Ep. 2933 Wednesday

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
This is it right here, combining a team of reporters,
columnists and commentators.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Are you serious?

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Jack Ebling has brought thought provoking discussion.

Speaker 4 (00:18):
What are you doing?

Speaker 3 (00:19):
That's a coaching ther sake opinion.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Customer, the one who decides when the future gets here?

Speaker 5 (00:24):
Oh no, check the report? Are you marrying me?

Speaker 6 (00:31):
That?

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Gameless?

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Next and overall infotainment.

Speaker 4 (00:34):
I'll take jim Iarba.

Speaker 7 (00:35):
What is he done?

Speaker 5 (00:37):
Grease?

Speaker 4 (00:37):
Good to coming at you?

Speaker 5 (00:41):
Quiet?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Please exactly fifteen seconds we'll be on the air. Thanks,
big fella.

Speaker 8 (00:45):
Don't you let me come.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Back here again.

Speaker 5 (00:47):
No arguments. Those are called ashtans.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
So buckle up. You're telling me it's time for the
Drive with Jack Ebling.

Speaker 6 (00:56):
Yeah, for some reason or another, who signed a little
oh lot radio?

Speaker 5 (01:03):
Great afternoon, mid Michigan and beyond, and welcome to the
Drive with Jack the Spotlight Radio Network. Jack Ebling here
with my producer Boston Rob fifty two degrees and clear
in mid Michigan, but breezy. I had some wind gus
up to thirty three miles an hour, if you can
believe that, not steadily, but every once in a while

(01:23):
you might have to grab your hat. We have tons
to talk about today and some great guests to do
that with. Want to start out as we do almost
every Wednesday, with Steven Brooks from twenty four to seven
Sports Spartantalegate Premium Site. Stephen. I wanted to take all
fifteen or twenty minutes and just talk to you about

(01:45):
World Series Game seven, but we're going to pass on that. Okay,
you did watch it, which I wasn't sure you could
bring yourself to do. When you got to Buffalo Wild
Wings after Michigan State's overtime loss to Minnesota, you weren't
bitching that they needed to change the channel. You were
actually watching some high drama.

Speaker 6 (02:07):
You know, Jack, That's what the NBA was for. You
weren't supposed to tell people I was watching baseball. So
you're in violation of our deal and you will be
hearing from my attorneys.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
So thanks for that.

Speaker 5 (02:18):
Let's talk about the game ahead of that. I thought
Michigan State's best performance of the year win or lose,
the first of their six straight losses where you can
say they should have won. There were others where you
could say they could have won, but this was a
game when they clearly beat themselves with the ten penalties

(02:41):
Minnesota had two. You can question the officiating. I think
a lot of people would. Nonetheless, Michigan State was its
own worst enemy. And I don't know how with a
seven point lead in less than two minutes to go
in the game, with one hundred and sixty foot wide field,
you kick the ball out of bounce.

Speaker 6 (03:05):
Yeah, it was an interesting weekend out there, you know.
I mean I naturally coming out just the way the
season's going, coming off the Michigan game, you know, my
eyes were kind of tuned to looking for effort and
let down and give and whatnot.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
And obviously you.

Speaker 6 (03:19):
Change at quarterback. That's sort of a bit of a
natural spark. And then and some things happened there. I mean,
they outgained them by a time. But bottom money is
I we didn't see that. You know, they did compete defensively,
They probably put together a winning performance, you know, much
like I thought against Michigan. They probably played good enough
to win. It's not going to go you know, up
on the walls of the facility, but good enough to win.

(03:42):
So didn't get enough finishing out of their offense. Some
some really timely mistakes that this program has been good at.
You know, the last few years unfortunately for them. Yeah,
when that kickoff went out of bounds, I just kind
of fell to my gut, like this isn't going to
end well. Even though the defense had been playing well,
they left them enough time and on their home field,

(04:03):
just you could feel it coming. And it's and that's
kind of the whole issue with this team in program.
Right as you expect the worst, you can kind of
feel that that dark cloud looming or at least you know,
on the horizon. So that that all played out out there.
But the bottom line I think is that they they
competed well. They're still they were still putting forth effort

(04:23):
that day. It's going to continue to be a thing
that you have to watch, i think, in this era
with this team, with this season. But you know, they
checked the box there, they battled well, just some breaks
and some some poor execution.

