Best Of JMV 10-8-25 (Greg Rakestraw Hosts)

00:00 - 16:33 - Zach Osterman from the IndyStar joins the show, and he and Greg begin to look ahead to Saturday, when the Indiana Hoosiers head to Oregon to take on the Ducks in a showdown that could have big CFP implications. They discuss the chances of IU QB Fernando Mendoza winning the Heisman Trophy.

16:34 - 35:26 - Kevin Bowen from The Fan Morning Show joins Greg on The Ride! Greg and Kevin talk about Kevin’s new Masters sweatshirt courtesy of Colts head coach Shane Steichen. They talk about the good vibes at the Colts facility following the 4-1 start to 2025.

35:27 - 54:54 - Former Colts tight end and current Colts Radio analyst Charles Arbuckle joins the show! Charles and Greg talk about rookie tight end Tyler Warren, and the immediate impact he has had on the team. They discuss where the Colts rank among the top teams in the NFL.

54:55 - 1:06:46 - Jeremiah Johnson from Pacers TV joins the show! Jeremiah and Greg talk about the Pacers preseason debut, and what we can take away from our first look at the 2026 Pacers, who will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season as he recovers from his Achilles injury.

Support the show: https://1075thefan.com/the-ride-with-jmv/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's about you football conversation and basketball and Liverpool and

(00:05):
other stuff I'm sure will take place. When Zach Austaman
joins us via the Andy Moore Automotive Group hotline, he
is on his way to Chicago for Big Ten Basketball
media days. Where on the route on I sixty five?
Are you now, my friend?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'm in Illinois now, so I've left sixty five behind
and I'm crawling my way through a vast and interconnected
web of.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
You're skywaghing it today. Very good, good, good choice by you.
Let's start with this. I'll give like the big picture
economic view, then we'll get the actual football game itself.
How is the traffic in what you write for football,
given the success of the last year, year and a half,
how is that comparing with the basketball traffic when you're

(00:53):
writing things for the Indianapolis Star.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
I mean it's.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Probably pretty close, to be honest, I mean, you know,
the the and and I'm I'm not slaving over you
know numbers every single day, but I mean it the
I've said this before in a few different ways, like
it is not lost on people and positions of authority
and influence and so forth around Indiana, Like just how

(01:20):
quickly and comprehensively a fan base that you know, general
wisdom said for a generation just was dead on arrival
with football, has embraced having a successful, competent, consistent, you know, frankly,
like a programmer can trust and and and I even

(01:43):
trace it back. Sometimes I tell people, listen, what's what
Kurzgetti has done is historic, It's unprecedent, it's remarkable. But
don't forget. You know, Indiana's trending. One more win and
this will be Indiana's sixth postseason in the last eleven
years in football under three different head coaches. It's not
like this happened completely out of nowhere. This was the

(02:04):
result I would argue of ten to fifteen years of
really persistent investment, sometimes frankly, against results that pushed Indiana
further and further until Indiana got to a place where
a coach like Kurt Signetti would look at IU and say, actually,
they look like they're ready to be serious about football,

(02:26):
and that I am therefore going to be serious about them.
I don't think Indiana hire kid he is able to
hire Kurt Signetti in twenty.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
Eleven or twenty twelve.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
But I think by twenty twenty three, Indiana has put
a lot more infrastructure in place, has learned a lot
more about what investment should look like in football and
how to capitalize on success when you have it. And then,
of course Indiana winds up making kind of a hire
to end all highers, and now we see.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
The results out of a business at hand. For as
wonderful as last year was, there was still a gap
when Indiana played. The two teams ended up playing for
the National Championship game twenty three point loss to Ohio State,
ten point lost to Notre Dame. I'm not sure either
game was as close, especially the second one of the group.
What tells you this Indiana team can be closer, more competitive,

(03:23):
pull off a w against a team of similar ilk
like Oregon.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
Well, I think it's a few things.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
I think we're certainly gonna find out more about just
how much better Indiana's offensive line has gotten into last
year this weekend. You know, I think Oregon folks in
terms of tough in talent and also depth, which is
not something as many programs have anymore.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
But I think the Ducks do. I think we're gonna
We're gonna.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Learn a lot more about where that offensive line is
maybe relative to where it was and what it was
a year ago. As good as it was a year ago,
I think there's been a lot of beliefs better this year.
I think, you know, if it is this is the
kind of game where it needs to show up, and
obviously how they blocked, but also you think about, you know,
Indiana really struggled to move or score the ball and

(04:07):
those two things you talked about last season, because Indiana
could not get its pass game into a rhythm. I
think so much of this game if you want to
talk about frananamen Doza, if you want to talk about
the explosiveness in Indiana's run game, which was not necessarily
a feature last year, so much of that has to start.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
With your offensive line, frankly.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
And then I think the other piece of this that
probably has not gotten talked about enough, and I think
it's been lost kind of in the you know, the
the Bananaman does, the storyline, and maybe the Illinois of
it all, and just the nature of the way.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
Indiana won that game. Indian's defense, I would.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Argue, is maybe even a little bit better than it
was a year ago. And that's been a surprise, largely
because that was the side of the ball that seemed
ripe for a little bit of regression. If that's the case.
You know, if you think about a lefto of the
Illinois game. But I think people do forget defense is
only its own and Columbus at seven to seven late

(05:06):
first half and it's two uncharacteristic special teams of mistakes
that wind up kind of blowing the door open for
the Buckeyes. But in that game, the defense is really
more holding its own than it is like dramatically changing
the stakes, the course and outcome of the game. Now
you face maybe the best offense you're gonna see this season,

(05:26):
certainly I would argue the best quarterback you're gonna see
this season. Can this defense not just maybe keep Indiana
in the game, but really give Indiana some opportunities to
win the game? I think we're gonna get a good
test of that this weekend as well.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Again. Zach Astam of the Indian Apples Star joining us
on the Andy Moore Automotive Group hotline. Greg Reikstraw filling
in for jmb Tonty three to five and one oh seven.
I am old enough to remember Indiana having a legitimate
Heisman candidate and Anthony Thompson, and yes there was a
buzz for a mid level the full team about a
guy that was obviously a great NFL player in Antoine Randall.

(06:04):
L Just how legitimate of a chance at the Heisman
does Fernando Mendoza have.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
I mean, certainly, I think of the performances continue like
they have, I think there's a legitimate chance. Obviously, it's
games like this where you make a Heisman candidacy if
you're gonna have one that if you're gonna have one
that continues, you know, all the way through to the
end of November and end of December.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
It's games like this where that happens.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Because the Heisman is not just numbers, obviously, it's also moments,
and you know there are I mean, it sounds excuse me,
it sounds simplistic, but there are a few moments you
know that ring greater than beating a top five team
on the road in a difficult environment. And if you know,
and in particular I think listen, by almost any measure,

(06:53):
these are the two best quarterbacks in Big Ten so far,
and that the sample size isn't small anymore. Oregon has
gone on to Penn State and one in a wide out.
Indiana's got wins over Illinois and at Iowa. We're not
talking about, oh they look good, but let's see what
they do when the.

Speaker 4 (07:10):
Competition steps up. The competition has stepped up.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
And in different ways, both of these guys have really
matched that More as one of those sufficient passers in
the country. Mendoza obviously has had just a couple of
eye popping games, the Illinois game being the big one.
You know, the only other quarterback in the country, if
I'm Rembering, that's right.

Speaker 4 (07:28):
I said this on our podcast yesterday.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
I believe the only other quarterback in the country with
at least thirteen touchdown passes and only one interception is
ty Shepson. And that's like, that's that's the company these
two guys are keeping. And if you're gonna have a
Heisman candidacy, there is no better way to bolster it
than by a winning on the road in a tough

(07:51):
environment and be in doing so, winning head up against
you know, one of your most direct competitors, which is
what Dante More is. And so I think, listen, I
think for a m Mendoza is a good quarterback thee
bad game Saturday. I don't think that means that suddenly
you know, he's been exposed and everything before his fraudulent

(08:11):
But if we are going to talk about a Heisman
candidacy for Mendoza, it's got to be based around games
like this.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
And that's why I think.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
You know, if you're looking at Mendoza and you know,
it's funny because this is one of those moments were
after amind yourself. We're not grading an Indiana quarterback on
the Indiana quarterback of scaling, right, you know, we're not
grading in Indiana on the Indiana scale. We're grading Indiana
on a scale of how close to the best team
in the country are you? And how close to the

(08:41):
best quarterback or the best defense or the best receiver
or the best coordinator in the country are you. That's
the scale we're talking about, and that's why the States
are so high. I think for Mendoza if we and listen,
Mendoza's st here obviously tell you I'm not worried about
the Heisman.

