean I think this is more of a seven and
two record more than Carl Ersay versus Jim Rsay. That's
kind of how I view it. I mean, the Colts
have never been in this sort of position to make
the move. James, do you look at this as Carly's
doing things her dad wouldn't do? Or do you view
it as seven and two is different than all the
other years?

Speaker 9 (57:51):
I think it's seven and two. I mean we have
plus seven.

Speaker 15 (57:54):
And two plus quarterback because like when you were five
and two with Jacobe in twenty nineteen, yeah, weren't.

Speaker 17 (58:00):
There's in trepidation there because it's like, oh, how sustainable
is it? But at seven and two truly just one
bad game, I would say. On Daniel Jones and his
resume this year, yeah, I think that's a lot more
to do with that than anything. And I get that
Jim Irsay has been gone for a few months now,
but I don't want to act like this guy wasn't
someone who wanted to make the big moves. Like if

(58:23):
you if you'd have told this man his team was
seven and two, he might have made that trade, you know,
five days for the deadline, because that's how excited he
would have been about the opportunity in the window and
the Lombardes he always talked about.

Speaker 9 (58:34):
So I don't want to act like this was an owner.

Speaker 15 (58:36):
That was, you know, super cheap or frugal, whatever.

Speaker 17 (58:39):
There were times where it probably was frustrating as a
fan base to Nazis. More moves get made, but I
also think that it was more complicated to make those
moves because you weren't sure of the direction of your franchise.
This tells me that carli Ers, Gordon and company have
conviction in their quarterback, their head coach, and their GM,
which is again the holy trinity of the NFL. If
you believe even those three pillars of your franchise, then

(59:02):
yet you should make the moves around them to try
to get going and win the whole thing.

Speaker 15 (59:06):
A couple of sauce Gardener notes a mod for the
first name, if anyone wants to care about that. Back
to the Midwest, Detroit native played at Cincinnati. I feel
like in our conversations with Alec Pierce over the years,
there has been an occasional Mitchell where he's just kind
of brought up Sauce Gardner just in their days collegiately.
Unless I'm missing something, James and you might have found this,

(59:26):
I don't know if there's a ton of like staff
correlation or you know, connection per se to Sauce Gardener.
Brian Mason was a Cincinnati the social teams coordinator for
the Colts. Was it Cincinnati as Sauce was being recruited,
And I want to say for at least the first
couple of his seasons. It might have been longer than
that that he was there. But those are a couple

(59:48):
of notes. And also the Colts announced last night Josh
Downs will now be wearing jersey number two like his
brother at Ohio State, and Sauce Gardner will get number one.
You think there was a financial opponent to that?

Speaker 17 (01:00:00):
Yeah, I definitely want to ask ask Josh that when
I see him later today and just be like, you know, hey,
you know, I know you're a kind young man.

Speaker 9 (01:00:08):
You believe in God, but you know.

Speaker 15 (01:00:10):
You believe in God, you can you can take something.

Speaker 17 (01:00:12):
You know you can you can take no, I'm just
saying you can take some of that money, and you know,
give ten percents to the charge, give a little time offering,
because this certainly got paid to change the number, because
number one is like the number of every sports team, right,
you always want to be number one, And uh yeah,
I'm excited for that opportunity for Joshy. I think that
he kind of likes the idea of being the same

(01:00:33):
number as his brother. And yeah, yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:00:35):
Going back to you were talking about Alec Pearson, he
when they were together at the at the same time
physically at Cincinnati. I had read a story where Alec
Pierce only wanted to go against Sauce Gardner because he
felt like that was the level of competition he wanted
to raise up to. So it'll be interesting to see those.

Speaker 17 (01:00:51):
Yeah, I saw that Keifer talk about that. Hereshory mentioned
that yesterday on social media.

Speaker 9 (01:00:55):
All right, let's take one more phone call here before
we start checking down. Dave's been hanging on for a while.
I want to make sure he gets on. Dave just
dropped off, So Josh is up next at two nine seventy.
Josh go ahead.

Speaker 23 (01:01:06):
Hey, good morning, gentlemen.

Speaker 14 (01:01:08):
Thanks.

Speaker 23 (01:01:08):
I want to set off by saying this. I'm reminded
of the band pair More this morning and one of
their hit songs. For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic. But
in this case, I am a little bit leery. And
why i'm leary is.

Speaker 13 (01:01:26):
Ward.

Speaker 23 (01:01:26):
I'm sorry, Well, yeah, Ward has a concussion, right, he
was on injury reserve. Josh Downis had a concussion this year.
Alex Pears has had a concussion this year, right, Well,
Saft has had a concussion this year. Right, So that
makes a little bit leery. And then I agree with
coach Venturi though when I was listening, he said that, hey,

(01:01:48):
first round pigs aren't a guarantee, right, like you're not
necessarily going to get a guaranteed talent, Which I agree
with that, So that makes me feel a little better.

Speaker 16 (01:01:59):
But gentlemen, do you.

Speaker 23 (01:02:00):
Have any concerns about taking or giving these two first
round draft picks and a d Mitchell for a guy
who's coming off of a concussion.

Speaker 17 (01:02:13):
No, I don't have any issues there, mainly because you
look at the concussion history. I'm not sure how many
Sauces had his crew, but I'm sure they probably checked
all of the medical potential issues there, and he has
been out for two weeks now, so he probably has
a little more time off given the byeway that the
Jets are coming off of than normal when it comes

(01:02:34):
to the concussion recovery. So no, I think that was
a big, big issue for this group, something certainly something
to keep in mind and note moving forward. But for
the most part, I think the Colts were looking at
the overall talent and you know, you have to take
some risk because it is football, and honestly not being funny,
making sure that guys don't run into each other when
it comes to pregame warm ups, I think you would

(01:02:54):
avoid some of the stuff that's going on with Shaveria's ward.

Speaker 9 (01:02:56):
All right, we'll continue to talk about the Colts throughout
the morning here. We've got your Johnson to talk Pacers
coming up in a few minutes. I'm sure JJ being
around here for quite a while is going to have
a thought on the Colts trade as well, But we
will check it down right now mark.

Speaker 18 (01:03:11):
The morning, checkdown on ninety sweet five and one oh
seven five the Fan.

Speaker 9 (01:03:16):
Just the facts, ma'am. The Coults have made a trade
with the New York Jets. They send two first round picks,
one in twenty twenty six, one in twenty twenty seven,
and wide receiver ad Mitchell to Gage Green for Sauce Gardener,
a two time All Pro cornerback coming off a concussion.
Your initial thoughts when this went down yesterday, Kevin Bowen.

Speaker 15 (01:03:37):
My initial when I first heard Sauce Gardner's name to
the Colts, I envision a first rounder, maybe like another
middle rounder. So when I saw you know, two first
and eighty Mitchell, I thought, oh boy, that is a
little richer than I originally thought. And all chips in.
I know it's a it's a phrase that we've whatever
poked on out before, but this is certainly it and

(01:04:00):
we'll see, you know, how quickly the Colts reap the
benefits of it. Certainly goes to a premium position which
needed help. And I think if you're a Colts fan,
that aspect of it, you have to appreciate.

Speaker 9 (01:04:12):
James Boyd. Now the fun begins. Will we see Sauce
Gardner in Berlin on Sunday? That's the money question.

Speaker 17 (01:04:20):
We have to see if he'll be available to practice today,
if he has made it to Indianapolis and made it
through all the physicals. And I believe whenever it's a
trade involving players as well, everyone has to pass the
physical So that means Ady Mitchell has to get to
New York and get all his testing done. So maybe
Sauce Gardner is out there later today, maybe not, but yeah,
I think the practice injury report this week will indicate

(01:04:43):
how healthy he is going into Berlin. And like I said,
it will be kind of funny to look back years
from now and say, hey, Sauce Gardner made his home
debut for the Colts, not at Lucas Owos Stadium, but
thousands of miles away in Berlin, Germany.

Speaker 15 (01:04:55):
Shout out listener John, who has created one of the
images of the year. On the Fan and Morning Show,
we referenced earlier that Jeff was out in the front
lawn last night with his sons waving in the sky
as one ad Mitchell headed off to New York. Mark
if you could get maybe some nice music there we go, Jeff,
how do you like this?

Speaker 9 (01:05:14):
Pick? Oh, that's beautiful.

Speaker 15 (01:05:17):
Ady Mitchell in a beautiful uniform. The we call that
an unidentified flying I was, I was, I.

Speaker 9 (01:05:24):
Was crying like that New York Jets fan kid was
crying on that video. That was certain. I'll tweet that out.

Speaker 15 (01:05:30):
YouTube camera will pick it up. A Markle tweet out
one of the excellent artworks we've ever seen here on
the fanily, and.

Speaker 9 (01:05:34):
That's not that far from being wrong. By the way, wait,
what's not that far from longingly look at Ad while
he's leaving. I'm good. Jets also made another big deal yesterday.
Right after that, they sent Quinn Williams, defensive tackle to
the Cowboys for a first round and second round pick.

(01:05:54):
They are loaded up next year, the Jets are, that's
for sure the next two years.

Speaker 17 (01:05:58):
Yeah, and honestly, with my quarterbacks, I don't love this
year's class. So more power to the Jets, all right,
I drafted the quarterback.

Speaker 9 (01:06:06):
Coats will play in Berlin against the Atlanta Falcons on
Sunday nine thirty kicks. Six thirty is when the pregame
fund starts right early in the morning. Here at ninety
three five and one of seven five to the fan,
you can enjoy sunrise with all of us as we
get ready for that football game. First college football playoff
rankings officially came out last night. No big surprise, Ohio
state number one, Indiana number two, Notre Dame sneaks in

(01:06:28):
at number ten. Are they the tenth best team in
the nation right now?