Speaker 5 (04:38):
Stephen, Good teams tend to win those kinds of games
and bad teams often lose them. But I agree with
you about the defense. I thought it was definitely the
best defensive effort of the year. And I asked Jonathan
Smith this question. He kind of said, Wow, it doesn't
really matter, you know, it cuts ways but I thought

(05:02):
Joe Rossi seemed to know what Minnesota wanted to do.
Maybe not the plays, but certainly having worked for the
Gophers and with PJ. Fleck for so long, he was
a step ahead.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (05:18):
Yeah, I think we didn't see the big bus, you know,
in the back end as much. Maybe Minnesotas wasn't really
capable of it, but ye had. Just you know, Nicai
Martinez ha been back for a little bit now, not
just fresh coffee injury.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
He's got some snaps to him.

Speaker 6 (05:32):
I think that helped. You know, Jordan Hall was was
emptying the tank out there, like every time he got
up off the field, he was limping or grabbing at something.
Still played pretty well, not perfect by any of them,
you know, they let the big run out and whatnot.
They give up the last drive obviously to give up
the game winning score, but pretty good across the board
for them. I mean, a shutout for most of the

(05:54):
second half there, pretty pretty good effort overall. And yeah,
I just the other thing is too that I think
Minnesota is that good.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
You know, when you talk.

Speaker 6 (06:01):
About shutting them down or knowing what they want to do, right,
I don't think they can really hurt you that bad.
But that's the other tough part. If you're Michigan State
and you're going, man, we're on a six game losing
streak and that team is they're six and three, I
believe now right, you know, And that just shows you,
like a couple breaks here or there, you know, and
how you really needed to finish that in Nebraska game,
really really really needed to win that UCLA game, and hey,

(06:23):
you had your shot against Michigans. Some things didn't go
your way or whatever. But you know, it just shows
you the margins in this conference that that Minnesota team
is six and three and they celebrated go into a bowl.
Maybe they'll get to seven or eight even you know,
I mean that could very well be in Michigan State.
We wouldn't even be talking about this big picture stuff until,
you know, a couple of weeks from now, we have
nothing else to talk about. So I think that's an

(06:45):
interesting comparison to.

Speaker 5 (06:48):
What did you make of Alessio Milervoyovic. There was a
lot of speculation that we would see him. Didn't know
that we would see him for all but play at
the end of the first half one you had to
get checked out. According to the Big ten. But other
than that, it was his show and he got scraped

(07:09):
himself off the ground a lot in the first half
with those six sacks. Overall, how would you assess his performance?

Speaker 6 (07:17):
Yeah, pretty good, good enough to see more. It wasn't
that immediate, you know, twisting your gut like you know,
you eat something weird, you know, or something's under cookie like,
oh no right away. It was definitely wasn't that. He
didn't blow my tox off. I don't think he's a
second coming or anything like that, but enough to see
more for sure. I Mean you mentioned I liked his toughness.

(07:37):
That's the number one thing coming out of that, I think,
because you see a guy who's young, he's tough, competitive,
willing to battle and hang in there and not just
taking the sacks, but on the run play down in
the red zone, which didn't end up working. But hey,
I mean, the guy's in there blowing his shoulder. He
took a couple other hits, so I really like that
part of it. You know, he he does allow, he's

(07:58):
a very quick processor. You see it, the gears turning,
and when he decides, he decides, and he goes and
the balls out it's not ever. Sometimes Aiden Child's almost
Actually when you watch him, it's like he's making the
decision up until the very moment the ball leaves his hand. Yeah,
with Alessio, it's boom, locked in, target, acquired fire. You know,

(08:20):
you can see it happening pretty quick, and so from
the pocket, you know, I think that stuff gives them
a little bit of an edge in terms of utilizing
these receivers that we've talked about all year, But you
do lose the mobility factor I think I was talking
with you about. I am curious how many scoring drives
this year feature in Aiden Childs either run for a
first time or a ten plus yard run. I bet

(08:42):
it's a pretty high correlation there. But didn't hurt him
necessarily this day, So I think we're going to see
him again, even though Jonna Smith didn't commit to that.

Speaker 5 (08:51):
I have a football philosophy, Steven, and it is at
odds with Graham Couches, who does not like running quarterbacks.
And I think when you have an offensive line which
is lackluster or worse, you must have a quarterback who
can do things with his feet. If you don't, then
you are really playing shorthanded. So I like that, and

(09:15):
I don't know whether milvoyevic Is would be adequate in
that department. He's certainly not Aiden Childs. But I thought
he did a really good job of protecting the football too,
and with all those hits, with the opportunities in Minnesota's
defense is known for being aggressive in the secondary. I

(09:35):
think he did a pretty good job of that. I know,
the underthrow to Nick marsh on the deep ball, you
can come back and say, well, if he throws that
thing three feet further and doesn't make Nick stop and
fair catch it, then Michigan State wins that game easily
because they got nothing out of it after that miss
chip shot field goal. But that's kind of what you expect.