Speaker 4 (08:58):
That's not in my thoughts. I don't care.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
But you know, for you and me, that's why this
game means so much in our assessment of what kind
of chance this guy has to be in that conversation
and maybe even in New York in December.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
I promise you I'm not get off my line. Guy
not trying to be And I ask you this question,
knowing you covered a Big Ten road game at the
Rose Bowl Altheady a year ago, you still have a
hard time wrapping your mind around the fact that you're
going to Eugene, Oregon, to cover a massive game in
the Big Ten on Saturday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
This is where I will I will let people behind
the curtain a little bit. I'm not actually going on
our travel with the Herald Times because we're both in
net papers. And I got Puerto Rico the basketball team
back in August, so uh, the the AHT has got
Penn State and UH and and UH Oregon, and I've
got Maryland and we'll have I'll be up at the
Marquette bask Anyway, we don't need to get too deep

(09:55):
into it. You know what's what's I'll fire it back
at you in the other direction. Do you know who's
the last Big Ten team to win in Eugene.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
That'd be the Indiana Hoosiers in two thousand and four, correct.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
That's correct, which obviously I'm sure Oregon hasn't played a
ton of Big ten teams in Eugene, but that gives
you a sense for the scale of how a difficult
game like this is going to be. Dan Lanning lost
one game at home in three and a half years
as Oregon's head coach, and that.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
Was to a team that wound up playing for a
national championship.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
That's that's the bar you've got to clear to win
this game if you're Indiana. And yes, it's a bit
strange to think that Indiana's going to the West Coast
for a conference game of this magnitude. You know, I
saw somebody on Twitter yesterday say, like three years ago,
what would have seemed less likely Oregon being in the

(10:41):
Big ten or Indiana Oregon being a Top ten matchup.
But you know, that's how quickly things can change in
modern college football. And all credit to Indiana for being
in position to capitalize on that.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
No doubt about that. By the way, in that game
in two thousand and four, A. Jared DeNardo was the
head coach. B Kellen Clemens was the quarterback for Oregon.
Matt Levechio was the quarterback for Indiana. The Hoosiers had
a kickoff re turn touchdown and Oregon coughed the ball
up seven times as Indiana won that game in Eugene
some twenty one years ago. Final football question for me.

(11:17):
If this doesn't go well Saturday, what does the path
to the CFP look like for Indiana?

Speaker 3 (11:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (11:24):
I don't think it changes that dramatically.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
I mean, if Indiana loses at Oregon the way that
Illinois lost in Bloomington, maybe that shifts things. But what's
important to remember is Indiana's got at least at least
two wins right now that are probably better than any
wins that had a year ago.

Speaker 4 (11:43):
You know, in a season when it looks like an
uphill battle for.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
The ACC to me be a multivid league, it looks
like an uphill battle for the Big twelve to be
a multivid league at least this things stand right now,
it might be an uphill battle, frankly for even a
ten and two Notre Dame to get in, because there's
gonna be so little quality on Notre Dame's resume. I mean,
think about, for example, if Indiana beat loses to Oregon
and Penn State wins every other game.

Speaker 4 (12:08):
If you're putting it ten in.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
Two Indiana, which wins against Illinois and at Iowa against
ten and two Notre Dame. Indiana probably has the advantage, right,
so you know this is another year where the Big
ten and the SEC are going to dominate.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
Those those at large playoff berths.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
I don't think Indiana wants to live in a world
where it loses this game heavy, But even if it does,
then India is still in a better spot than it
really was for a lot of last season, simply because
it already has so much quality on its resume. And
I know Indiana won't think about it this way, but
if Indiana loses, fighting in some ways, Indiana almost comes

(12:48):
out with even more credit from this week. Sure, I
mean it's I mean, heck, I would even point to
the Old Dominion game, Like even Old Dominion right now
looks better than any non conference when Indiana.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
Had last year.

Speaker 2 (12:59):
Like they're just in a better spot than they were
a year ago. And I think that's it seems like
college football has recalibrated a little.

Speaker 4 (13:05):
Bit on Indiana.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
There there's a lot less doubt with this team than
maybe there was a year ago. And I think that's
part of the reason why is college football has seen
Indiana play, recognize good teams, recognize difficult environments, and win
in those moments. And I don't think let's say Indiana
lose this game thirty eight to seventeen, which is certainly

(13:26):
a possible outcome, just because Oregon is that good. I
don't think that suddenly changes all the thinking around Indiana.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Again, in a phrase you wouldn't talk about two or
three years ago. After spending fifteen minutes talking about AU football,
I'll ask you, uh Indiana basketball question, as you're about
to the Dan Ryan Expressway on your way to media
day up in Chicago. For all things Big ten hoops,
do we have a grasp as to what is going
to constitute a good season or what? And I know

(13:55):
this phrase is said and not really meant when it
comes to Indiana basketball realistick expectations. Do we have a
grasp on what we think this group's going to be?
Know them the seasons out less than a month away,
certainly at least some.

Speaker 4 (14:09):
And I think the Puerto Rico trip helps.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
And I was fortunate enough to be there for all
three of those games, so I've seen more of this
team than you know most people have Darren debris, it's
worth giving him credit. He's also open practice to the
media two or three times, which is not something his
predecessors did very much at all.

Speaker 4 (14:27):
I would be surprised.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
I know there are a lot of Indiana fans that
sort of need to see it to believe it. I
would be surprised if this team cannot shoot and score
the ball at a pretty comfortable clip. I think this
team is going to present some matchup problems for a
lot of opponents because this team's gotten a lot of
players somewhere between like six four and six eight. They

(14:48):
can all shoot the ball, handle the ball, pass the ball,
even rebound the ball a little bit. I do think
it's going to be a team that is hurting for
size and is hurting for at times defensive solidity, in
part because it doesn't have a ton of that size.

Speaker 4 (15:05):
Now, that was listen, that was a.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Roster choice that Indiana made, so Darren Degrades has got
to be prepared to mitigate for that. But I wouldn't
be shocked if Indiana is gonna need to win, you know,
some shootouts this winter. But I also wouldn't be shocked
if Indiana does win some shootouts this winter, because I
do think the ability to shoot and score the ball
is very real and very present on this roster. You know,

(15:27):
they'll tell you the minimum expectation is the NCAA tournament.
I think a lot of Indiana fans would agree with him.
On the other hand, I do think, you know, given
just the tumult of the last seven or eight years,
I don't know that it would be that difficult to
get a lot of fans on side early with just
some a couple of good.

Speaker 4 (15:47):
Wins and some you know, I hate to say this way,
but some.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
Aesthetically pleasing performances, right, And so I think it's it
is going to look certainly very different than what it's
looked like for the last four to eight years. I
think they're gonna be ways in which Indiana fans enjoy that,
probably some ways in which it frustrates them. But I
think that ultimately everyone probably still says, hey, minimum minimum

(16:11):
required expectation is going to be we're playing past the
big ten tournament in the market.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
I think that's fair enough. Unfortunately, no time for Liverpool,
no little five hundred a day. I need to let
Za get back to ten and two and focusing on
the road. Thanks to the time and the insight, my
friend will do it again soon.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
Absolutely, thanks for having me as always.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
Kevin Bowen, of course is on five days a week,
but normally on Wednesdays he graces the afternoon show with
his presence, even when the substitute teacher is hosting. Kevin
Bowen joins us now on the Andy Moore Automotive Group hotline.
How is your new Masters sweatshirt great?

Speaker 5 (16:51):
Can you hear me loud and clear?