Speaker 15 (01:06:31):
Kevin, Yeah, I think I think they deserve that that ranking. Obviously,
I'm heavily, heavily biased. It was interesting to see Miami
all the way down at nineteen. I can definitely hear
the head to head crew out there that says, wait
a minute here. I think Notre Dame has proven to
be the better team over the course of two months,
and CJ. Carri's first start is not the end all
be all, but I was surprised to see Miami fall
all the way to nineteen.

Speaker 9 (01:06:53):
All right, And the Pacers will host the Brooklyn Nets
later on tonight at the Fieldhouse seven pm tip just
after seven o'clock, actually six thirty the airtime here with
Mark Boyle Pat Boylan right here in ninety three five
and one oh seven five the Fan College Basketball last
Night number one rank Perdue wins their season opener against
Evansville eighty two to fifty one. The final score there.
Fletcher Lawyer led the way with thirty points. Valpobete Eastern

(01:07:15):
Illinois sixty six to sixty three. Later on tonight, Butler
will host Southern Indiana up at Hinkle. That one tips
off at seven o'clock. If you want to listen to
the radio, go to ninety two point seven Fuego to
listen to Butler Bulldogs tonight because we have the Pacers
here obviously, and Indiana starts their season at home against
Alabama A and M. That one can be heard on

(01:07:36):
ninety three point one FM, our sister station, WIBC. Anything
else you guys want to throw in before we get
to break here? You good, I'm good, all right? Coming
up at a moment, Jeremiah Johnson right here at ninety
three five and one oh seven five the fans oh
as sad as I am to see ad Mitchell cohe.
I'm excited that the cults are putting themselves in position

(01:07:57):
to be true contenders in the AFC and maybe the
NFL overall. We'll get back to talking about that in
a minute, both on the text line and the fan
calling line of two three nine ten seventy, But right
now we check out the Paylesslockers hotline right now, where
one Jeremiah Johnson joins us here on Wednesday morning, got
the Pacers at home to night against the Brooklyn Nets.
And Jay join o us is a huge sports fan too,

(01:08:18):
and you've been around here forever. Your thoughts on the
Colts making a big swing yesterday, Well.

Speaker 13 (01:08:23):
I was a little surprised, I admit, you don't see
that many NFL trades of that magnitude and to see
two first round picks, but I think it was worth it,
and it did bring me back to a day in
the Colt Super Bowl season. That year, I was the
producer of the Bill Pollian Show. So my Mondays and
Tuesdays we're all about getting that show ready for Will

(01:08:44):
Hampton to host and Bill Pollian to talk. And I
remember him walking in as giddy as could be when
the Colts traded for Booker McFarlane and that turned out
to be a pretty good move. So if that can,
if this trade can be like that trade, Colts fans
will be happy.

Speaker 25 (01:08:59):
Wow.

Speaker 15 (01:09:00):
I gotta start praying for you, knowing that that was
one of your jobs in the past producing the Bill
Pullian radio show.

Speaker 25 (01:09:06):
It was.

Speaker 15 (01:09:09):
She dear Lord, who starts to play guard tonight is
a Sauce Gardner.

Speaker 13 (01:09:17):
Good question. I haven't actually tried to predict that Ben
Shephard probably I don't know. I mean, he was starting
for a while, but I did think that with him
as point guard, it kind of took away, uh, some
of what he does and he struggled a little bit
with his shot to start this season. So I don't
know if they're in a tough situation. And for a

(01:09:39):
while there, I did feel like the Pacers were going
to have a different starting lineup every single game, and
then they found something that worked, so they had the
same lineup for three games and now they'll probably go
back to get another different story night. Well they have
to because Quinton Jackson is obviously out. When when they
get into the half court. I don't know that you
notice it as much, but just over the course of

(01:10:00):
the game, you really feel the impact offensively by not
having that true point guard.

Speaker 9 (01:10:05):
I want to go back to Monday nights. JJ.

Speaker 17 (01:10:09):
You know you have been around this team for a
while now, and you were there for many of the
Miles Turner years. What did you think of the reception
that he got in his first game back in India.

Speaker 13 (01:10:20):
Well, I can't say that I was surprised. Me just
a little disappointed, and I'm not saying I'm disappointed in
any fans that chose to express themselves the way they did,
just disappointed with, you know, the current climate and the
way things are right now, and I feel like down
the road, you know, time will pass, and that run

(01:10:42):
specifically of the last couple of seasons and going to
the NBA Finals and then even bigger picture, what Miles
Turner did and meant will be celebrated and he will
be welcomed back. But right now he hasn't done himself
any favors, and I'm not I understand his feelings and
why he's disappointed and why he's upset, But at the

(01:11:04):
same time, I think he does have to understand that
some of the comments, if you do pull them out,
they are hurtful to the fan base, even though he
you know, did a pretty good job. I thought on
on Monday of trying to remind everyone that it wasn't
meant for the fans. That being said, it kind of
is what it is now, and I'm glad we can
we can move on. But I have to admit that

(01:11:26):
I didn't I didn't love the entire atmosphere. I didn't
feel like it was great because ten years is a
long time, and there were a lot of really good moments,
and I do want players when they move on from
the Pacers to feel good about the time that they
spend in Indiana. So you know, I am glad we
can move on. But what I will say is Pacers Bucks,

(01:11:49):
we've talked about it for two years now about this
being the rivalry, and it's not going anywhere. I mean
this and that I love that I really appreciate and
once that game started, I had no problems with the
booze and they can continue because right now, this is
the matchup that you want to watch. This is the
one you want to get tickets for in December twenty third,

(01:12:10):
to me, is the next big, big game you want
to go see. And it doesn't it's not going to
matter what the record is and what the injury situation is.
That's the team you want to be and that's why
it also heart win that shot winning at the buzzer
from be honest, but I will say, if you're going
to have a win in a playoff series or the
last two playoff series, or a win in the first
week of November, I think you'll take those last two seasons.

(01:12:31):
So I still say advantage Pacers and we'll see what
happens when these two teams meet again.

Speaker 17 (01:12:36):
To follow up to that, JJ, one of the players
that I feel like this season obviously is weighing heavily
on is Pascal Siakam. This is a guy who has
won a championship and as you mentioned, was a big
part of that finals run last year. How have you
seen him sort of galvanize this group that continues to
change It seems like every game with him being the

(01:12:57):
one constant the third or fourth game.

Speaker 13 (01:13:01):
I was trying to figure out a way on the
postgame show to put into words what i'd seen, you know,
through the first week of Pascal Siaka and before I
could do it, Rick Carlisle's postgame pres conference was spot
on and he said, he's just a warrior, and when
I watch him, he just continues to fight. He goes
out of the game, in and out of the game
at different times, and has it during his time with

(01:13:22):
the Pacers, sometimes mixing and matching with the second unit rotations.
But you have to get him breaks, you have to
protect him from himself. But you can't really operate for
very long without him on the court. And I just
can't help but think where this team would be. You know,
record wise, obviously wouldn't be a lot different because they've
only won one game, But just going into some of
these matchups knowing you have Pascal Siakam, I feel like

(01:13:45):
you have a chance. And right now he and Aaron Smith,
you know, those two guys that have really been through
some of these battles. You rely on them so so heavily.
And before the game against Milwaukee, I mean you knew
was going to be asked of him, guard Giannis for
most of the game, be the primary offensive option. And

(01:14:06):
as Rick Carlisle said to me before the game that
I interviewed, that you know Arizon, the Big Screen and
Pacers Digital, It's it's almost like the three Football's offense, defense,
special teams. Right now, it's Pascal Siakam's offense, defense and leadership.
I mean, he is that important right now for this team.
And I was actually having the conversation with my son
and he said, you know, he'd better make the All

(01:14:26):
Star team, and I said, yeah, as long as the
records decent, or at least up a little bit from
where it is right now, it's a no brainer. I mean,
what he is doing is phenomenal, and it shows the
last couple of seasons when maybe some games you'd look
at the boxer when in the game was over and
he'd only have you know, nine or ten field goal attempts.
He never once complained, but he has shown he is

(01:14:47):
capable of much more. And I just hope that he
can continue to withstand everything physically and even mentally that
is being asked of him.

Speaker 15 (01:14:55):
JJ last one for me and again PACER's nets coming
up tonight. Six a half point five favor the Pacers
in this one. Do we think Andrew Nemhard is anywhere close? Say,
I don't know what Rick's updates have been. I feel like,
you know, he mentioned something that you know Nemmar was
doing some on court stuff. But do we feel like
maybe he is I don't know, next up off the
injury list, But what do you think about his prognosis

(01:15:17):
as they head out West?

Speaker 24 (01:15:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 13 (01:15:19):
Just my observation, that would be the guy that if
we put up our six players that are heard and
now you don't know Furfey and Quinton the extent of
those new injuries, but they been ruled out for tonight.
Andrew DeMar is the one that has actually done the
most on court work, and I saw him on the
road trip in Dallas after the Pacers had practiced well,
put in a good thirty to forty five minute workout,

(01:15:41):
and he was working up a sweat. Some of the
times before games he's out there shooting. Now, I still
have seen him at times not lift up the left
arm and shoot at one handed, but still he's doing
a lot more than really anyone else, so it would
make sense that he is the closest. But Rick has
not been asked about Andrew specifically really since that first week,

(01:16:02):
so I'm expecting, you know, at some point in the
next week, the question will come up practice wise, I
mean the schedule, and also you don't have enough guys
even to really hardly play five on five even at practice,
so there aren't a lot of full practice sessions. But
a good sign get out the yeah, you know what
I'm gonna Actually in the suitcase, I've got to pack

(01:16:23):
warm clothes and cold clothes for the next week, but
I might pack high tops as well as I have needed.
But the three on three games might be what I'd
be watching if if he's able to participate in some
of those and sometimes those are with you. You used
to say with the guys that are not in the rotation,
it healthy you're in the rotation. So it's also with

(01:16:43):
the video staff and the developmental guys. But if he
gets out there and does some three on three, he'll
be that much closer. But I do think he's probably
the one player closest to return on the injury list.