(09:58):
I think in the first start going to have perfection,
and I would agree with you that he's going to
get another chance. My question is, have we seen the
last meaningful snap for Aiden Childs as Michigan State's quarterback.

Speaker 6 (10:16):
I'm hesitant to say yes. I still think, uh, you know,
like he's got a lot of ability. I think he's
still well liked, he's still a captain, still has deep
relationships with his staff. Not that any of any one
of those things could carry the day. But I think
all of them, you know, and I just I don't
know if Alessia is just going to light it up
to the point that that you can't, you know, can't

(10:39):
take them off the field. So I could see them
kind of continue to sputter around through these next couple
of games to where hey, it's it's they're they're they're
in a rough spot at halftime there they know they
don't have any points on the border. Some let's throw
Aiding back in. So I have to say that, yeah, sure,
or even you know, I mean, if we're talking even
beyond this year, who knows, you know, you could only

(11:00):
anything could happen next year, player, coach wise, anything, and
I'd have to at least buy to a slight degree.
So I'm not gonna say it's over for him yet.

Speaker 5 (11:10):
I talk about next year. A percent chance that Aiden
Chafs will be back.

Speaker 6 (11:14):
For the Spartans, Yeah, it no idea. I mean at
this point I would say less than fifty percent.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah it feels that way.

Speaker 6 (11:24):
Yeah, yeah, so you know, maybe twenty. I guess I
just don't know. I mean, is there a new staff,
is there not? If what if Jonan Smith's here, and
he's not. You know what I'm saying, that's the most intriguing,
not necessarily intriguing, but that's an interesting one to think about, right,
But I doubt that's likely either.

Speaker 5 (11:42):
Right exactly exactly. And I thought the offensive coaching in
this game was good and bad, unlike the defensive coaching,
which was just I thought good. Certainly, Joe Rossi didn't
tell as best player to get a face mask penalty

(12:02):
on the last drive, and that was an effort play,
and you know, those I guess those kinds of things happened,
seemed to happen more to losing teams. But there was
the reverse Almari Kelly, which was called back on the penalty,
and you know, I thought that was a really well
timed misdirection play, taking advantage of some things. But I

(12:26):
really didn't understand the whole pass protection scheme in the
first half. Now you got Minnesota and the one thing
the Gophers can do. Okay, if you said what's Minnesota's
greatest strength, everyone would have said rushed in the passer.
I mean, they sacked Elan roy Ola nine times in
that game, and they were among the league leaders in

(12:47):
getting to the quarterback. So there were no tunnel screens,
shovel passes, anything which would slow down this heat against
the Swiss Cheese offensive line. And I really kind of
felt sorry for Alessio in the first half. It seemed
like he was having a lot of five step drops,

(13:09):
you know, seven step drops, and sometimes he was barely
back to his launch point and someone was shaking hands
with him.

Speaker 6 (13:19):
Yeah, that's a good point. We haven't seen the screen
game very much. I mean, you could say basically everything
you just said about Michigan, and we didn't see it
much there either, just in terms of wanting to slow
down their pass rush. Yeah, we saw a ton of
it against Indiana, which you're like, okay, this all next sense.
I'm wondering if maybe they ran almost everything they had
or close to empty the bag. They don't want to

(13:41):
go back to it too soon, I don't know. And
then you were also down Makai Frazier, you know, and
he's not great at past protection, but Tullus has kind
of been worse than him. Tas Oliver's okay that he's
probably the best of the bunch. But either point is
you're down one of your better, maybe your second best
pass pro running back and you're playing a lot of
tullness there. So yeah, no, I hadn't considered that. The

(14:03):
one that really stretched out to me was the third
down toss that this team just has not executed very well.
I think that's become the new Jets sweep on you
know when Mark Antonio every time they round Jets sweep,
Oh boy, here we go, it's the toss. Yeah, the
toss sweep for this team, this program staff has become
that new play where you're like, oh no. And then

(14:24):
they followed up with a rollout pass to the boundary
on fourth down that was totally covered up and had
to give the ball away in Minnesota territory. That was
the stretch that I oh. And before that, actually they
did the fake they were trying to sneak it and
call the time out on themselves, snapped the ball. They
were snapped it under Alessio's leg in between his legs
to the running back and I think he was going

(14:45):
to pass it either way. They lifted the curtain on
their own trick play before they had to in that
same sequence, So that that was the one that stood out.

Speaker 5 (14:54):
Yeah, that was ill faded at best. If you think
about Mackai Frasier. Do we know what his injury.