Speaker 1 (16:53):
I got you loud and clear, Yes, sir.

Speaker 5 (16:55):
I'm currently exiting the parking garage Eddie Garrison and I
just got done with a podcast, so sometimes the service
can be.

Speaker 3 (17:02):
A little.

Speaker 5 (17:05):
Shane Psyching with Sanna comes early.

Speaker 6 (17:07):
To Kevin bow and I had no idea this was happening,
I commented on the Monday Zoom call. Shane is wearing
a very nice Master shirt. I was, man, that is
a good looking piece of apparel.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
And next thing you know, he walks into the media.

Speaker 7 (17:20):
Room today and delivers a green Master's sweahert.

Speaker 5 (17:24):
And it had me taking rank.

Speaker 3 (17:25):
I almost at it.

Speaker 5 (17:25):
Do you think this man just has like twelve different
pieces of Master's apparel?

Speaker 4 (17:29):
Hanging around.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
I know he's got that with cold stuff. So my
follow up question was, Shane doesn't strike me as a
guy that has a lot of outside interest. It's football, football,
occasional time with family and football. Is Shane at all
a golfer? Is that a thing for him?

Speaker 5 (17:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (17:46):
He is.

Speaker 5 (17:48):
Yeah, that is I think one of the very few
hobbies and he's I think it's been the Masters, if
I'm not mistaken, each of the last two years kind
of part of like their the agency, the report. Since then,
they have a bunch of their guys down there for
the Masters, and he has had based off what he
told me, he's had an pretty incredible experience in viewing

(18:09):
that term, I do think he dabbles a little bit
and is out in California during the summer and plays
out there. So yes, I do think as much as
a football nerd as he is and that consumes his
life a ton. Do you think he plays a little golf?

Speaker 3 (18:23):
All right?

Speaker 1 (18:24):
Since you are a scratch golfer and you always decline
my request to play in golf outings where I could
clearly use the assistance like who are notable athletes, coaches, administrators, etc.
That you have actually had the chance to play golf with.

Speaker 5 (18:41):
Oh, that's a good one. I played with McAfee and
Vnittery at Eagle Creek. This is probably hell. This might
have been about ten years ago at this point. I
played a few holes with them a decade ago. And
you know, Maxfee could really play, yeah, and I think
I think does still play a little bit, and Vin

(19:03):
ands Harry could as well.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Well.

Speaker 5 (19:07):
You know who I played golf with about a month
and a half ago, who is a very very good player.
And it's no surprise. I'm a firm believer. Steph Curry
is the example of this. If you can shoot a basketball,
you can play golf. I'm a huge believer in that.
Ryan Klein can really really play golf. Obviously can really

(19:27):
really shoot a basketball. I don't know if I told
you this rate, but we went out to Abandon Dunes
out in Oregon summer. My in laws and I do
a golf trip once a year. For those unfamiliar with
Bandon Dunes, Basically, it's like the Disneyland of adult golf,
super remote out and you know they got five great
public golf courses out on the coast of Oregon. Is

(19:50):
that actually the only time I've been to the Eugene Airport,
which I know some MYAIU fans will descend upon this weekend.
But I was getting ready to you know, tee off
A had abandoned trails when courses in the woods out there,
And all of a sudden, my brother in law goes,
is that Roger Goodell? And indeed it was so Roger
Goodell played behind us this summer. He was friendly. We

(20:14):
made small talk once, you know, I introduced myself and
I told him I was in sports radio in India.
I felt like he all of a sudden backed up
a few feet once you heard.

Speaker 3 (20:21):
That, But no, he was, he was.

Speaker 5 (20:24):
He was very pleasant.

Speaker 1 (20:25):
That's where you stopped. And the current I used to
write for Colts dot com and just stop it right there,
and and don't know to the to the current gig
all right, So I can't believe I don't know the
answer this question. Have you been to Augusta National before?

Speaker 5 (20:40):
Yes, My brother and my mom went in on buying
me for my graduation from college, buying me master's tickets,
and my dad was retiring from teaching, so we went
twenty eleven. My brother had a connection to get tickets
we went Friday and Saturday. The year that Charles Schortzol

(21:00):
won it, ten different guys had a lead on Sunday.
It was one of more chaotic Sundays. But Tiger shot
sixty seven on Friday that year, and I just remember
how insane the secondary ticket marker was on Saturday, and yeah,
it was awesome, awesome Bovam Pelt shout out to the
state of Indiana. Was that up on the leader board.
So we watched him play on sixteen on that Saturday.

(21:21):
And then twenty nineteen, the year Tiger won it, we
went to a Tuesday practice round. My brother in law
won lottery tickets to practice. Unfortunately, it rained a good
amount on that Tuesday, so we didn't get to see
a ton. But yes, have, fortunately very very lucky, been twice,
and now.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
That you have a third kid on the way, you're
not going back anytime soon. So I hope you enjoyed
these trips in both twenty eleven and in twenty nineteen.
What we can enjoy is this Indianapolis Colts football team.
And I talked about your your sweatshirt gift earlier today
and I said, it struck me that everybody's in a
good mood at the Colts Complex. Winning cures everything you know,

(22:01):
not everything is is white knuckling things to the death.
You could enjoy things when you're four and one. What
is the difference in covering this Colts team now versus
what you have done for most of the last ten
plus years.

Speaker 5 (22:16):
Yeah, I mean it's just a total one point eighty.
And you know one thing I've brought up in the
Morning show Rke, I'm curious, like what this belief will
do come December and January for this football team, because
you know, they have lost some just huge football games
late in the year, and honestly not even the ones
that like it mattered for both teams like Houston for example,

(22:37):
to end the twenty three season, like games that mattered
more for the Colts, whereas the other team they're playing
late in the year where it's heading for a top
five draft pick. You know, those teams have beaten the
Colts late in the year. And now I'm thinking ourselves, well,
all of this belief, and certainly Daniel Jones is the
top of it, does that mean the one possession games
that you might lose in December and January, do those
get flipped you know, playing from ahead is just such

(22:59):
a foreign field for this franchise, and now they are
in that that sort of position. So yeah, I mean, mood, vibe,
all of it, the tone of questions, you know, just
how everything was unfolded so far, it's different. I mean,
Shane Seiken is literally answering questions today about is it
weird when you have to take starters out of the game?

Speaker 3 (23:21):
Right?

Speaker 5 (23:22):
I mean, I mean, that's that's not you know, Kurt
Signetti answering a question about Indiana State. That's Shane Ssikin
answering a question about an NFL team. I mean that
is a far cry from you know, are you gonna
ben Chancy Richardson for Joe Flacco? And and and things
like that.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
By the way, since I had this here, Gig, I
couldn't stay for practice. Did you stick around for practice
to see what exactly the practice report looked like?

Speaker 3 (23:48):
Yes?

Speaker 5 (23:49):
Not too bad at all? Really anymore, he was a
d n P, so he is, I would say, trending
towards probably missing a third straight game. That's now seven
misspractices in a row for him, and you know, obviously
they didn't put him an injury reserve, so I don't
think his absence will be too much longer, but you know,
I tend to think given the nature of that injury,
he probably needs a full week of work, and so

(24:10):
I know Shane had mentioned to us he might do
some stuff on the field, but I tend to think
given that injury Achilles, you would want a full week
of three days of practice, but grow for short practice full.
Alex Pearce was back in a blue jersey practicing full.
Bradon Smith was not practicing with the sleeve on the
right leg, but that was just rest for him. So yeah,

(24:34):
all in all, Tyler Goodson remains out, so they'll probably
bring up a Mira Abdullah again, I would guess it
running back. But all in all, I'd say pretty good
wins danger for and honestly, the big injury to watch
Rake is out in the desert. Kyler Murray did not
practice today, so you know that is going to be
the big monitoring after his foot injury did take him
out for a little bit, and if he does not
play on Sunday, it'll be Jacoby Brissett back in the building.

(24:56):
He used to start in quite often.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
And again not too This is not to demean Jacoby
in any way, shape, form or fashion. But going from
Kyler Murray Jacoby Brissett is kind of like going from
Anthony Richards and Joe Flacco. That's two completely different offenses.
If they have to switch quarterbacks in Arizona coming up
on Sunday.