Speaker 9 (01:16:53):
Right now, I was going to talk to you, buddy.
We'll catch up with you soon, maybe see you later
on tonight.

Speaker 13 (01:16:58):
All right, thanks guys.

Speaker 9 (01:16:59):
There is a Pacers taken on the Brooklyn Nets tonight
seven pm airtime six thirty here at ninety three five
and one O seven to five the fan coming up
in a moment. More of your feedback, both on the
text line and the Carlin line. At two three nine
ten seventy Colts trading two first round draft picks and
wide receiver ad Mitchell to the New York Jets for

(01:17:20):
Sauce Gardner. We'll talk about it next on ninety three five,
and they seized a fan morning show with JB, JB
and Jeff.

Speaker 11 (01:17:31):
Two first round picks being sent to the Jets for
Sauce Garner.

Speaker 4 (01:17:34):
Do you think this is a reach for the reach.

Speaker 12 (01:17:37):
A reach is robbery.

Speaker 27 (01:17:40):
I mean, my gosh, not only are you getting two
first round picks back, you're giving up an enormous salary.
So the culture giving away two first round picks for
a corner who has a big salary and hasn't quite
played up to expectations. This is a desperation moved by
the Indianapolis Colts. Look, Sauce Gardner best is a really

(01:18:01):
good player, but he's not worth two number ones, and
in no way, shape or formance he played close.

Speaker 4 (01:18:06):
To that either of the last two seasons. He's a
good player, he's just not a great player.

Speaker 27 (01:18:10):
I don't understand this at all for the Colts.

Speaker 9 (01:18:13):
Look, I get it.

Speaker 20 (01:18:14):
You're teased.

Speaker 27 (01:18:15):
You're close to being one of the best teams in
the AFC right now, the schedule gets tougher. You think
you can make a run for it. There's desperation in
that building. They need to make a run for it.
So I understand it. I just think the Jets fleeced
them by getting two ones.

Speaker 9 (01:18:31):
There's the other side of it right there. I know
most folks around here, I think, are excited about the
Colts picking up Sauce Gardner and adding some help to
a defense that needs to just try to keep up
with the offense. And I think I would guess Kevin
that part of the attraction to Sauce Gardner is you
got a team that's averaging thirty two and a half
points a game on offense. If you just slow the

(01:18:51):
other team down and holding to twenty four to twenty five,
twenty six points, you're gonna win most football games.

Speaker 26 (01:18:57):
Yeah, that was Pete Prisco by the way of NFL
and CBS. I had to look at it, Pete Prisco,
Pete hates everything always.

Speaker 15 (01:19:04):
You're looking forward to Zach Rosenblatt joining us here in
about ten minutes, James colleague over at the Athletic who
covers the Jets, Because you know, I do think maybe
not as aggressively as Pete stated it, And there are
definitely some people out there that feel like whatever the
Jets flee the Colts, I would say, honestly, of like
looking at trades, it was one of the more of
the Colts fleets of the Jets, the Jets fleece the Colts.
I feel like I saw both of those pretty universal,

(01:19:26):
and honestly, it all probably comes down to, like the
state of your franchise. If you're in a serious rebuild,
stripping it down and getting one, do they have five
first round picks in the next two years? Probably makes
some sense. And if you're the Colts and you know
you've struggled, I think at the premium positions, that's what
I'll keep on pointing back to. You know, like, let's
talk about Houston for a second. I don't think the

(01:19:48):
Texans from a one to fifty three roster standpoint, has
been better than the Colts in recent years. So why
have they won the division really going away last year
at least because they're better at the premium positions Stroud,
Nico Collins, their pass rush and Derek Stingley Junior, and
the Colts haven't been as good at those spots. Whereas

(01:20:11):
now you look at it and you say, okay, Daniel Jones, Okay,
your Colts pass catchers are the best they've been in
a while. A pass rush still definitely a question, but
now at corner you feel like you've got one of
the best cornerback rooms in the entire league. And if
you look at Super Bowl teams, whether it's Philly with
AJ Brown, whether it was the Rams, of Jalen Ramsey
or even Matthew Stafford. Really, you know, to get to

(01:20:32):
that level, usually it takes a swing and sometimes the
swing is missed, but sometimes it's Mickey Rojas.

Speaker 17 (01:20:39):
Yeah, oh, great reference there. Game seven is still one
of the best games I've ever seen him a life.

Speaker 9 (01:20:44):
He was on last night while my sons were at
the bowling alley. It was still fun to watch.

Speaker 17 (01:20:48):
But go ahead and uh, to your point about making
the move for sauce. Scoring defense has actually been good
this year. I think the Colts are maybe six or
seventh in the NFL. They only give up twenty points
a game, so they're not giving up twenty four and
twenty five. But to me, it's like the yardage and
could that be the straw that kind of breaks the
camel's back in the long run. I believe they're twenty

(01:21:09):
fifth yards allowed, twenty seventh and fourth down I'm sorry,
third down conversion rate, meaning teams are basically operating at
like a I think the convert When opposing quarterbacks and
offenses face the Colts, they convert forty five percent of
their third downs. That's basically one of every two that
can't happen for a defense that is good. And I
know JJ brought up the Booger McFarland deal, which I

(01:21:31):
hadn't even known about until maybe like last week, so
I had to go back and look it up. But yeah,
that year, the Colts were terrible run defense. They get
Booger in there. Did they go from worse to first?

Speaker 16 (01:21:42):
No?

Speaker 17 (01:21:42):
But they were formidable enough to allow that team, which
was power by their offense, to go on and I
believe win the Super Bowl that year.

Speaker 9 (01:21:48):
So this, to me is that move.

Speaker 17 (01:21:51):
But on steroids, we're going to, you know, go all in,
not only for just this one year before the future
as well, bringing in a premium player who is only
just twenty five and already has two first team All
Pro nos. I'm gonna have to look up to see
how many Colts cornerbacks or defensive backs period in the
franchisees history have earned a first team All Pro No, and.

Speaker 15 (01:22:10):
James, just to clear up a question that I know
I got a lot yesterday, continue to get today and
I'm sure you have as well. I don't look at
this move and think Javerius Ward is all of a
sudden not coming back from the concussion. I guess we'll
wait and get clarity on it, but I am under
the impression he is coming back at some point this season.
He is eligible to come off undoer reserve after the

(01:22:32):
bye week here, so he has to miss Sunday's game
with the Falcons. For what it's worth, he's been at
practice the last couple of times, the cults of practice here,
So that's my assumption. Are you with that or do
you view it in a different light?

Speaker 9 (01:22:45):
Yeah, I don't even think it's necessarily an assumption.

Speaker 17 (01:22:48):
I was able to, you know, talk to some folks
over at West fifty six, and the expectation is that
he will return this year and play for this team
and get back to playing at a high level right.

Speaker 15 (01:22:57):
After the bye or you think the thing that's the
question is like, is it right after the vibe your
first because even then, yes, I think you would.

Speaker 17 (01:23:03):
Won him right back after the bye obviously for that
Kansas City game. But at the same time, it's still
just week twelve. So if you can get them, let's say,
rounded back into shape by week fourteen, I mean, you're the.

Speaker 9 (01:23:15):
Colts, the new look the look Colts.

Speaker 17 (01:23:16):
Now you're not playing for the record season anyways, You're
trying to get everybody ready for those last few games,
hopefully get some rhythm and then get into the postseason.
So yeah, the expetition that I gathered, or I was
able to glean, was not that this was made in
response to Saveria's Ward, but in addition to like, these
guys will be out there together at some point, and again,
if they're all able to be healthy, that gives you

(01:23:38):
a very potent secondary with Ward, Sauce Gardner, Kennymore the
second and Jalen Jones, who, by the way, I do
think you talk about how this team operates without necessarily
utilizing linebackers of the premium and low and Rimo's defense,
having that bigger corner who can be a little more
hands on, has some size and some length. Could Jalen

(01:24:00):
Jones be somebody that you look at, you know, it's
sort of like that what do they call it, uh, Kevin,
like the robber roll or like the kind of hybrid
linebacker someone you put in on passing downs when you're like, okay,
we need somebody who has some size who can cover
a tight end versus you know, rolling out somebody like
a typical linebacker and getting burned.

Speaker 9 (01:24:18):
Yeah, It's the Fan Morning Show, reacting to the trade
the Colts made yesterday to bring in Sauce Gardner. They
send two first round draft picks and ad Mitchell off
to the Jets. Let's go to the phone lines now,
two through nine, ten seventy. Carlos, thanks for hanging on
for a little bit. You are on the air.

Speaker 28 (01:24:32):
Go ahead, Hey, you got charge of me?

Speaker 16 (01:24:35):
Is bellor became a chef.

Speaker 28 (01:24:40):
Yeah, we brought the sauce to any baby.

Speaker 9 (01:24:44):
There you go make some baby, all right, Carlos, appreciate
the phone.