Speaker 6 (15:06):
Is, Steven, No, I don't. I don't. He was a
surprise on the list.

Speaker 5 (15:13):
Yeah, he was a surprise. And you know, we always
here this time of year, especially with teams that aren't
going anywhere. Players are making business decisions. We don't know
that they don't tell us that don't tell us a
lot about players who are unavailableoks up that they are.

(15:34):
Are you hearing specific names, because I'm starting to.

Speaker 6 (15:40):
I have heard a few, but he was He's not
one I've heard either way, just to be clear, But
I've heard a few names a couple of weeks ago,
but he's not one of them.

Speaker 5 (15:52):
Yeah. Well, it was a surprising absence because he was
so good against Michigan and we had a one hundred
yards rushing in that game, and I didn't know that
he was injured, didn't seem like he was going to
be out, and suddenly he's out. So you know that
raises more questions. Before we let you go, I know

(16:14):
you got to run. I want to talk to you
quickly about what you saw Monday night against one of
the best coach teams I think has ever come into
Breslin Center. What Matt Langle has done with Colegate five
wins and six years and a pretty tough Patriot League,
going into Carrier Dome and beating Syracuse there back to

(16:36):
back years by twenty seven points and then going back
there again and losing by two. He has done amazing things.
And he had Michigan State tied in the second half
before that one flurry. And I think a lot of
people will remember the Jeremy Fears pass off the backboard

(16:57):
for the Cohen car Slamlengle said it was as loud
as he's ever heard of building.

Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah, so I'm trying to be, uh, make sure I'm
cautious this year with with sort of big picture ideas,
just because of how down I was on last year's
team early. I know I wasn't alone in that, but
you know, they kind of proved us all wrong there.
So I just want to give them some space, I guess,
before making any sweeping judgments. But yeah, I don't think
it was a super inspiring game, and a lot of

(17:24):
ways that cold game might be nice and everything, but
just even miss just just looking at Michigan State in
a vacuum, Yeah, I said it was going to be
a slow burned season again. I think I think it'll
probably be slower than I thought. Uh, these guys gotta
I think there was assumed that the returning seniors are
just ready for You know that that lead from from
supporting cast to main cast doesn't always just happen, you know,

(17:48):
with the with the blink of an eye or you know,
flip of a switch. Sometimes guys are best are Robin
and they're not Batman, And we'll see. I'm not necessarily
claiming anything yet, but I just that those core guys
I have to carry him. The four returners, they all
if that's gonna happen and they're actually gonna do something
of significance this year, They're gonna all have to be
comfortable being the guy right in big moments, and none

(18:10):
of them have really been that yet in their career. Jeremy,
I guess sort of, but not really. So I think
that's a big thing to watch here moving forward. You know,
they ask some question marks. Obviously, two guard I didn't
think collectively was a great deal for him, but it's
just one game. But to me, the bigger thing is
in terms of projecting arc and the satisfaction of this

(18:31):
season and all that is, I'm curious to see what
this core for we'll call it, how well they take
on that role of being the core four as opposed
to just being another for them. I think that's what's
really intriguing. Are they ready to be star players and
go to every night?

Speaker 5 (18:46):
You know?

Speaker 6 (18:46):
And I'm not gonna say thirty games, but let's call
it twenty six games out of this season where you
have to show up or this season's going to be
a rough one.

Speaker 5 (18:55):
Last year, Steven Michigan State shot seventy better than that
at the line and one of the best in the nation,
certainly could have led the nation in free throw shooting,
and Tom thought they would be every bit as good
this year. I wasn't quite sure about that, but I
thought they'd be very good. They managed to miss thirty
one free throws in a week less than a week.

(19:21):
That's hard to do. If they had just made their
free throws and shot seventy five percent the line, would
we have looked at this a lot differently?

Speaker 2 (19:30):
Probably?

Speaker 6 (19:31):
Yeah, probably, But I still don't I don't know though.
I mean, there were some there were some real weird
stretches offensively, I mean they could just they could hardly
get any penetration when when Kolge was playing z own,
it just didn't look like if they weren't running or
getting something easy and out quick, you know, or offensive
rebound obviously some when they had to play a half
court offense, it did not look great. And then I

(19:54):
just think the two guards on both ends of the
floor still going to be a long term question mark
for a while. Maybe maybe the whole way. So I
don't know, it would have found a little better, but
I think there's still be some concerns and some cracks.
But hey, if you go out and play well against Arkansas,
that's what people remember more.

Speaker 2 (20:10):
So we'll see.