Speaker 5 (25:15):
Yeah, really really different. And I don't know how much
you were busy obviously postgame show, but you know, I
got home and flipped on that Cardinal Titan's game and
so basically Murray left early third quarter. He didn't miss
much time. Brissette played a few steps, but when he
came back, I think in the final four drives of

(25:36):
the game, he didn't run the ball one time, and
that is not who he is the quarterback, and they
needed him to run it as they were trying to,
you know, milk that clock and or convert first downs
and win the game. So you know, how, first off
is he going to play? There's your first question. Secondly,
how effective is he going to be? Because if you're

(25:57):
a five to ten pocket passer quarterback, boy, you know,
sign the Colts up for Grover Stewart, lie out to
lots of interceptions already, So yeah, it's definitely a huge
huge storyline, and I think, you know, Arizona to me
is a better team than the Raiders. You know, why
is the spread already a touchdown? I think Murray's situation
has a lot to do with it.

Speaker 1 (26:16):
All right, let's talk about a couple of different injuries here,
back to the Indianapolis Colts. First of all, do we
ever get kind of a full explanation as to the
regression that happened for Alec Pierce at the end of
last week?

Speaker 5 (26:27):
The only thing was just woke up Friday and felt bad.
So you know, we were kind of talking a little
bit about this a practice. You know, I think now
in today's NFL, you know, a lot of these guys
did grow up in much more of a concussion culture, sure,
for lack of a better phrase, So I do think
you see instances like this. Obviously not ideal, but certainly

(26:50):
the hell is the most important thing where you know,
maybe guys might be a little bit more prone to
reporting symptoms or things like that, are just monitoring it
maybe a little bit better.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
So again with Pierce, I would.

Speaker 5 (26:59):
Slot him Ray obviously into the he needs the full week,
I mean, obviously to pass through those five steps.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
All right, We're gonna get back to Peers in a second.
But the other thing, and again Shane spoke with us,
and we knew that the Jermaine Pratt move was going
to be made, but we didn't know was the corresponding
move that went with it, and it was to put
Joe Bochi, who is a starter in the game on
Sunday on the IR Do we have an idea what
Joe's actual injury is at this point.

Speaker 5 (27:27):
Kevin No, And I mean the whole time is kind
of weird and odd to me. Rake of like Shane Seig,
there's nothing happened in the game. Shane Steigan didn't say
anything on Monday, and Shane didn't say anything today and
then like what twenty minutes after we were done with Shane,
it was like, oh, yeah, Joe Bockie's going to injured
reserve and so yeah, it's it's weird and certainly lacks clarity.

(27:49):
So who knows what exactly happened there. They have played
a ton of linebackers, as you know, next as Ire Franklin,
you know, in years past the Colts have really played
two linebackers. And I mean, I'll go back to the
the ballard era, whether it's you know, Anthony Walker next
to Darius Leonard or Darius Leonard next to you know,
Bobby o'carake, or you know, EJ Speed, you know, Zia Franklin.

(28:09):
Of course, like whoever has been those two linebackers, they
play every single snap and it's like they don't come
off the field, whereas the guy next to Franklin this year,
I mean, they've rotated that position a ton, So the
bar's pretty low for Jermaine Pratt to be honest with
you in terms of just what he needs to get
to that will be better than what they've had. And
it's worth noting that, you know, I know we've done

(28:31):
the Ana Rumo connection thing a lot this year with
the Colts. This is now the fourth guy I would
slot in as you know, major history with Ana Roumo.
The other three unfortunately have not really worked out for
various reasons. But Pratt should be in game shape. He
started for the Raiders for four games and then you know,

(28:51):
it was kind of vague on that side. You know,
I typically watched the opposing coaches press conference, you know,
for that week, so I've been you know, watching Pete Carrey,
you know, obviously last week, and I even watched his
Monday one, and you know, the answers on Pratt were
very vague, so clearly you know this is something that
just wasn't going well for them. But he you know,
he spoke super highly of Louannarumo. And I think the

(29:14):
difference between this and Xavier and Howard Xavian Howard hadn't
played football in a year, and yet you still gave
him a starting job. The fact that Pratt has played
football here this season, he should be in better football
shape for whatever role you put him in in on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
All right, back to the wider sleeper position. Obviously, it's
Kevin Bowen joining us, Greg Rakshaw filling in for JMB.
It's the ride on ninety three to five and one
O seven to five of the fan the A d
Mitchell you know lesson being taught punishment?

Speaker 3 (29:42):
What have you?

Speaker 1 (29:44):
Assuming Alec Pierce is healthy and Ashton Doolan looked really good,
are you putting Ashton Dooland in front of A d
Mitchell just because of the results Dulan gives you at
this point? How are you handling snaps at the wide
receiver position on Sunday well, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (30:01):
If you felt this way Rake when you know, Shane
answered the Ady Mitchell question today, but it sounded early
similar to the answer from last week. And so I
don't you know, me putting on my whatever, my you know,
discipline hat here. I don't think the Ady Mitchell thing
needs to be a multi week you know punishment. And

(30:23):
that's what they did for those that weren't particularly following
it on Sunday. You know, they literally did not play
him until the fourth quarter. That was an outright you
know benching and and might have been even inactive if
the Pierce thing wouldn't have.

Speaker 1 (30:36):
Had the setback.

Speaker 5 (30:37):
I don't think you need to do that again. Now
having said that, like basically, what I would like to
see is, Okay, let's say Pierce plays. I think the
next wide out up as the outside wide out. I'm
totally good with that being dooling. I think he wally
pipped for you know, again, lack of a better term,
Mitchell a little bit. But I'm totally fine with Mitchell

(30:59):
getting a couple of snaps, you know, in very kind
of specific situations of like, hey, you know, we feel
like one on one he can win. We're going to
dial this up to him and that happening within the
course of the game when the game still matters, not
the fourth quarter with Anthony Richardson in there. But again,
the Psychond answer today was a little bit more in

(31:19):
line with what he said last week. So that'll be
another thing to monitor as the least moves along.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
It's the NFL, it's the Colts. They're four and one,
they're atop the AFC South. Heck, they're the number one
seed in the AFC and the way too early to
monitor this. So obviously the Colts. They are the end
all be all of the sports Dot conversation, whether it's
Pacers preseason starting, whether it's Major League Baseball playoffs, whether
it's I you and Oregon, what's the or something else?

(31:46):
What's the other sports story that has your attention this week?
If I lift the Colts Cardinals out of the conversation,
well it's.

Speaker 5 (31:54):
Gotta be game day, you know, once again following the
Indiana football program, I mean times in thirteen games, like,
it's just amazing what Kurt Signetti has done. And you know,
we had Dan wets along a couple of weeks ago
break and he wrote something about Signetti and I you
and you know, he wrote something the effective like he

(32:16):
was the perfect coach for the perfect situation, and that
to me kind of like makes a lot of sense.
Like obviously Signetti has won and won historically well before Bloomington,
but you almost needed someone that was going to walk
into that athletic program and be and be cocky and say, look,
I don't care what we've done previously, We're not doing

(32:38):
that anymore. This is the way that I've done.

Speaker 3 (32:40):
It, and this is the way that we are going
to do it.

Speaker 5 (32:42):
You needed someone with that's the one that's going to
take the mic inside of assembly Hall twenty four hours
after taking the job. And now he was so irate
with the lack of passion he kind of felt from
talking with people, you know, immediately after taking the job,
and he's like, screw this, I'm gonna say pretty sucks.
And you know, it's like the missions that says Frankly,
I think, you know people need to hear that. So
I would definitely go there. I mean, I enjoyed watching

(33:05):
the Pacers last night, and I'm not gonna act like
preseason basketball is always top of mind, but you know,
when you have the year that they did, and then
you have all the differentness, if you will, for this season.
I did enjoy watching that as well, and you know,
when I walked outside this morning, I did think to myself, boy,
for once, the Seamon Greg restaurant might have to, you know,

(33:26):
add a layer or two to the Friday night of here.