Speaker 28 (01:24:49):
No no, no, no, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, no, no no.
I got a couple of basically, you know, to refer
on this trade because you know, uh, throughout the years earlier,
the early two we had you know, one of the
fastest scoring offense, and then that hurt our defense. You know,
we're based on vanilla speed kind of defense. We never

(01:25:12):
had a shot down sooner we had a hot hitting
safety like Mikes Jason Belt back in the days, the
Bob Sanders, you know, the Martine Jackson, you know, and
now we have buying them. But these trade makes sense
and in so many ways. Number one, you know, we
always be on eight or nine wings, ten wings, nine wins,

(01:25:37):
eighty wins. We always picking on that mead size, on
the mead range of the draft, and I think it
makes sense. You know, people in the national media, I'm
making big deal about two pretty our backs, but.

Speaker 15 (01:25:49):
Carl I appreciate the call. We are up against it.
I will add this Fontae Davis in twenty fourteen. It
was a shutdown corner and when the Colts got to
the AFC title game, I would argue their best player
during that season specific that run was Vonte Davis. So
they I think have more just pure death here, certainly
with this cornerback group. And you know, Sauce could easily
get back to be in that All Pro guy. But

(01:26:10):
Vante was one of the best players in the league
back in twenty fourteen.

Speaker 9 (01:26:13):
So I can go a long way.

Speaker 15 (01:26:14):
And when you look at the whiteouts on the schedule
the rest of the way, you're gonna face some great ones,
seemingly weekend in week out.

Speaker 9 (01:26:20):
All right, coming up at a moment, we'll get the
Jets side of things. Zach Rosenblat covers the Jets for
the Athletic He gives us his thoughts as we continue
on a Wednesday morning, ninety three five one seven.

Speaker 1 (01:26:32):
For oh my, oh my lord, the Jets are trading
sauce Gardener to the Indianapolis Colts.

Speaker 2 (01:26:47):
Sauce Gardner, sauce Gardner, saus Gardner, He's an Indianapolis Colt.

Speaker 9 (01:26:51):
We were shocked.

Speaker 3 (01:26:52):
Got to the opinions on sauce Gardener.

Speaker 4 (01:26:53):
Wow, wowow.

Speaker 5 (01:26:54):
The Colts looking for a help on the back end
of that secondary to help lou Ana Roumo, so they
go all in and make the trade for sauce Gardener
twenty twenty six first round pick, twenty twenty seven first
round pick.

Speaker 6 (01:27:06):
The Colts just determined our time is right now, our
window is right now. We just opened it up, and

Speaker 7 (01:27:14):

Speaker 8 (01:27:18):
open next year or too, which I think they should.

Speaker 9 (01:27:22):

Speaker 4 (01:27:23):

Speaker 10 (01:27:27):
Collard nextas stuff like this.

Speaker 11 (01:27:28):
football in Indianapolis right now, especially turned around.

Speaker 12 (01:27:33):
Guys, we are back, baby, we are we are back.

Speaker 9 (01:27:38):
Classic, we are backs.

Speaker 20 (01:27:41):
We are back.

Speaker 14 (01:27:43):
I want you to put the word up tore. We
back on, I understand me. We back on.

Speaker 9 (01:27:51):
What a lot of bus a lot of excitement, a
lot of eyebrows being raised around the country and around
the NFL, and the pay close attention to these things.
We do that here in Indianapolis as the Colts trade
two first round draft picks and ad Mitchell to the
Jets yesterday for a two time Pro Bowl cornerback, all
Pro cornerback, I should say, Sauce Gardner, and to find

(01:28:12):
out a little bit more about what it was like
from the Jet side of things, and a little bit
more about the latest play of Sauce Gardener when he
hasn't been out because of a concussion. We bring in
our next guest, Zach Rosenblad, who covers the team for
the Athletic and is kind enough to get up early
and join us on the Fan Morning Show and the
Payless Lookers Hotline this morning. Good morning, Zach. Kept you
busy yesterday, didn't we.

Speaker 29 (01:28:32):
Yeah, they always do.

Speaker 9 (01:28:33):
It's nothing new around here. How's this going down in
New York right now? Yeah?

Speaker 29 (01:28:39):
You know, I think, as a dust has said a
little bit, I think the general reaction has been positive
because of the amount of draft capital they got not
only with this trade but with the Quinn Williams on
with the Cowboys and just kind of reset the board
and now they have five first round picks of the
next two years. So but in the moment, you know,
and even now still honestly, it was pretty shocking. I
don't think there's any England that Sauce was available or

(01:29:01):
even potentially going to get traded. I mean, he just
signed a new contract, so like that the moment had happened.
It was one of those moments where you're looking at
the tweets and making sure they're not fake.

Speaker 17 (01:29:10):
Yeah, that's certainly the case at least a mind as
well as Zach. And again, thanks for joining us on
the show. So reading through your story this morning, and
we collabed on a bunch of stuff yesterday, a lot
of Slack messages after that trade went down. But one
of the things you were able to report is that
this was not some last minute approach from the Colts.
This was something that had been working, They had been

(01:29:32):
working toward over a number of weeks. So what can
you tell us about just the process of first reaching
out to the Jets about Sauce and then getting it
over the finished line to finally get him in the
Colts at uniform.

Speaker 29 (01:29:43):
Yeah, so, I mean, I think it was more like
a couple of weeks ago. They just had conversations, like
all teams, do you know, the cultural calling around in
the league looking for a corner and they called the
Jets to ask them about their corner backs. Not Jet Sauce,
but Sauce was the main part of the conversation. And
the Jets were like, yeah, we're not really trained him
unless somebody blows us away with an offer.

Speaker 9 (01:30:02):
And the Colts We're like okay.

Speaker 29 (01:30:03):
And then you know, you get back to now this
week and the Colts call again and they start offering
a little bit more, and as they keep having more conversations,
to offer more and more, to the point where darreon Mooji,
the Jets GM couldn't really say no anymore. And you know,
they agreed on the draft picks, and then Mouji wanted
to throw in Adi Mitchell. I think he was really

(01:30:23):
high on his potential, so you add him into that,
and and you know, Muji kind of interestingly said in
his press conference yesterday and this was kind of you
could kind of see it at the time, but I
didn't think they would train him right away, but they
structured in a way that would allow them to trade
him if the opportunity arose, essentially, which is pretty crazy
thing to admit, not crazy, but pretty interesting thing to admit,

(01:30:45):
because you know, that's the star player, and that's someone
who you built around, and you just announced that your
cornerstone a few months ago.

Speaker 15 (01:30:51):
Zach, thanks for the time this morning. If we had
this conversation yesterday at nine oh five and I told
you saus Gardner was about to get traded, you would
have thought the compensation would have looked.

Speaker 29 (01:31:01):
Like, what, man, that's a good question, multiple first for sure,
Like that's what I would have thought, Like that's yeah, yeah,
probably yeah. I mean, I but it's hard for me
to even answer that because I just like, it wasn't
a thing not even considered. So you know, like if
you ask me like the same question about Garrett Wilson
right now, I don't know that i'd have a good answer.

(01:31:23):
Probably two first, three first in a player or something
like something crazy like that. So you know, it's rare
that non quarterbacks get traded for multiple. First, it takes
a really special player. I do think Sauce is maybe
better than some of the perception that's gotten out about
him at this point. He is a flawed player, like
he's not Patrick Sartan, but I think he's been one of,
if not the top five best corners in the NFL

(01:31:44):
over the last five years.

Speaker 15 (01:31:45):
So could you delve a little bit deeper into that?
And I hate to throw out letter grades, but I
am a son of two teachers, so I tend to
kind of do that. You know, maybe early in his
career he was what a plus type of player and
maybe I don't know this year it's you know, a
minus B plus if you want to get super technical there.
And also, could you hit on the how much shadowing
did he do for you know, a variety of defenses

(01:32:07):
he played for?

Speaker 29 (01:32:08):
Yeah, so I'll answer the second part first. You know,
with the Robert Solid defense, they had their guys staying
on their sides, so they had Sauce Gardner on one side,
do day Read on the other, and he almost never traveled.
With this new defense, he was traveling a little bit
more and still wasn't like one hundred percent of the time,
but he was traveling and he was doing a pretty
good job of it. And then oh, you asked about
like the grades, so I'd say, yeah, eight plus the

(01:32:30):
first two years, I mean, in all pro, your first
years in the NFL is pretty crazy. And I think
in retrospect, Jets fans, in real ess spoiler, they were
And what that did was it raised the expectations. So
the last two years, where I'd say he was a
BB plus, probably they thought that he was bad and
that was not the case. The reality of Sauces like fans,
not only Jets fans, but especially Jets fans, focused on

(01:32:52):
the things that he doesn't do, which is he doesn't
really get interceptions and he hasn't historically been a great tackler,
But they don't focus on this that he does do,
which is keep the receiver from catching the ball, and
he does it as well as anybody in the NFL.
Quarterbacks do not throw it in his direction, which is
why it's harder for him to get picked a lot
of times, because you know, I think he think he
averages a catch against him every twenty snaps, which is

(01:33:17):
the best rate in the NFL in terms of like
how how rarely he gives up the catch, and in
terms of targets, he's like top ten this year as well.
So quarterbacks just don't throw it in his direction.

Speaker 9 (01:33:26):
And you know, when the.

Speaker 29 (01:33:27):
Colts get healthy and they have trevarious award it's it's
going to be very interesting to see how that goes.

Speaker 9 (01:33:31):
Zach.

Speaker 17 (01:33:33):
I'm sure you haven't been able to catch up with
Sauce just yet, and I'll probably do it on my
end here if he's available today in Indianapolis. But do
you get the sense that he even thought that was
a possibility on his end, or that he was open
to that idea. I know he tweeted about, you know,
all love to New York, but it is quite the
flip from, you know, a couple months ago being the

(01:33:53):
highest paid, richest contract in cornerback history.