Speaker 6 (20:11):
You know, they played some weird games early last year,
so we'll see, we'll see. But that's kind of where
I'm at with it. I've still I still think, you know,
I can't shake some of the memories of that offense
in the half court right now.

Speaker 5 (20:27):
Yeah, we saw last year against Indiana when the Hoosiers
hadn't played any zone and they put in a zone
and Michigan State seemed flum mixed pretty much the same
thing here. You wouldn't have thought of Colgate as a
zone defense team, but looked like they'd been playing it
their whole lives. And I don't know, maybe Michigan State
has to work on that or drill on it. When

(20:48):
they do they can run effective zone offense, but they
they really didn't, and I thought they had some defensive
breakdowns too. They're going to have to have to really
work on. What do you expect against Arkansas?

Speaker 6 (21:05):
I kind of have a bad feeling.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Am I good?

Speaker 6 (21:07):
To be honest, I don't know. I just it was
not very inspiring Monday. I have a hard time. I
feel like these guys are gonna think. I think they're
gonna feel pressure, and I don't know if it's a
team that's built for pressure. Yet we've seen teams that
obviously to come into bresilent, big matchup, whatever stakes on them,
and they rise up to it. I don't know if
this team's been through enough byers yet. Got too many

(21:27):
new guys and new new roles, so.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (21:31):
I mean, I don't just want to predict that they're
just gonna get run out of the gym or anything,
but I don't see it going well necessarily.

Speaker 5 (21:37):
Yeah, yeah, I can see why you would say that.
I would say that two seasons, in particular tom Izzo's first,
when you know they obviously were working progress. They barely
beat Shamanad in Maui, and then they come back and
something called the Grade eight in Detroit and they blow

(21:59):
out Arkansas, which was ironic, but that team that was
a lot of people thought could win a national title,
and a couple of years ago they had the same thing.
Steven really sluggish starts the season and they get Baylor
in Detroit at Little Caesars and a lot of people
are saying, oh my god, I didn't want to watch this,

(22:19):
and Michigan State led by twenty after like ten minutes.

Speaker 6 (22:25):
Yep, I remember that one. I just think this team's
gonna feel pressure to make a statement, to sort of
show that they're a new team. These guys that are back.
When I take that step that I just talked about,
the new guys want to say, Hey, I'm here to
help all this. We're gonna run another Big Ten title,
We're gonna play deep again, We're gonna do all this stuff.
Are you with the same teams last year? Just watch
I think we're gonna feel a lot of that. I

(22:46):
think there's gonna be some angst in the building from
a bad football season, hoping that they're the saviors. I
don't know. I just don't. I don't have good vibes
about it. That's just my gut, and it's been wrong
plenty of times before.

Speaker 5 (22:57):
Two things about the game Monday night, Steven, do you
remember a time that you saw a team with a
thirty seven to six edge and free throw attempts or
more positive things said about a guy who played less
than twenty minutes and was one for four from the field.
But listening to tom Izzo doesn't throw compliments around easily,

(23:20):
or his teammates they love them some. Jordan Scott, Yeah, I.

Speaker 6 (23:25):
Can't remember a free throw deal like that. Necessarily, I'm
glad it was a dial back at least a little
bit from the Yukon deal, or both teams weren't shooting
thirty something affected basically, But n Jordan Scott man arrow
up and has been. You know, every time I see
him on the floor, I'm like, I want to see more.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
I want to see more.

Speaker 6 (23:42):
He just plays hard, he plays smart. That little sequel
you go and given go type sequence with him and
Cohler in the corner was really nice. Led to a
Coler Bucket on the block. He just seems to play
within himself, within under control, and that length and size
helps for sure, and just plays hard and good things happen.
I think he's going to be a really nice h

(24:02):
Incan Ward. I both think are gonna look really good.
Bye about mid January.

Speaker 5 (24:08):
Stephen Brooks twenty four to seven Sports Spartan Tailgate Premium Sight.
Steven will let you go. I know you probably have
that exclusive interview with Josiah Jervis coming up right.

Speaker 4 (24:19):
Now.

Speaker 6 (24:20):
I have an exclusive kitchen Sync replacement job going on.
That's the fun stuff over here.

Speaker 5 (24:27):
Thanks so much, I guess. So we will see you
Saturday over at President Center. We will be right back
and we're going to talk with Cynthia Freelan. She is
the pride of Okamus and she is a NFL analytics
expert of fantasy football whiz, my personal advisor for all

(24:48):
my teams, and no one breaks down analytics of tape
quite the way she does. She probably watches as much
tape as some coaches and quality control guys in the
National Football League, and that is saying a ton. We'll
be right back with Cynthia coming up next on the

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Speaker 5 (29:05):
Welcome back. It is a drive with Jack the Spotlight
Radio Network, Jack Evlin here with my producer Boston rob Robbed.
So much to talk about here at the midpoint of
the National Football League regular season. No one I would
rather do it with than our next guest. She is
Cynthia Freeland, NFL analytics expert for the NFL Network and

(29:29):
my fantasy football guru and also the pride of Okamath. Cynthia,
how are you?