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Well, I am in the Carmel cabana, so I am
out in the elements to some degree because I am.

Speaker 5 (33:32):
Calling the game, not the boogermobile for you.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
They have not hooked that up yet. Frankly, the drinks
and the pizza right behind me. I'm fine. It means
it means I have to I get to call the
red zone action in the south ends and with my
own eyeballs. Everything else is off the monitor. Thankfully, the
ISC Sports Network camera crew is wonderful, so I have
that luxury. But yeah, I thought about that. I'm like,

(33:56):
you know what, Carmel's pretty good this year. We're gonna
have at least a playoff game or two here, and
it might be just a wee bit chilly when we
come back for Halloween and later, and that might kick
in this Friday as well. What is in the morning
show tomorrow?

Speaker 5 (34:09):
So we will talk more about where things are at
from a Colts Cardinals standpoint, kind of explain a little
bit more of why I don't necessarily fall into the oh,
this guy has been easy? Who cares about the Colts
narrative that I think some people nationally are kind of
getting on too. I think we're trying to get maybe
a Bradnsser or a Gary Danielsons off the Double Check
with Mark dykedon as they are on the call for

(34:30):
Indiana Oregon coming up three point thirty on Saturday, which, again,
just saying that out loud about IU football is still
crazy to me.

Speaker 1 (34:37):
Since you and I almost have identical drives home. Are
you waiting in the alley to go home because we're
still talking? Have I gotten you most of the way
home on this conversation yet.

Speaker 5 (34:48):
You have executed it wonderfully? You know exactly that. I
know it was disappointed last Friday, especially when I heard
your voice. I was set up for the Octoberfest over
there Heart to marry, but when I heard your voice
on with John at Binkley's, I'm like, there's nothing I
would want to do more right now than to slide
over there and have a beer with those times. Dude.

Speaker 1 (35:07):
Every fourth car was honking on the way by shows
you the power of this radio station. All right, be good, buddy,
I'll see us soon.

Speaker 5 (35:14):
All right, Talk to you Friday.

Speaker 1 (35:15):
Kevin Bowen again, He jeff Ricord, James Boyd, Mark diton
the Fan Morning Show tomorrow morning at seven am. Andy
Moore Automotive Group Hotline again. He is part of the
trio of analysts that I'll do a fantastic job alongside
Matt Taylor this year for Indianapolis Colts football. He is

(35:36):
next in the booth next Sunday in Los Angeles. It
is Charles Arbuckle that joins us. Now, Hello, buck, how
you doing.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
I'm doing well man. JMB can't be taken off a
smooth you know Bobby Callwell intro music for me, Yes,
of course. The famous story about Bobby Callwell was whenever
people finally song, you know, back in the seventies to
show people right, so they were like, who is that
that blue eyes soul guy singing that great song.

Speaker 1 (36:06):
Well, it's the same reaction they have now when they
now see Skinny JMV. It's the same I can't believe
that's that guy again. I thought he was in bad
shape before. He's just kind of gotten that skinny. I
don't have that problem yet. I need to get working
on it. All right, So Colts are four and one.
We're all absolutely giddy about it here. My guesses you

(36:29):
feel the exact same way.

Speaker 4 (36:32):
Yeah, I do.

Speaker 3 (36:33):
I mean, I think there are some some issues. You
know that like any team, you know, the Spenser Strader
situation I think is one that I'm really looking to
see if if it's gonna you know, how that's going
to be rectrined. I know they signed a new kicker,
but just meaning that he was really looking like he
was going to be the guy to start getting this
groove playing better. You know. The linebacker situation, I know

(36:55):
they signed your main Pat Pratt, I think today or yesterday. Ye.
So I think when you look at situations, yeah, there's
some things that you can say they need to be corrected.
But remember early in the season, Greg, we were talking
about them scoring in the red zone, and now they
just said, okay, y'all got a problem with us not
scoring in the red zone. People, We're going to show

(37:16):
you we can go in the red zone. So every time,
you know, the defensive backfield also is one situation where
as good as Ward has played in buying them, I
love what Nick Cross is doing. He's really playing some
good football. I think we kind of forget about him.
You don't have Kennymore back there, but you've got some
guys that they signed. Makai Blackman is one of them.
You know, tyn Than networks with other guys that they're

(37:38):
It seems like every week they're really trying to make
the roster better, especially in the secondary and the linebacking crew.
So when you're doing that, that's all you can ask for,
and you can just keep getting wins. If you get
a dub, you get happy with the dub and you
just keep trying to figure out how to get the
next one.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Obviously, you are qualified to talk about all aspects of football,
but especially the tight end position. Just how good has
Tyler Warren been in five games in the National Football League.

Speaker 3 (38:05):
I know I told Matt this the first day I
saw him a practice when I came out there, and
you know fall camp and I may have said the
same thing to you, but I said, he's gonna catch
seventy passes, And people are like, well, how do you
know that? I said, just watch what they're doing with them,
Like how comfortable he was not only with Daniel, but
it seemed like Anthony Richardson was looking for him as well.
When that was that combination of who was going to

(38:28):
be the starter. He just creates so much in the
interior and now we're starting to see him do some
other things. And when I say the interior, I mean
in between the numbers, in between where the money has
to be made, where the hash marks are. When you
got safety, they can come and still a few of
them in the league that can knock your block off.
He's able to really help this team, and Daniel seems

(38:50):
to be very comfortable with looking for him for first
downs and probably going to be more and more touchdowns
as the season goes on. The other thing is he's
not only a willing blocker. He will he will punch
you in the mouth. And we sing him from different
places where he's been back on backer in the backfield
where he comes and hits the linebacker and moves him
out of the way so JT can make this thing happen,

(39:11):
or on the edge, slice blocks of those you know,
whatever whatever teams call him, we used to call them
slice when I coach, because you wanted your your lot,
you're tight end to go to the edge of the
line and get that linebacker or edge guy and just
slice him out of the picture. So you're running back
to either go outside or cut back inside. So I
like what he's doing every single way, and it doesn't

(39:32):
seem like he's a rookie. It seems like he's a
guy that's been playing like a four or five year vet. Uh.
The only thing I would say to him is your
arms along. You can't push off, but do like Michael Irving,
get in on him, grab him and then push them.
You know, he's gonna learn that. He's gonna learn what
he can get away with. That last one last week
was was oh man, that was that was crack. It

(39:55):
was awful. But they're looking for it now because I
think the book on him is that he's going to
push off and he doesn't have to, and that was
just I thought that was a bad call. He's going
to learn how to get around those reps. And I
like Tyler because he's always trying to improve his game.
Every time I see him, he's looking, he's talking to
the vets, he's working, just really trying to figure it.

(40:16):
Don't talk a lot, but he makes a lot of
things happen in this offense.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
By the way, Charles Arbuckle, as our guest in his math,
was spot on. Tyler Warren is currently on pace for
seventy eight catches in his rookie season. For those of
you that are curious in terms of keeping track, when
you saw Daniel Jones in preseason, whether it's training camp
or the games that you got to do, and when
you hear he's going to get the starting job, what

(40:42):
did you think he would look like and how has
he surpassed that or is this kind of what you
thought he was capable of doing.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
I thought he was capable of doing the Greg. I
didn't know when it was going to happen. I knew
it was going to happen with him in this offense.
And here's why. I mean. I've watched Daniel since he
was in high school. I've seen him at Charlotte Latton,
I saw him at Duke. You know, I called some
games at Duke. I know Cutcliffe well, I know he's
learned under the pay on the man, under the mannings.
None of that was what I was looking at. What

(41:12):
I was looking at was he was very athletic. He
was as a hell of a basketball player plays lacrosse.
I don't know if he's great at lacrosse, but he
plays it. He's just one of those guys that was very,
very studious, uh, and people tended to gravitate towards him,
even at an early age when I just I didn't
know him well, but I was you know when you

(41:32):
watch sports, and my kids both went to Latin, so
I knew him from those days. But what was impressive
was this league man can chew you up and spit
you out in New York. How many different officer coordinators
he had, how many weapons did he truly have, and
how many linemen play consistently in that program with the Giants.