Speaker 29 (01:33:57):
Yeah, you know when I understand he did not see
it at all. I don't think it was something that
was really broached to him at all. But I think
he'll take it in stride. I think he's somebody that
is highly motivated already anyway. He's somebody who has been
taking a lot of the losing that he's had to
deal with pretty bad. And I imagine that he's as
he sits down and thinks about what's going on in

(01:34:19):
Indianapolis and how good they are right now, Like, he
hasn't been on a team with this kind of record.
The best the Jets were with him were six and
three to start the twenty twenty two season, and then
they won seven games that whole season. So I imagine he's
pretty excited for the opportunity to play meeting for football
at this time of the year.

Speaker 15 (01:34:33):
A flight plan that is a podcast listened to last
night was Zach Rosenblatt from The Athletic He joins us here, Zach,
I thought I heard you, And if I misheard you,
I don't know, blame it on my dumb brain. But
did you say at some point this offseason you went
to Detroit to do a little bit more of a
future story on Sauce?

Speaker 14 (01:34:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 29 (01:34:51):
I sure did it.

Speaker 9 (01:34:52):
So I went to Detroit.

Speaker 29 (01:34:54):
The main goal was to do an Aaron GLENNS three,
which I did, but while I was there, I wanted
to also dig into Sauce in his background. I went
to his high schoo I walked to the school with
the AD. I talked to his coach. I talked to
you know, one of his old teammates, like I was
getting ready to do it.

Speaker 9 (01:35:07):
I focused on.

Speaker 29 (01:35:08):
Aaron Glenn want to lead end of the season, and my
plan was to write the Sauce story early in the
season after a win. And so, as you can imagine,
the Jets just got the first win a few days
ago and Sauce wasn't even playing. So I just like
have not had the opportunity to write it. And then
you know, as it happens in this job, sometimes you
put a lot of work into something and then you know,
events happened that keep you from me able to pursue it.

(01:35:30):
But maybe I'll write it down the line if the
if the Colts go on like a Super Bowl run
this year.

Speaker 15 (01:35:34):
Maybe a snippet of your boots on the ground reporting
I selfishly, I love to see Sauce Gardner now all
of a sudden obsessed with the game of golf. But
I'm sure your boots on the ground led to some
other things there.

Speaker 29 (01:35:45):
Yeah, so I'd said the funny thing about him was,
you know he's a guy that they had him at
receiver in early in high school and he was like
buried on the depth chart. They had a cornerback that
like got injured, and you know, I had desperation. They're like,
maybe we should just try Sauce there. Throw him out there.
He like dominates that game and he never looks back.
And one of his coaches told me that, like before
that had happened, like he has all these old dms

(01:36:07):
on Twitter from Sauce where Sauce is like, coach, I
think you should play me, like I think I'm pretty good.
I think your guys are making mistake.

Speaker 9 (01:36:13):
Not playing me.

Speaker 29 (01:36:14):
Like he had the confidence like that. The coach said
he like he had confidence before he even had the
skills necessarily, Like he just believed in himself completely from
the beginning. And and then you know he was he
was off for the race when he got Cincinnati. I
don't even think he ever let up a touchdown and
and yeah, you know he's a guy that you guys
are gonna love there in that lot, especially the media
for the locker room wise, the fans will like him
until they get mad about him by any interceptions.

Speaker 9 (01:36:36):
I guess, like Jets fans, I'm just curious before we
let you go. Zach is as a follower of the
NFL day in day out and an objective guy. How
are the Colts viewed right now?

Speaker 29 (01:36:47):
That's a good question. I you know, I think they
were kind of a laughing stop going into the season.
It felt like and you know, you bank on Daniel Jones,
and but I think the reaction I've heard just you know,
listening to podcasts about trade and kind of just you know,
canvassing Twitter, I'd say outside of Indianapolis, I think they're
getting pretty criticized for this deal because they're what they're doing,

(01:37:07):
and it's a statement that they believe in Daniel Jones,
and you know, it's a risky proposition, as the Giants saw.
So I think they're getting criticism for that. But the
Colts believe in what they have. They're you know, what
are they seven to two? And this field like a
team that can go on a run. So I don't
blame them for doing it, especially because I personally am
pretty high on us.

Speaker 9 (01:37:27):
Gardner, Well, thanks for stopping by. We again appreciate your
time and your insights, and we will run into you
down the road, as they say, have a good one.
Yeah you two guys, there you go. So it is
interesting that there are a lot of people and we heard,
you know, Pete Prisco from CBS and just some of
the other things that he has heard that people still

(01:37:47):
outside of Indianapolis aren't completely sold on. Daniel Jones.

Speaker 17 (01:37:51):
I'm just thinking about DM and anybody in my life
and tell them, hey, I'm actually a lot better than
you think.

Speaker 15 (01:37:58):
You should give me an opportunity.

Speaker 9 (01:37:59):
Maybe I'll work on the you know, get't hurt.

Speaker 15 (01:38:01):
It's like, shouts all the high schools out there.

Speaker 9 (01:38:03):
You DM the girl. It's like, hey, yeah, I'm actually
a great guy, Just give me a chance.

Speaker 17 (01:38:08):
Just a picture young Sauce telling somebody red. Yeah, that's
pretty funny. But getting back to your point, Yeah, I
think the Colts have certainly changed public perception, but it
can all come crashing down if you don't capitalize on
the movee you just made. And in my mind, I
feel like you got to get to the Final four,
which is the AFC Championship game.

Speaker 9 (01:38:30):
So that's where we're at right now, is the Indianapolis
Colts certainly have the NFL buzzing at this point in time.
We'll check on some of the texts and get some
more phone calls coming up in a few minutes over
the rest of the show, but before we get into
the checkdown. I did want to let you guys know.
You know that Jake Querry and I are all in

(01:38:50):
on men's health and getting checked out, and we tell
you all the time about coming up on December seventh.
You got to help us out with Franciscan and you
can go get all kinds of quick checks done on
yourself to keep yourself up and running. Men's health is
a big thing for us, a big thing going forward.
As you know, Jay Query had a heart attack several
years ago, ended up in the hospital for a couple

(01:39:11):
of days. I had a heart attack with some complications
now almost six years coming up in two weeks ago,
and was in the hospital for ten days. It's all good. Now,
we're both very healthy, been given clean bills of health.
And I'm going now as you used to do it
twice a year, now just once a year. I'm going
to let you guys go. For the second half of

(01:39:32):
this hour, I am going to the cardiologist today for
my annual checkup, and I expect good things to be
said there. But I just want to take this moment
to remind everybody you two guys who have grown to
care about immensely and you too, Mark. Take care of yourselves, man,
don't ignore those doctor's appointments. Go to them, get yourself
checked out. Meet us on the seventh, December seventh at

(01:39:55):
Googman House and get these free screenings. Cauz it'll save
your life. Man.

Speaker 15 (01:40:00):
Yeah, I obviously heavily endorse all of that and hope
everything goes okay for you today, Jeff. But yeah, I
was at the event last year and it was a
great time. Obviously I enjoy you know, all of our
events that we have and getting to interact with listeners.
But the fact that you can, you know, two birds
with one stone, if you will, with so many different
screenings and we'll be watching football and all that, it

(01:40:20):
sounds like a pretty good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
So yes, December seventh. More details up on our website.
One of seven. Five to the fan. Thank you for
Franciscan Health who is always partnering and doing a great
job and helping us try to live our lives in
the healthiest way possible.

Speaker 9 (01:40:33):
And also for you, Jason. I know you're a young guy,
but start paying attention to this stuff now. I'm telling you,
start paying attention to you Now, I was always a
fit guy, raced bikes, always eating right, doing all the
things I'm supposed to do, and sometimes genetics wins Man. Yeah,
I certainly hear you, and I agree there. All right.
Having said all that, let's get back to the task
at hand, let's check it down.

Speaker 18 (01:40:56):
The morning checkdown on ninety sweek five and one oh
seven five.

Speaker 9 (01:41:00):
Kevin Bowen, you may have heard the Colts had a
transaction yesterday. What in the world did they do?

Speaker 15 (01:41:06):
Yeah, they brought Chad Muma back to their practice squad,
and I have a feeling that's, you know, just some
linebacker insurance. So we'll see how the rest of the
week plays out for him.

Speaker 9 (01:41:15):
In addition to that, they traded two first round draft
picks and ad Mitchell to the New York Jets for
Sauce Gardner. Everybody's been weighing in on this. Some national
people think that the Jets got flee, Some think the
Colts got flee. Some still don't believe in Daniel Jones.
What does it mean right here right now for the Colts, James.

Speaker 17 (01:41:33):
It means that the Colts are trying to go win
the Super Bowl this year. That's the short version of it.
You believe in your offense, number one offense in the NFL.
You think you have some pieces on defense, you try
to upgrade that. I and Chris Baller said that in
his statement yesterday, is something about elevating the entire unit.
So that's what you're hoping you get with sauce Gardner.
And so he brings us sauce. He brings out a swagger,

(01:41:55):
certainly a hell of a resume. And I think this is,
like I just said, championship or bust.

Speaker 24 (01:42:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:42:01):
I also read over the last twelve horses. I've been
trying to get to know everything about sauce dating or dated.
At one point, ice Spice, how about that?

Speaker 15 (01:42:11):
Oh okay, nice sauce is fine for sauce the Spice girls. No,
that's different. He's a rapper, all right.