Speaker 13 (29:36):
I'm doing great?

Speaker 4 (29:36):
Thank you?

Speaker 5 (29:37):
How are you better than the Detroit Lions right now?
When you think about what we saw Sunday and we
know your game theory projections are amazingly accurate. What did
you see coming Saturday Sunday and what surprised you at

(29:57):
Ford Field?

Speaker 13 (29:59):
Well, I thought so Lions would win every model point.
I had suggested that the Lions would win, especially with
Terry and Arnold coming back, but I could have it
closer than eight and a half points, which is good
but from my model standpoints, but not for the Lions standpoint.
I just saw a team that couldn't get into rhythm.
I saw the interior offensive line remain to be a problem,

(30:20):
and that was kind of what we dropped from the
Packers game too. It wasn't similar in the structure of
what went wrong, and it's all things I think can
be avoided and fixed. But it's so frustrating because you
got to win those Gang Division games. So it was
a little bit of craps. But you know, we good,
We're good.

Speaker 5 (30:38):
Yeah. The Lions now one and two in NFC North games,
and with the three remaining, two of them will be
on the road at Chicago and at Minnesota. And you're right,
I think a lot of this is certainly correctable, but
maybe not as easily correctable as we thought given the

(31:00):
state of the offensive line.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
The injury, yeah, that's never going to be us.

Speaker 13 (31:05):
It's never going to be an easy thing. And Christian
mccogany missing extended time is not a great thing either.
So the problem is is we there's the offensive lineman
don't grown trees. Obviously you know this, but you know
it's it's at least you got pinatool there, like we're
going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's
just a little bit more of one of those things
where kind of everything went wrong and then they couldn't

(31:27):
get it back and write the ship in time. There's
always a few games like that every year. It's just
unfortunate when it happen against a division opponent.

Speaker 5 (31:35):
Someone was telling me about evaluating offensive lines, and you
certainly would know more about this from the breakdowns you do.
So you can have a great offensive lineman and that's
twenty percent of your front blocking wall. But if you
have two of them together on one side of the center,

(31:56):
or if you have a center guard who are top notch,
that really makes a difference. It's an exponential gain. And
I'm wondering with Taylor Decker, Cynthia, you know he's had
health issues for a while now, but doesn't seem to
be at full efficiency. Can you tell when he is

(32:18):
one hundred percent and a fall off when he's not.

Speaker 2 (32:23):
Well.

Speaker 13 (32:23):
It's certainly, you know some of that is I will
say it's depending on how much they can get help
with kipping and picking up lites, because if he's not
one hundred percent and that doesn't happen, then you're asking
him to do a lot more than if he's not
one hundred percent, and you scheme around it so you
can see it that he's not one hundred percent. But
I'm not sure if it's seventy percent, you know, And

(32:43):
I don't know if their replacement would be any higher
of a percentage than possible either, Like I think sixty
percent seventy percent Decker is still better than replacment player.

Speaker 5 (32:54):
So Jared Goff had been so good and so efficient
record levels early this season and then for the second time.

Speaker 7 (33:05):
Not so.

Speaker 5 (33:07):
Do you think it was more than just the pressure
and the way he felt the pocket collapsing or was
he just off a little bit? It didn't seem to
have a rhythm from the outset.

Speaker 13 (33:18):
I didn't see much rhythm from the outset. I mean,
you know, we're so it's funny because we've had we've
reached this critical mass of quarterbacks now being true double
dual threats, you know, in all aspects, right, and Jared
Goff is not. And I've seen him scramble just a
little bit and I love it, but that's not really
his game, right, So when he gets out of rhythm,
it becomes it looks more visibly like off than we

(33:42):
might be used to because now we've trained our eye
to see so many quarterbacks be able to scramble and
run and earn first downs with their legs in a
reliable fashion. So you know, sure it wasn't in rhythm,
but I'm not suggesting it's more than just that. Right,
It's okay, you know, I think it's I think we're
still okay. He's still deadly accurate when you give him

(34:04):
enough time. So just a little extra a little extra time, guys,
it's a little extra time up front.