(41:54):
That was going to give him a chance that he's
getting now. That to me was what I saw, and
I kept saying, he doesn't have to be Superman, even
though he has a capability. He's he started sixty nine
or seventy games up to that point, and he's consistently
been a sixty eight, sixty nine, seventy percent guy. So

(42:15):
when you see that, I just had the feeling that
it was going to be good because I saw the
close weapons. I mean, I just knew, and I was like, well,
once he gets a chance and gets to play behind
this offensive line that's going to protect him and they're
going to have a running game with Jonathan Taylor. The
weapons are going to be there. He just has to
make sure he's making the right decision. And right away

(42:36):
he started off looking very comfortable, and he put the
time in by going and making sure that he knew
what he had to do. He knows the offense and
he's got guys comfortable and he makes them. He puts
the ball in positions where they can make plays with it.
That's when you're a quarterback and you can do that.
Guys are gonna make plays for you. They're gonna get
the ball down the field. They're going to do things

(42:57):
to because they know Daniels going to give you a chance.
And he spreads the ball around, which doesn't make everybody happy,
but it keeps everybody on edge because you know you're
gonna get your shot. You might get griant a row,
you might get one. When you get him, he's gonna
give them to you.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
Well again, Charles Arbuckler guest Greg Reikstraw filling in for JMB.
It's ninety three to five and one oh seven to
five of the fan. One of those guys that made
the plays when given the opportunity last week was Ashton Doolan.
When it's a guy that's normally a special teams guy,
a vet that everybody in that locker room loves. When
he has a game like that, what does that do
for everybody in the room.

Speaker 3 (43:34):
Man, I said it, and I'll say it again and
people laugh at me. I said, he's as tough as
one year old beef turkey, and he just he every
time he gets a chance, Greg, he's gonna make a play.
And he showed you on special teams coaches said, hey,
wait for your turn. And you know, ad as talented

(43:54):
as as he is, he needs to look at what
he's seeing with Ashton doing. Whenever Ashton has a chance
to play a D two guy coming in there, he's
gonna make it. Play on whatever team or whatever opportunity
he gets. And I think that's the critical piece. When
you watch a team playing well, then you start seeing
guys stepping up that you didn't expect to. And that's
what I love about watching him and this Coats team

(44:16):
right now, because it just seems like whoever whose turn
is it to make plays and not any jealousy with
other guys when that guy makes a play. So that's
the part that I like about this ball club. And
I was really happy for Ashton Doolan because that was
a long time coming for him, and I think people
didn't expect Oh no, he shouldn't be starting. Oh no,
he shouldn't be the second guy. Yeah, he should be

(44:38):
when it's the opportunity. And Alex Pierce hopefully when he
comes back. Now you have another two A, two B
and possibly to C if AD can get things together
along with don't forget about Josh Downs, who says, hey,
I'm your sly guy make first downs every time. So
they got an abundance of people that can make plays.
That's why as a receiver, you better be ready because

(44:59):
it's gonna come your way.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
If it is not Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissette as
the quarterback on Sunday, And again we won't know that
for sure until Friday, maybe even until game time on Sunday,
it could be a reduced Kyler Murray from mobility standpoint,
you can't underestimate the impact that has on Sunday's game.
Just your thoughts on that possibility comes Sunday at one o'clock.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
Well, Kyler Murray that doesn't have, you know, the leggs
that make him special, gives you an opportunity with this
team that's really put pressure on people with therefore and
adding pressure with the linebacker Jacoby Brissett, you know, as
good as he's been in his past, does not have
the mobility and the capability to get away. So you know,

(45:43):
you have two potential guys that you have a chance
to get after and if you can get four or
five with a lot of pressure, get their hands, get
your hands in their face, block balls. That gives you
a chance this team. What I like about this team
right now is when they're supposed to be the team,
they don't mess around. They get out there and do it.
So I think that's the other part that I have
been pretty impressed with this year. There's been some times

(46:05):
where you think, like last week the Raiders, I thought, man,
this is gonna be a good game. They did not
let the Raiders have any breathing room after that first quarter.
So I think that's the thing you have to do
against the team like the Cardinals before you fly out
to the Chargers, who were the Chargers have been struggling
a little bit, but they're going to be tough when
you play in there. So far, but I think this

(46:26):
opportunity to get this win back to back weeks against
the Raiders and the Cardinals is really really critical for
a team that looks like it wants to be in
the playoffs and not just be in the playoffs and
make some damage and noise in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (46:39):
If we looked at the best teams in the AFC
so far, and I can just rattle off all the
one win teams, but just the teams that have looked
the best and the teams that the best pedigree coming in,
you'd put the Bills, you put the Colts, you put
the Jaguars in that group. You'd probably go and put
the Broncos. Even the Chiefs at two and three, I
would put them in that group. And the Chargers again
if they're healthy, I put them in that group too.

(47:01):
How do you see the Colt stacking up against the
best teams in the NFL right now?

Speaker 3 (47:06):
Well, we saw them when they played the Broncos, right
and that's a good Broncos team. Man, they're not a
one loss team, but I would put them right there
the Chiefs, depending on how they're going to play and
how their defense because Chris Jones hasn't played very well
this year, and I don't think that unless he's not
healthy or if there's something going on, if that's rectified,

(47:27):
that's a different team. But right now, I think people
around the league are saying, hey, this Coat team is
pretty good. The Jaguars, I gotta fee it some more.
I mean, I've been impressed with what they've done so
far this year, and they look a lot better. But
the fall down, get up and still run and score
touchdown late in the game. But what I did like

(47:48):
about what Trevor did the other night, Trevor Lawrence was
give them opportunities. Even when the Chiefs answered. He answered
a couple of times, so that showed me that he's
in a better position. But I think when you look
at this Colts team, people are starting to say, hey,
that might be the team we need to be paying
attention to. And you can give yourself that each time
you stack these wins and really go through the season

(48:10):
and do enough of those where people start talking about
you as opposed to the other teams that everybody expected
to be the top dogs in the AFC.

Speaker 1 (48:18):
All right, so Buck is getting as many Colts game
as he can, all those on the road. He and
Joe Wrights are splitting the road games. Rick Venturia, obviously
he's having the home games from a college football schedule.
What's keeping you busy these days?

Speaker 3 (48:32):
Well, you know, it's funny this time of year. I
don't get as many and then it'll pick up, probably
right after that Chargers game, so you know, I did
about three straight SEC games, and then it'll be at
wherever over the next few weeks. So I keep an
eye on it. But I think for me, it'll be ACC,
it could be SEC, it could just be any conference.

(48:52):
And that's why I'm always kind of ready and looking,
especially the big fan. Now if you look this week,
I'm interested to see what that I use going to
do Oregon, Right, I think that's that's a huge game.
As I look look across the landscape of the Big Ten,
those two are teams that I you, we didn't expect
to be this good this year. And Kirk Signetti is like,

(49:14):
you know, google me, I just win and uh Mandovah
plan out of his mind. They got some receivers, they
got a defensive play as well. But Oregon it's so
fast and and they're physical, so I look at that.
But yeah, this time of year is good because they
get a chance to kind of get locked in with
the Colts and then once college football starts, it'll be
right back at it. So I'm excited about it.

Speaker 1 (49:35):
I can tell you who looked good last week? You
A Brewins looked good last week?

Speaker 3 (49:42):
You know what? Uh, I'll say this man, that was
a huge win. I would say Penn State got beat
twice by Oregon. But also I'll give a lot of
credit to Tim Skipper Kevin Coyle as his defensive coordinated.
Those two guys both for Fresno State. Guys, if you
know anything about Presido State, they punch you in the mouth.

(50:04):
That tough, physical and that's the mentality UCLA defense is
looking to play. And when you get normal Zoni as
an analyst and Jerry Neuheisl's offensive coordinator who should have
been calling plays for Deshine Hop probably and before that
learned under Mazoni and his dad and Tip Kelly and
some others. That's Nico looked the best he looked all year,

(50:27):
and they ran the football effectively. I know this week
is not going to surprise anybody, but I think Jerry
with that pot I mean, his positivity and his enthusiasm,
it just rubbed off, you can see it, and there
was a different ball club. Now people know they're coming.
Let's see if they can do it again.