Speaker 9 (01:42:23):
We will also tell you that the Colts play Sunday morning,
nine thirty in Berlin. You'll be there, James Boyd when
they kick off against the Atlanta Falcons.

Speaker 17 (01:42:30):
Yep, I take off tomorrow after practice, and so I
believe I go from here to Newark to Belgium and
then Belgium to Germany.

Speaker 15 (01:42:39):
Just to remind everybody just the lay of the land
for the Colts this week. They will practice today and
tomorrow normally before boarding their own flight Thursday night to Berlin.
So Sauce Gardner missed the Week eight matchup for the
Jets with concussion. They had their bye week last week,
so it's only two practice for the Colts this week.
They'll walk through it Friday over there in Berlin. Plenty

(01:43:00):
of time for sast Garner to progress through concussion protocol
and I would assume play some role on Sunday. But
those are just a couple of the I guess hurdles,
if you will, for him to get ready. And the
Jets already played overseas this year, so passport, dust it
off and ready to go.

Speaker 9 (01:43:14):
All right. Meanwhile, when the Coults do get back to
practice today, what are they looking forward to seeing? Who
are they? Who are you guys looking forward to see
who may or may not be on the field for
this first practice of the week.

Speaker 15 (01:43:25):
Well, they reportedly had no injuries in the lost of Pittsburgh,
so if there is a positive from that, no injuries
in that game. Now, of course we've seen some guys develop,
you know whatever, injuries off of that, so you know
that's always a question to keep in mind. So we'll
see exactly what it looks like as they get ready
for the Falcons. You know one thing about Atlanta, they
have a really poor point differential. They're three and five.

(01:43:47):
But unlike some of these other bottom feeders the Colts
have played this year, they have some dudes. And as
I look back to the Colts season this year, the
Colts did a great job against a Tyreek Hill, against
a Max Crosby, but Phukan Nakua rerec the game. TJ
Watt wrecked the game. So you're gonna face Jon Robinson
and Drake London on Sunday. They're stars, they can wreck games.

(01:44:07):
It is vital and Luann Roimo pointed out yesterday tackling
will be a premium for the Colts on Sunday. So again, Atlanta,
on paper, the Colts are close to a touchdown favorite
for a reason. But there's a little bit more I
think potency with the Falcons and some of these other
teams the Colts have played.

Speaker 9 (01:44:21):
All right, there are several other trades made in the
NFL yesterday, Jets being chief among them. Again, they traded
their defensive line stud Quentin Williams to the Dallas Cowboys
for a first round pick and a second round pick
wide receivers. On the move, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked up
Jacoby Myers from the Raiders. Is that going to affect

(01:44:43):
things down the stretch for the Colts as they try
and win a division here?

Speaker 17 (01:44:47):
I think Jacoby Myers is a pretty good player, but no,
I feel like they're in the jarvisy for the division
and the only way you lose out on your first
division titles in twenty fourteen, it's a fall of cliff,
So stay away from the railing.

Speaker 9 (01:44:59):
Yeah, is the thing though with Jacksonville, they get all
those guys healthy. They have a nice little compliment of
receivers that the Colts would have to match up against
here down the stretch, So we'll keep an eye on that. Also,
Seattle Seahawks improved their wide receiving cores as they pick
up Rashisha Heed from the New Orleans Saints and get.

Speaker 15 (01:45:16):
Us aside from the Gardener move one, that was a
nice one by the Seahawks.

Speaker 9 (01:45:21):
I think, yeah, put somebody alongside Barn the Colts a
few years ago. That dude is fast.

Speaker 15 (01:45:27):
Yeah, him on one side, JSN on the other lood.

Speaker 9 (01:45:30):
Yeah, look out.

Speaker 15 (01:45:30):
And then when Cooper Cup comes back, man, the Colts
will see them in a little over a month.

Speaker 9 (01:45:34):
Yeah, so maybe they needed all this defensive secondary. Oh,
you appreciate it all right, So again Berlin, Atlanta, Sunday
nine thirty. Kick coverage starts at six thirty. Here at
ninety three five one oh seven five The fan First
College Football Playoff rankings. The official ones came out last night.
Ohio State number one, Indiana number two, and Notre Dame
checks in at number ten. If things stayed exactly the same,

(01:45:57):
you'd have first round byes for Ohio State in Indiana
along with a couple of other teams, but Notre Dame
would be looking at BYU.

Speaker 15 (01:46:03):
At this point in time, right, Yeah, that's at b
YU Yeah, seven to ten match up there. If Seeds
were to hold Indiana's path to win it, it all would
be BYU, Texas A and m U and Ohio State.
So again, we'll have what five six of these over
the next month or so. But Indiana in a great
position to get a bye, and that means they wouldn't host.

(01:46:25):
Just to kind of clarify that for everybody out there,
they will not host unless they drop down to the
five seed line, So a bye and a neutral field
site coming up here right around New Year's Catholics versus Cougars, Right,
Catholics versus Cougars, Yes, very specific type of cougar though,
right yeah by.

Speaker 26 (01:46:44):
Yeah yeah baby, especially if Zach Wilson's around well, b Yu,
I don't know if that's allowed.

Speaker 15 (01:46:50):
Mark, Oh, there's there's a way, there's a will, there's
a way. Brandon Davey's learned the hard way with old
Jim or Furdette back, someone who's that by. You have
like a national championship basketball team and Brandon Davies decided
to fornicate, and next thing you know, gone on.

Speaker 9 (01:47:08):
I just want to I will tell you this as
someone early in my career spent five years in the
Salt Lake City market covering BYU and Utah. Those rules
are not always followed to your point, Kevin.

Speaker 15 (01:47:18):
But if they're not followed, ramifications, I don't care who
you are. No, you imagine an SEC school immediately or later.
You never know what team for fornication you get.

Speaker 9 (01:47:29):
You get kicked off just for being in.

Speaker 15 (01:47:30):
You might get an increased NIL package for fornication in
the sec.

Speaker 9 (01:47:33):
You could get kicked off a BYU just for being
in somebody else's a females room after ten o'clock at night.

Speaker 17 (01:47:41):
It's clarifying scrabble jokes aside, though, to clarify, we got
people in the YouTube chat are a little bit confused.
Jeff is going for a checkup. He is fine, So
if you want to just say that again.

Speaker 9 (01:47:50):
Yeah, every year now I go in and have the
whole works done. Today is that day? So right, I'm
all going work. Thank you for checking in. Yeah.

Speaker 15 (01:47:56):
So people are like, what's going on?

Speaker 9 (01:47:58):
You got to go there all the time, all the time.

Speaker 26 (01:48:00):
I got even when if it's just a physical they're like,
so you can leave your pants on, like I'm just assumed.

Speaker 15 (01:48:07):
I'm just checking your blood pressure.

Speaker 9 (01:48:08):
Okay, that will be. I don't do what you need
to do. The Pacers are playing tonight, Mark, you want
to talk about that? Sure? All right?

Speaker 3 (01:48:19):
Can we get a win?

Speaker 15 (01:48:20):
Can we get a win against the winless Brooklyn Nets?

Speaker 9 (01:48:23):
Please?

Speaker 15 (01:48:24):
They're favored by six and a half. They is in
the Pacer Pacers. Let's go, you guys name three Nets players?

Speaker 9 (01:48:32):
All right? Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 17 (01:48:35):
We got Cam Thomas, Michael Porter Junior. I think that
might be it for you.

Speaker 9 (01:48:41):
Boy, I didn't even remember that.

Speaker 15 (01:48:44):
I'm gonna look at that. I was looking at you, man.
I thought you would lead us to victory. There, I'm
blanking on the rest of that from Georgia. Nick And
is still around, good lord, I had forgotten they add
Porter Jr.

Speaker 24 (01:48:58):
There.

Speaker 15 (01:48:58):
So yeah, they've been awful. They've be run out of gym.
They're actively tanking correct they are Hacers need it badly.
Terrence Man is there as well.

Speaker 9 (01:49:07):
Pacers need it more.

Speaker 15 (01:49:08):
Than Mark needs a stethoscope somewhere in the old y Hey,
from the YouTube chat, I'm paying out of pocket.

Speaker 9 (01:49:14):
I want the works from the YouTube chat.

Speaker 17 (01:49:16):
Jeff hosted twenty College When for a week and now
has to get his hard chat.

Speaker 9 (01:49:20):
Well, there are trade offs to be made.

Speaker 15 (01:49:21):
In life, Chays, that's a great comment.

Speaker 9 (01:49:26):
Uh seven pm tonight tip off over at the Fieldhouse,
Brooklyn Pacers six thirty airtime here at ninety three five
one oh seven five The Fan College Basketball. Last night,
Purdue beats Evansville in their season opener eighty two to
fifty one. Fletcher Lawyer had thirty valpo over Eastern Illinois
sixty six sixty three tonight, Butler will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
You can listen to it on the radio. I'm ninety

(01:49:48):
two point seven Fuego. They'll be taking on Southern Indiana,
and Indiana opens their season tonight at home against Alabama
A and M. That's all I got, Mark Dyke. Did
anything else? You want to throw it?

Speaker 15 (01:50:00):
Nope, go get checked out.

Speaker 9 (01:50:01):
All right, I'll do that. You may back. He's going
to get the works. We will. We will talk to it. Yeah,
have a coupon for that, you know, I don't.

Speaker 26 (01:50:10):
Know if I want to go to a doctor that
texts coupons might lend up with a bathtub with ice
and no kidney.

Speaker 9 (01:50:17):
Did you watch too many movies? Was that a Josh
Tumult movie? All right, have yourselves a great one. We'll
talk to you again tomorrow. We'll we'll talk to you
guys soon. Have a great one. It's ninety three five
and one seven five the Fan. The boys return in
a moment to talk more about the Colts big trade.