Speaker 5 (34:10):
It was a weird day, Cynthia, and that you got
the long touchdown catch and run by Sam Laport, a
terrific individual effort. You got Jamison Williams returning off the
side of the milk carton, but you didn't have aman
Ross Saint Brown in the end zone, and Jamiir Gibbs,

(34:30):
who was almost unstoppable against Rob's Tampa Bay Bucks, didn't
have the most impactful performance. It was just a little
bit of a weird day. When you have a field
goal from Jake Bates blocked, when you have Montgomery fumbling
the way he did. I guess you're going to get
one or two of those in a seventeen game season, right, You're.

Speaker 13 (34:53):
Definitely get one or two of those. And now it's like, okay,
does it? What does the bounce back look like?

Speaker 4 (34:58):
Now?

Speaker 13 (34:58):
I know Washington down, Washington's you know, you know Jaden Daniels,
but market Mariota is still a very good quarterback. Let's
just put that there. But I wouldn't want to be
the Commanders because I feel like this is a team
that very much takes on their head coaches personality, and
I don't want to. I don't think I want to,
like see facing Dan Tempbell angry.

Speaker 5 (35:19):
Thanks right, Yeah. I have a reverse momentum theory that
in the National Football League, what you are one week
is almost never what you are consistently the next. So
the Lions were bad, I think they'll be good, and
then they play Philadelphia and I don't think they'll be
as good as they will be this week. I want

(35:42):
to talk a little bit about the division, Cynthia and
Green Bay, that damn tie with Dallas. It just it's
hard to figure out what to make of it. Is
it going to be a plus for the Packers. Is
it going to cost them the division? Would you say
that at the end, it's going to come down to
those two teams and when they meet at Ford Field?

Speaker 13 (36:06):
Probably? I mean Thanksgiving, hopefully we have we all have
a lot to be thank before this Christmas or this Thanksgiving,
and then Christmas against the Vikings could also be another
one that becomes very.

Speaker 4 (36:16):
Important as well.

Speaker 13 (36:17):
So we got a lot of third days that have
some holidays, but also you know for Lions it's fight
your nails holidays for those two. But I'm looking at
I'm looking at those games and thinking those two might
just be the puzzle solvers for all of this, because
the Anty North is better top to bottom than I
think other divisions give us credit for. Right Like I

(36:38):
you know, the Bears have had some weird stuff happened.
That was a crazy game against the Bengals. Bengal have
lost that one more than the Bears won it, in
my opinion. But you know, I still think that it's
a it's a tough division. It doesn't feel like, you know,
there are no Dolphins or Jets in this division.

Speaker 5 (36:57):
Cynthia. If I had told you on Labor Day midway
through the season, the Lions and the Chicago Bears were
going to have the same record, suggested I get a
sobriety test.

Speaker 13 (37:10):
You know, I feel like when you play a first
place schedule and you play a fourth place schedule and
you have, you know, you don't have the full season,
you know, data to contend with, yet it's just a
little easier playing teams like the Bengals and the Ravens.
It's just a thought, you know, things like that, right, So,
I mean I would have I would have been like what,

(37:32):
But I probably would have been like, well, let's look
at the actual games and schedule because the where you
finish in it doesn't matter. Now that we have three
unique games.

Speaker 5 (37:42):
Yeah, I have a friend from Chicago Bears fan. You
have to forgive me for that. But insisting that if
Chicago plays this way the rest of the year and
could finish with ten wins, that Ben Johnson should be
the NFL Coach of the Year. What do you think
of the job he has done?

Speaker 13 (38:03):
If the Bear finished with ten wins, Absolutely, it's definitely
something where Ben Johnson could be looking at Coach of
the Year status. The hard part now is Shane Stiken
and the Colts have had just a strong, strong start
and right now, I mean, it's going to be hard
to overtake Shane Siken for any coach, you know, but
it's not to say that. And by the way, it's

(38:26):
kind of not necessarily always the best omen because you know,
you kind of want to win Super Bowls, right, So
look at the number of coach of the years that
have won Super Bowls, like in a short amount of time,
and we'll just we'll just leave that one right there.
So put that one right there.

Speaker 5 (38:39):
Yeah, and there are coaches now whose teams have been
pleasant surprises and are better than five and three for sure.
Think about Mike ray Bowl, you know, there are the
guys around and what McDonald has done at Seattle too.
Looking at Minnesota and this matchup back in the Twin Cities,

(39:02):
do you think that there was any carryover from that
game the first weekend January when both of these teams
were fourteen and two and the Lions took their lunch
money thirty one to nine. It wasn't competitive led to
Sam Darnold leaving town. Maybe it would have anyway, but

(39:23):
the fact that the Vikings really got their noses rubbed
in it. Do you think that had any influence at
all on last Sunday.