Speaker 1 (50:43):
What will it take for that program to be successful
in the Big Ten? What sort of investments need to
be made? How far away are they from potentially contending
in a whole new league for them?

Speaker 3 (50:57):
Well, I mean I'd start off with the athletic rector
needs to change, and we've said that for a while,
but it will take me too long to explain why
and that what that needs to look like. But I
think they have a chancellor now who came from the
University of Miami and understands what winning looks like. Look
at that Miami team now, Look he was there for
eight or nine years, I can't remember. UCLA has to

(51:19):
just commit to being really, really good in football. What
Oregon did a few years back when they hired Chip Kelly,
when they really went all in with Nike and they
really started deciding, Hey, this is what we're going to do.
We're going to be really, really good in football. No
matter what it looks like, what the landscape looks like,
we're going to have nil. We're going to make sure
our guys we have a collective that's strong, and we're

(51:41):
going to just be committed to football. UCLA has always
been a school that's had a lot of potential, but
they've rested on the fact that there's so many other
great programs that are usually olymptic sports and not football.
If you want to be good in football, you need
to take a look at what Vanderbuilder's done with Clark Lee.
You've got to look around the landscape and some other
programs too that have just said we're high academic, even

(52:05):
when David Shaw was doing at Stanford before that program
kind of went off the rails. You have to take
those things into consideration and do everything you can to
say I'm committed to football. I'm going to do everything
it takes to be the best in football. And then
UCLA has to finally say, if sc has been doing
it for all these years and people look at them
as the cream of the crop on the West Coast,

(52:27):
you've got to be strong enough in your mindset to
say that's what we're going to do. We're going to
be better than that f C and go out and
spend the money and do that. And I know it's
going to take a lot. That has to be a
mindset shift on that campus. Me being away from it
long enough. Now seeing how programs look to have come
from nothing and become successful, I can tell them, I
can show them, But I'm not on that executive committee.

(52:50):
So hopefully it's somebody with a strong enough voice that
can tell Case Washerman and the other people on that committee,
this is what you have to do to be successful
in football. And I don't know if they have those people,
but we'll see.

Speaker 1 (53:00):
Finally, before I let you go, how far away is
the Rose Bowl from campus? And I realize LA traffic's
a whole are the thing, But again it's not. It's
a historic facility. It's an amazing facility. Just how far
away from campus.

Speaker 3 (53:13):
Is the Rose Bull It takes about forty five minutes
on an hour, depending on the traffic. Now, what you
will see is when when that school is good, even
with the when other teams come out, you'll have seventy thousand,
eighty thousand, ninety thousand, because people in LA tend to
be front runners. When things are good and teams look good,

(53:34):
they're going to go see them. I think the one
thing with the Rose Bowl, Lease, I don't think they
can get out of that, and there's no more talk
about well, let's move them here, let's move them there.
Let's just be committed to making sure that the students
can get on on buses or some kind of way.
They've always done it in the past, and they get
out there and they don't have a problem with that
because it's a long way from campus, you know, twenty

(53:56):
five twenty six miles, but with LA traffic it's at
least forty five minutes. So that's the thing to me
that if you can't change the least, you do everything
in your power to make sure when the students get
back on campus that they're willing and ready to go,
just like they do at Miami. They're not right by
right cool. They found ways, Yeah, they found them. You know,

(54:16):
That's what I'm saying to me. There's examples of how
you can do it and do it consistently, but you
got it starts from the top and That's why I said,
there's some things in the athletic department that I think
needs to change, and until it does, we're going to
keep seeing some of this. Well we'll be we'll be,
you know, good if we'll win seven or eight games.

(54:37):
And that's not good enough for me.

Speaker 1 (54:39):
You can tell I have hit on bucks two passions
at least in football, the Colts and the Bruins over
the course of our twenty minute conversation. Again, it's great
to have you back on the team. My friend will
do it again soon.

Speaker 3 (54:49):
All right, thanks, Greg, take that you got it.

Speaker 1 (54:54):
Let's go to the Anymore Automotive Group hotline for the
last time today. So a guy that again is a
apparently have more talents than I knew about, Jeremiah Johnson
farm hand when he is not working for Pacers Sports Entertainment.
How was your day on the farm today, JJ?

Speaker 4 (55:12):
Fantastic?

Speaker 3 (55:13):
Greg.

Speaker 7 (55:13):
You know the Twitter account pacers JJ, I need a
different one that says farmer JJ. But yeah, I've got
a little farm in my blood. My mom's family all
farmers up in the bit this Manchester area. But I'm
friends with the Gore family and Gore Farms in Monrovia,
whenever I have a free day and they need some help,

(55:35):
I offer it up. And I enjoy being out there
helping them. And they're busy combining, and they needed some
extra help discing some of the soybean fields and get
them ready to be playing corn in the spring. So
I had a great day on the farm and I'm
looking forward though to chat a little basketball with you.

Speaker 1 (55:52):
What all different pieces of farm machinery do you feel
confident in driving?

Speaker 7 (55:58):
Well, they don't trust me to drive this tractor on
the road in too many mailboxes and power line.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
So I'll drive the.

Speaker 4 (56:07):
Truck behind them.

Speaker 7 (56:09):
They'll get it in the field and ready to go.
And this is maybe maybe not quite as it's capular tractor,
not not the full combining tractor. But again this is
my My specialty is disking, so and you know, people
ask how you keep a straight line. I didn't realize
this till I started last year with them and helping
them out. It's old GPS right now, so it's really

(56:31):
hard to screw up. I mean, it's like farming in
twenty twenty five is not the way my grandpa used
to have to do it.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
It's laser tracked and load jack you're you're in good shape.
It'll tell you when when you're offline. Now, your lovely
wife helps style you because that's what she does for
a living. In terms of your wardrobe during a Pacers game,
does this also happen when you're on the farm as well?

Speaker 3 (56:55):
Not exactly.

Speaker 7 (56:56):
No, it's don't wear something too nice because you're gonna
get it. Really, but today I had Today I had
a hickory pacer sweat you're on. I felt like that
was actually appropriate. So I don't think she really even
cares when I wear in the tractor, as long as
it's not something.

Speaker 3 (57:11):
I need to keep night.

Speaker 1 (57:12):
All right, since we're talking about the family, I'll get
all the family questions out of the way first. How
does the upcoming basketball season designs well looking for your son?

Speaker 7 (57:20):
Well, it should be, you know, excited about it. They're
a younger team and they're going to have to replace
a lot of scoring. But you know, they've got a
lot of guys and I'm hoping they can play fast
and subtle up maybe play a little bit like say
and he's still been at football practices now, so you
haven't been able to work out.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
With the basketball team as much. But again looking forward
to seeing what the Eagles can do this winner.

Speaker 1 (57:44):
All right, what if anything do we learn about your
day job as in the Indiana Pacers one thirty five,
thirty four, And again I know better than most you
put preseason results aside pretty quickly. What did we learn,
if anything, as to what took place up in Minneapolis
last night.

Speaker 7 (58:00):
I like the way they started and specifically the way
the starters were able to kind of pick up where
they left off. There was some concern could they play
that same style without Tyree Cayliburton, could they play as fast?
And I was impressed at one of the first you know.

Speaker 4 (58:14):
Baskets they made.

Speaker 7 (58:15):
They go into the full court press and they get
a steal and teams know that's coming, and still I
think it catches them off guard. And so I think
they can continue to push the tempo. Andrew Nemhard you
saw him maybe not guarding the best player on the Timberwolves,
or maybe the best backcourt player. Maybe you're going to
see more of Hey, Bennett Matheren. You're gonna have to

(58:38):
guard the top scorer because Andrew Nemar is going to
be primary ball handler.

Speaker 3 (58:43):
That's the dynamic that I'm looking forward to watching. But
the way the starters played.

Speaker 7 (58:48):
Against the Timberwolves, starters in Minnesota had already played one game,
although I don't think Anthony Edwards had played in that
first preseason game for Minnesota. But at least the plus
minus for those guys compared to Minnesota starters, it was.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
It was very impressive.