Speaker 15 (01:50:37):
Well, we got reaction for you all day long as
a cult to make one of their biggest trades in
franchise history.

Speaker 13 (01:50:44):
Mark.

Speaker 15 (01:50:44):
Before we get back into that, how about we take
fast Fingers Butler, the Screaming Eagles of Southern Indiana coming
up tonight inside of hinkle Fieldhouse, Finley Bizjack, a couple
of nice performances in the exhibition games for Butler. We'll
see if bad Mona can get close to the Insie tournament,
get in the it's a tournament frankly here coming up
in the year four So three one seven seventy four

(01:51:05):
pack will give away to that match up here tonight.
Reminder Indiana Alabama A and M eight o'clock. As the
Darren dea Freese era gets underway, you'll see a team
that'll shoot a lot more threes and share the basketball
a lot more. I think that is something you will
definitely see. Questions defensive league, questions in the front court
a little bit from a depth standpoint, but you'll certainly
see a difference and the amount of threes and the

(01:51:27):
sharing of the basketball for Darren de Frees and company.
James Boyd, the thing you like the most about what
the Colts did yesterday is what.

Speaker 9 (01:51:38):
The way Sauces contract is structured.

Speaker 15 (01:51:42):
Perhaps, Okay, so we haven't gotten into this, so go
ahead and explain a little bit more.

Speaker 17 (01:51:46):
Yeah, I'm not by any means some cap guru, but
the way his contract is sort of structure, given the
bonuses and the different avenues you can take to basically
pay the guy, he has a very low sound. This year,
I believe it's less than like a million dollars as
far as actual base salary. I think the year after that,
I want to say it jumps to about ten million.

(01:52:08):
Then then it gets expensive. So for the next two
years you have a very discounted player at a very
elite position, hopefully playing at an elite level, which allows
you to still have some flexibility I think moving forward
to perhaps you know, pay Daniel Jones and go out
and pay Alec Pearson. So it's not I don't people
look at the raw number. I think it's like one,
what is it, one thirty go over the next five

(01:52:29):
and a half years, But it's not split up evenly
over the next five years. It's kind of backloaded, which
in a sense gives you an opportunity to remain aggressive
over the next couple of years, which is the best
way I can kind of describe the way it's contract
and structure.

Speaker 15 (01:52:45):
Yeah, I mean when you look at it and again
it's not one thousand percent clear how the contracts and
or franchise tag will be deployed by the Colts. But
with adding sauce Gardner, you should retain Daniel Jones. My
assumption to you should retain Alec Pearce, Braden Smith, Nick Cross,
a couple other free agents. Those are a little bit

(01:53:06):
of a question mark for me. But outside of that,
this should be your core for twenty twenty six to two,
Like and and so, I think when you see a
trade like this, you're kind of like, wait, how's it
all going to fit? Puzzle place wise? But this should
be you know, kind of a whatever, two year maybe
even a three year window. I mean, I'll be curious. Okay,
what are you know? Does Jonathan Taylor want to contract extension?

(01:53:29):
Those sorts of things. I would add that, Uh okay,
if I went the flip, your biggest question would be
what is it more of compensation or more of Sauce
Gardner as the player?

Speaker 9 (01:53:39):
The player?

Speaker 17 (01:53:40):
Just getting back to the off roa yeah, because when
you give up that much for a guy, you can't
just be good. You have to be elite. You'd be
one of the best cornerbacks in all football. So are
you first second team All Pro? I'm not saying this year, Grant,
you know, changed teams and had the concussion recently, and
then at times if you look at his actual numbers.
So Zach Rosenla, that's point from earlier and shout out

(01:54:02):
to my colleague joining the show here about thirty minutes
ago with Sauce, it's I kind of yeah, Zach, he's
awesome man, one of the.

Speaker 9 (01:54:14):
More seasoned reporters.

Speaker 17 (01:54:16):
And I say that because not only does it cover
the Jets, but they're always doing something chaotic, So I
think I'm covering chaos. No, that team that franchises a lot.
But to Zach's point from earlier, Sauce is still a
really good cornerback, but if you look at his numbers,
it's kind of like it's either nothing or everything. He's
given up about seventeen yards catch this year, but he's

(01:54:39):
also when quarterbacks target him, only giving up forty six
percent completion rate. So it's like he's really good until
he isn't for that one or two plays. And so
I also wonder, though, will they change in sceniory of
changing scheme, having a more talented back end around him,
will that help you, you know, get back to love
as you were playing at.

Speaker 15 (01:54:59):
Yeah, I'm not a big, big pro football focused guy,
but I know I think a decent amount of people
at least know what it is, and you know, point
to those numbers. I want to say Gardner was ranked
twenty first among corners at this point of the season. Again,
I don't look at that as gospel, James. I think
you just laid it out pretty well. He doesn't get
targeted very often. Frankly, I think he's already earned the

(01:55:21):
reputation from teams that you stay away from him. But
when he has been targeted at times this season, yes,
a few more big plays, yeah, I think have been
allowed by him and as Zach shared with us. In
the Roberts solid defense, which sauce Gardner was originally drafted
into and became an All Pro, he primarily stayed on
one side. They had DJ Reid another corner opposite him

(01:55:41):
who was also a pretty good player. But with Aaron
Glenn coming over this year, there's been a little bit
more of a shadow role. So you know, obviously we've
seen Savarious Ward do some of that. Of course, he's
been out, you know, Jalen Jones actually did some of
that with DK Metcalf. I mean the Colts cornerback room
from a depth standpoint, Jalen Jones is your fourth corner.
I mean that is a dream based off all the

(01:56:02):
corners they've had in and out this season.

Speaker 9 (01:56:05):
So justin Wally was supposed to start this year.

Speaker 15 (01:56:08):
I mean you you could rookie third round thirty in
the Colts cornerback room this season. I mean Howard retired
from the NFL.

Speaker 9 (01:56:14):
That seems like a lifetime ago. Somewhere.

Speaker 15 (01:56:16):
Gus Bradley yesterday had to be thinking to himself, Wait,
Dallas Flowers off of torn Achilles.

Speaker 17 (01:56:22):
I know my boy was shopping at, you know, the
thrift store and they were taking Lewenomote and even Nima
Marcus and you know Von.

Speaker 15 (01:56:30):
Mayer, such a great way Von mar I feel like
Colleen Bowen lives there.

Speaker 17 (01:56:35):
Oh so Colleen Baul must have some money. I was
in Von Mayr yesterday and I was windows shopping. I
looked at a suit seven hundred dollars and I.

Speaker 9 (01:56:43):
Was, well, look at you, James, tell.

Speaker 15 (01:56:46):
Us more and I get a job at the Athletic.

Speaker 24 (01:56:49):
No.

Speaker 9 (01:56:50):
I just was walking through and looked at it. But
I was looking at some different things.

Speaker 15 (01:56:53):
What do you got You got a little galla coming
up in Berlin.

Speaker 17 (01:56:56):
Yeah, I think I'll I tell my mom whenever I like,
she always is like, you got to look like something
for one game a year, I guess.

Speaker 9 (01:57:02):
And so yeah, I'll be a little sharper Sunday February.

Speaker 15 (01:57:06):
What oh, so you're going Sunday.

Speaker 17 (01:57:08):
Yeah, I'll be looking like something that that Berlin per
Diems coming in handy. Yeah, the Berlin per Diem. You know,
it was funny.

Speaker 9 (01:57:15):
I learned the German women right now.

Speaker 17 (01:57:17):
I was. I want to say, the last time I
put on a full suit for a game was the
last overseas game. So yeah, that that'll be a nice
little your.

Speaker 15 (01:57:26):
Mediocre wardrobe and they get your elite wardrobe.

Speaker 9 (01:57:30):
Yeah. It Lorna Boyd.

Speaker 17 (01:57:32):
She's always on me like, hey, you know, represent the
family a little bit better when you're out of town.

Speaker 15 (01:57:36):
I guess.

Speaker 26 (01:57:37):
So James is going to cover game, He's gonna come
back with a German wife.

Speaker 9 (01:57:41):
Hey, you know, I'm I don't discriminate against anybody. There
you go.

Speaker 15 (01:57:44):
I was listening to the Jets GM yesterday and you know,
he was detailing and by the way, does not sound
like we'll hear from Chris Ballard. I was hoping we would.
I'd think rightly deal with this magnitude the GM. I'll
just call him, should talk, but just see if he
wants to join the airwaves. Just a statement yesterday from him,
but ESGM did have a press conference and he basically
mentioned that originally the Colts called about other corners on

(01:58:07):
their roster, and the Sauce Gardner thing was never really
a possibility. And then as the deal kept on getting
a little sweeter and a little sweeter and a little sweeter,
his words I think were richer. He couldn't say no,
and it sounded like the ad Mitchell element to the deal,
the two first round picks plus Mitchell was probably what
pushed it over the edge. And again, this to me

(01:58:30):
is an unprecedented deal. You know, I know a lot
of people have pointed to the Eric Dickerson deal. To me,
that was a more of a use the word relevant earlier, James,
It's a good way to put it. I was more
of a Hey, yeah, the Colts exists in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts exists in the NFL. You know, three
years into the move. This is more of a we're
giving up some major draft capital to try and win

(01:58:52):
it all. I mean, that's the simplest way absolutely to
put it and to me, for the deal to be
a win, for us to look back on this deal
and say that was a great trade. At some point, yes,
you need Sauce Gardner get back to be an all pro.
I think your defense needs to become a top five unit.
I would argue it's one of the most highly invested
defenses in the entire NFL draft pick and money wise.

(01:59:14):
And then lastly, at some point you gotta play for
it all.

Speaker 17 (01:59:17):
Absolutely, And if you look at this secondary in particular,
Chris Beller went out and bought it. This wasn't I'm
trusting my guys. Like you referenced a few minutes ago,
Dallas slowers off of torn Achilles. This was no, no, no, no, no.
I haven't drafted well at that position. I mean, keep
in mind, we'll talk about the cornerback room. They got
rid of Juju Brins the second round pick a couple

(01:59:37):
of years ago. He's out the door, and you said, okay,
we tried to do it one way with Justin Wally
coming in here and he got hurt, Dylan Jones got hurt.
Xavin Howard terrible experiment, he retires. You know what I'm
tired of. I'm gonna go shopping. And he had already
done a little bit of that throughout the offseason by
binging in cam Bina Jerrus Ward and then now you

(01:59:59):
bring Saws Gardner as well. So that is a lot
of money, millions upon millions that you have now shelled
out to make your unit, at least your secondary, one
of the better units in the league. So I love
the aggressiveness. I love the fact that they're going to
try to go for it because it does feel like
again at seven and two, first place in the AFC,

(02:00:22):
first place in obviously the AFC South. It allows you
to perhaps capitalize on a window that, like I said
earlier in the show, was boarded up. Was it even
attached to the house? Was the glass even on? Like
the better the truck to be put into the house.
I mean, this has been a remarkable turnaround, not only
for this franchis over the last few months, but just

(02:00:42):
this season. I mean, coming into it, so many doubts,
so many questions, and now the questions have become louder,
but bigger, and I think a better to a certain degree,
because this isn't questions about oh, we're going to be
a good team.

Speaker 9 (02:00:54):
It's no how good can you be?

Speaker 15 (02:00:55):
We will do it one final time. It's Kevin Belly,
James Boyd, Mark Dydon closing out.

Speaker 18 (02:01:03):
As you were listening to a fan morning show on
ninety three to five and one oh seven.

Speaker 30 (02:01:07):
The question about that and really, quite honestly, after this
last week's performance, Look, you can't just jump off the
bandwagon on Daniel Jones because of how the Pittsburgh game look,
there's always a lot of context about interceptions.

Speaker 3 (02:01:18):
We talked about that.

Speaker 30 (02:01:19):
They're fine there. Look as far as what this does
for them defensively with sauce as just what Jeff was
alluding to was this.

Speaker 3 (02:01:25):
He gives them a movable chess piece.

Speaker 30 (02:01:27):
He's a guy you can go ahead and stick on
number ones and say, hey, look, I need you to dog.

Speaker 9 (02:01:32):
This guy all over the football field.

Speaker 30 (02:01:33):
Look as far as the penalties and the holdings over
the past couple of years, one of the things that
Lou I'm sure and a rum or defensive coordinator will
do is back him off a little bit. Let him
play with more eyes and not have him up on
the line of scrimmage doing this all the time. Because
when you're out there and you're charged with covering the
team's number one wide receiver and press, you're gonna get
some holding penalties because it's hand to hand combat, play
after play after play.

Speaker 3 (02:01:54):
His skill level.

Speaker 30 (02:01:55):
The skill level hasn't diminished. They'll give him a little
bit of a break. The culture set up right now,
Chris Ballard, Hey, look you go. He went from being
a guy who many people wanted to run out of Indy.
So now all of a sudden you're going, Okay, you're
making some move.

Speaker 15 (02:02:10):
Lewis Rick earlier today on the move for sauce Gardener again.
Colts get back to practice here this afternoon and they'll
practice today tomorrow board the plane to Berlin coming up
Thursday night. Sauce Gardner was in concussion protocol with the Jets.
There's no joke with that. He actually was got hurt there,
didn't play sh It'd say in the week eight matchup.

(02:02:32):
They were on a bye last week. I assume we'll
hear from sauce Gardner later today, but that'll be a
little bit of the schedule. I know we have a
couple of callers hanging on here. Mark, you said Joe's
been with us for a while, Joe, I believe a
thought on Chris Ballard.

Speaker 9 (02:02:46):
Good morning, Joe.

Speaker 25 (02:02:47):
How are you, big one? I'm good, Thanks Sake McCall
I forgive me if I didn't hear if you guys
talked about this or not. But you know, Ballard has
really changed ways doing things then I'm just curious. Obviously
the passing of Jim orsay change some of that.

Speaker 24 (02:03:03):
But you know, my.

Speaker 25 (02:03:04):
Thoughts were, is it possible that when Jim was, you know,
when he was in charge, was he really not letting
Ballard spend the money even though Ballach said he would
let him. Or is it he's backed into a corner
now and he knows that he doesn't have the leadership
above him. It's going to retain him if he doesn't
make these moves and start winning now. Like, just curious

(02:03:24):
what your guys thoughts are on that.

Speaker 15 (02:03:26):
Yeah, I don't think I viewed in that light. James
and Joe, thank you for the call. I think Ballard
has always been a more of a frugal approach to
free agency. I think got. I think Jim or Say
was content with that, but I don't think that at all.
And then after eight years of the results being the results,
he decided to change his ways a bit when it
came to that specifically cam Bine them and mooney Ward.

(02:03:48):
And then I look at this move, James, and to me,
this is different than the mooney Ward cam Bine them.
That was again, your eight years of results haven't led
to what you want, so what's to do some things differently?
This to me is an indication of where you are
in season. Absolutely, you know some of your cores a
little older, and you say, hey, if this windows cracked

(02:04:10):
in the AFC right now, let's make a big time
move at a premium position to try and do it.
So I don't view it as the Jim or Say
whatever cloud, No, not at all. I think this is
oh my gosh, we're actually seven and two. Let's do
something to maximize what we have sort of not fell into.
But we've earned the fortune of with some of some

(02:04:32):
of the priests movies we've already made and the landscape
of the AFC. The Chiefs, who are the three time
defending AFC champions are five and four the I believe
Texans are what three and five right now, and they're
the two time defending AFC South champion. You look at
where the Ravens are, They're three and five with Lamar Jackson.
The Bills, granted, are six and two, and the Patriots

(02:04:54):
was seven and two. But like, there is some vulnerability
there within that NFL landscape in the AFC in particular,
where I feel like you might have more conviction of
your team that you've had before and also just more
doubt about what else.

Speaker 17 (02:05:08):
Is around you and who can truly contend this year.
So I like the move. I like the aggressiveness. And
to give more context too it, we've talked about it
a lot on this show and the weeks sitting up
to the trade deadline, But that marks Chris Ballard's second
in season trade during the first nine years of his tenure,
and the two trades could not be more different from

(02:05:29):
the amount of attention eyes and what it means for
the actual team. Now in twenty twenty two, your backup
running back Naim Hein says, I want out. You move him.
I believe got like a fourth or fifth round pick
in return. You get Zack Moss, who currently'll be a
pretty good player for you for about a year and
a half and then you look at where you are today.
You just made a move that, like you've talked about Kevin,

(02:05:51):
should put you into super Bowl contention.

Speaker 15 (02:05:54):
Yeah. And one thing I'm fascinated by now moving forward
is what lou Ana Romo will cook up from a
past rush standpoint, i e. Blitzing trusting his site exactly,
which you couldn't really trust given all the injuries and
things like that. Just the trust of you know, Lewis
Heritick points out there, of Sauce Gardner, you know shadowing
guys well, Mooney Ward I think can also do that.

(02:06:17):
So now if you just leave those guys frankly on
each side, that can allow you to do a lot
of different things coverage wise. And then with your front
I think you have to get a little bit more
creative just from sheer bodies and you know blitz Look,
because I just don't think you're built to have a
fore Matt, I don't know. Maybe the four man rush
will get home a little bit more now if your
back end's able.

Speaker 9 (02:06:35):
To hold up.

Speaker 15 (02:06:35):
But that I think is a huge element to it all.
Your biggest question for Sauce Gardner today, if indeed he talks,
James is what mine is? What's your favorite golf course?

Speaker 17 (02:06:48):
I think besides the typical how do you get the
nickname Sauce, which I'm sure someone will ask, and maybe
that'll even be me, I think it's all about the
pressure of the move, and similar to how the Bucks
made all those weird things happened, waving and stretching Damian
Litla to bring in Miles Turner, the pressure of okay,
we did all these things, two first round picks, second

(02:07:11):
round pick a couple of years ago, that was Ady Mitchell.
We gave that up for you. How do you embrace
the pressure of knowing? And I think Sauces will be
pretty candid from what I've gathered from other people that
I've covered him about that and not shy away from
that and asking him directly.

Speaker 15 (02:07:25):
They made this move to go win a Super Bowl?

Speaker 17 (02:07:28):
How much pressure do you put in yourself to deliver
in that sense, not saying you're gonna do it by yourself,
but yeah, man, that's the stakes now, all right?

Speaker 15 (02:07:35):
Getting you set for tonight again, Pacers on our airwaves.
That coverage will begin at six thirty they are a
favorite over the winless Brooklyn nets Fuego ninety two point
seven for Butler and Southern Indiana and IU. It's an
eight o'clock tip down there in Bloomington as the Darren
Devreeze Eeric gets underway. IU in Alabama. And then they're
coach by Dante Jackson, who was at Grambling when Purdue

(02:07:55):
played them in the turn. The shout out to my boy,
Karen Davis native Jeff will be back tomorrow, Kevin Bell
and James Boyd, Mark Dyton sign it off. We'll talk
to you then,

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Wednesday 11/5: Colts pull of SHOCKER and trade for Sauce Gardner!

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