Speaker 7 (59:02):
And so the other, you know, kind of concern I
had going into this season without Tyree Taliburton and then
not having that true stretch five and Miles Turner is
could the three point shooting be on a nightly basis
good enough?

Speaker 3 (59:15):
Well, the way they started as long as.

Speaker 7 (59:17):
You can get these guys open looks, and that's the
way that offense is set to, you know, pop it
around the perimeter and wherever it stops. If you're open,
you need to shoot it. They at least showed they've
got enough shooting last night. Now it'll come and it'll go.
You'll see that over the course of an eight two
game season, but at least one night in on the preseason.

Speaker 3 (59:36):
As you mentioned, I like what I saw, all right.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
So CD and I talk yesterday, and again it's pretty
obvious you're going to see a different role for Andrew Nemhard,
more of a chance for Benedict Matheren Frankly, more of
a de fine role for Jared Walker. Let's talk about
some of the other guys and a guy that you
know you got to get big things from, and I'm
not sure the way this team is built, there is
a guy that is going to be the guy. But

(59:58):
if there's a guy that you would think, I think
would be closest to the guy, it's gonna be Pascal Siakam.
How does his role look different, if at all that
it looked a year ago.

Speaker 3 (01:00:10):
It won't look a lot different.

Speaker 7 (01:00:12):
It'll just be you don't look and you don't have
Miles Turner there, and you don't have Tyree Telliburton. So
I'm guessing the field goal attempts will be up a
little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:00:21):
And I've been just impressed if you look at the.

Speaker 7 (01:00:24):
Time since he joined the team, you know, two seasons
ago from Toronto, and how quickly he was able to
adapt to a style that is a little bit different
than he had been used to. He wants to play fast,
He's got himself into shape to play that pacer style,
and you see the ball never sticks.

Speaker 3 (01:00:42):
In his hands.

Speaker 7 (01:00:42):
And when I remember, you know, the best of the
Raptors when he was playing one season with Kawhi Leonard,
but really over a long period of time with you know,
Fred Van Blied and Kyle Lowry, I remembered more of
you know, him getting the ball in the post, creating,
making moves, and he can still do that, but him
helping with that offense, even helping a little bit with

(01:01:04):
some of that that point guard responsibility, that primary ball handler.
He has that ability to take some of the pressure
off of Andrew Nemard really as much as anyone else
in that starting lineup, and so I think this is
an opportunity that he will embrace. He never will shy
away from having more shots or more opportunities, but just
being the championship experience and the veteran leader and even

(01:01:28):
a louder voice with Tyres Halliburton not playing, he is
the guy.

Speaker 3 (01:01:33):
I mean, I think you're accurate.

Speaker 7 (01:01:35):
I mean, it is a team that is best by
the some of the parts, all everyone contributing, but Pascal
Siakam is the guy. He made the All Star team
last year and for them to be good, he has
to be an All Star again this year.

Speaker 1 (01:01:48):
Farmer Joe aka Jeremiah Johnson with us here on ninety
three to five and one seven five the fan. Couple
quick things and you've had a long day on the farm.
We'll let you get home and enjoy the rest of
your day. I think the five, whoever it's gonna be,
is gonna be likely the fifth offensive option. What do
you see that could separate Isaiah Jackson from James Wiseman,

(01:02:09):
from Jay Huff, from Tony Bradley. How do you see
that position in that rotation shaping up?

Speaker 7 (01:02:15):
Probably just defense and rebounding and rebounding probably the most important.
That's been an area that the team has struggled with
at times over the years. You know, they're completely different
kinds of players, and so it could actually be the
kind of thing where one night you're emphasizing more of
a stretch five, and that's where Jay Huff would come

(01:02:35):
into play.

Speaker 3 (01:02:36):
But I think the familiarity with the.

Speaker 7 (01:02:38):
Teammates and the system gives Isaiah Jackson the upper hand,
and I give him and James Wiseman both a ton
of credit that from the first training camp practice now
and then watching them in that preseason game. If you
didn't know they had torn Harrik Killes, You wouldn't know,
and that's a testament to the medical staff and also
the hard work that those two guys have put in

(01:03:00):
in not even a full year, maybe ten to you know,
eleven months since that injury. And so it looks like
it's Isaiah Jackson maybe getting the little bit of the
upper hand. But I heard Rick Carlisle talking, i think
with Zach Low on his podcast in a really good conversation,
but he brought back, you know, one of those years
in Dallas where he had four centers and they all

(01:03:20):
sort of rotated and they all had a roll. We
don't know how that fifteen spot will be and whether
Tony Bradley even is in the mix as well, but
it wouldn't shock me if you use all four of
those guys for all of their strengths, and it's a
different guy each and every night that maybe has the
upper hand or maybe is the one on the court
in the final five minutes.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
It's always tough to follow up a great year, and
then when you have mitigating circumstances, it changes that one completely.
Have you kind of wrapped your mind yet around kind
of what you think this year is going to look
like or what I'm using the air quotes here, what's
going to make this a good year for this basketball team?
Trying to follow up just how damn klose so it
was to a championship last season.

Speaker 7 (01:04:02):
Yeah, it was tough preparing for me to day thinking,
you know, twelve times twelve years I've done this, and
you always have that similar storyline of you know, can
you you know, win the Eastern Conference, can you get
to the NBA Finals? Can you prove the doubters wrong? Well,
when you go to the NBA Finals, you figure there
should be no doubters the next season, but all here

(01:04:23):
you are again trying to prove people wrong. So it's
a familiar role where I don't think the outside expectations
are very high for this team. It's not that fair
for a group that has played as many playoff games
as anybody in the NBA over the last two seasons
and has been to the Eastern Conference finals and been
to the finals. But it sort of fits this group
that no one is expecting that much from them. And

(01:04:46):
you go into the season where you've got a hard
early schedule, but you'll you'll have people remembering watching you
in the finals. But maybe still, you know, letting up
a little or taking the game for granted be us.
You don't have Tyree's halliburn, and you look a little
bit different than you did. But I did enjoy watching
even the Timberwolves broadcast last night, And it will happen

(01:05:08):
all season. All of these visiting teams will all say, hey,
we remember the Facers, we remember how hard they played.
Will that same Pacers team be able to take the court?
And I think I think that's in their DNA, the
way they played last season, the way they got to
the NBA Finals, just because they don't have Tyre's aliburn,

(01:05:29):
I still think they can kind of play that way.
And then I can't wait to see what we see on.

Speaker 3 (01:05:32):
The court now.

Speaker 1 (01:05:33):
The final question, will there be a Pacers TV exclusive
the next time you go farming? Can we work this
into a pregame show somehow?

Speaker 3 (01:05:41):
JJ No, I think this is radio exclusive. You know,
I try to stay I try to stay in my lane.

Speaker 7 (01:05:48):
I don't want to be too big of a part
of the broadcast.

Speaker 3 (01:05:50):
You got, you know, christ and Quinn need to get
all of all of their flowers in their airtime. And
obviously the players are the big stories.

Speaker 7 (01:05:57):
So I'll just tell the story of the team and players.
We'll let us we'll talk farming.

Speaker 5 (01:06:03):
Just on the radio now.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
So you got to remember I have a sales background too.
I see a core TEBA sponsorship waiting to happen at
some point in time on the broadcast. Thanks go ahead.

Speaker 7 (01:06:13):
The one thing that it does fit in is every
once in a while I get asked to voice a
radio spot for the team. And one of the spots
that I've done on a regular basis is the Indiana
soybean farm.

Speaker 3 (01:06:23):
There you go.

Speaker 7 (01:06:24):
I told Greg Gore, like, I just got asked to
do a new soybean spot, and I really know what
I'm talking about now when I'm doing this thirty second
read about Indiana soybean farmer. So shout out to the
soybean farmers, all of the farmers. And I just love October.

Speaker 3 (01:06:38):
It's a great time of the year and great talking
with you. Great.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
It seems like we grow basketball here is appropriate. Thanks
the time, my friend. We'll cross paths soon, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:06:46):
Thanks great