Speaker 13 (39:31):
I mean from a rally the troops, let's get everyone
rowing in the same direction. Let's kind of get all
our ducks in a row here and rally behind our
guy Jaja. Sure, but I also think, you know, Van
Ginkol being back, we also big killed too, because he's
really good on defense and having you know, having your
tackles play, as it turns out, makes things easier on

(39:51):
the quarterback. Just a thought because I didn't look at
JJ McCarthy in that game, and you know, I know Michigan.
He's a Michigan along minorstand Michigan lum's listened to the show.
But I don't think JJ McCarthy like sliced and diced
the Lions up right. It was it was definitely a
team effort that made that win. And no shade to
JJ McCarthy just saying it wasn't he wasn't the sole difference.

Speaker 5 (40:10):
Maker, right, And you can look at his raw numbers
and you know, not that impressive, but a couple of
wins and he has made some plays at the right time.
So I think the Vikings feel good about that, and
Seattle is really happy that the Vikings feel good about that,

(40:30):
or enough about it that they could send Darnold to
the Pacific Northwest. I want to talk a little bit,
Cynthia about the trade deadline and the moves, and let's
start with Detroit and the moves that they did not make.
I understand we just went through this with the Tigers
and reluctance to make a big move, a splashy move.

(40:53):
But are you surprised that they didn't do more?

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Well?

Speaker 13 (40:58):
I guess the thing is is, I don't know because
I look at you know, starting to hear from people
about and you never know what the truth is because
you're not I'm not on the phone, you know, hearing
what people are saying they want for As you said,
the player, what the you know, you don't know what
people were offering, et cetera. But it doesn't sound like
a player like a Trey.

Speaker 14 (41:17):
Hendrickson or even an offensive lineman or something was within
reach of where the Lions could legitimately justify it from
the standpoint of, you know what, what happened to the
equity going forward?

Speaker 13 (41:29):
This isn't a team that's you know, the advantage that
the Colts have this year is that they have Daniel
Jones on such a bargain that they can afford to
not have to get quarterback in the next two drafts. Right,
that's what they're That's at least what they're signaling, you know.
So I'm looking at that and saying, well, that's not
the position that the Lions are in. So I don't know,
I'm hearing some crazy stuff like I know that the

(41:51):
Lions don't need a running back, but you know, the Jets,
who clearly aren't going to re sign Breeze Hall and
their sellers big time. They were asked for a third
round Pickford Breese Hall, and teams were like Pasco Pound
Sand you know, like again, not the Lions, but you
know other teams were like absolutely not, Like nothing higher
than a late fourth would be the earliest who even

(42:11):
consider for him? So, I mean it takes two to tango, right,
And I just don't think that there are a lot
of people willing to do that.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
Yeah, and I agree with you. You know, Bryce Hall running
back is not what the Lions are desperate for, but
there are theres some positions and you look at maybe
another pass rusher, certainly now offensive line help, maybe help
in the secondary although they are getting players back there
and maybe it'll be okay. But when you look at

(42:43):
what some other teams did and you see the Colts,
now maybe they said, wow, you know what, we really
have a chance at this. So they sent two first
rounders to the Jets for Sauce Gardner, you know, and
ad Mitchell. That's right, that's right. They also included him
in the deal. Not insignificant, so you know, gave up

(43:07):
a lot. But someone reminded me last night that if
the Colts are in the Super Bowl, that first round
pick is thirty one. It's almost a second round pick.
And if that's the player you need to put you
over the top. I don't know what's your take on
Sauce Carter. It didn't seem like he got a lot
of picks. He had a great rookie year, but since then,

(43:29):
maybe nuts so much.

Speaker 13 (43:31):
I mean, first and foremost, I do shut darreon Glen
to know his defensive X and I understand that letting
him go signal.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
Something to the market.

Speaker 13 (43:42):
However, what I'm really looking at is the amount of
time that he's had what number one wide receivers in
tight coverage, no no corner in the national Football League,
including the defensive The reigning Defensive Player of the Year
Passer Can has held number one receivers opponent number one
receivers in take coverage long as the Sauce the season,
and you have to remember that defense overall, they were

(44:03):
with Doc Jermaine Johnson for a while, so setting the
edge on at least the one side was an issue.
And they're not happy there. I mean, it's not a
speakret it's not a surprise, it's not you know. I
just think a lot of that stuff matters. You have
a hard time getting up and really playing for someone
if you're really angry all the time and grumpy like.

Speaker 4 (44:25):
It's hard to do.

Speaker 13 (44:26):
So I think all of that matters. And I'm looking
at Sauce and I'm thinking, you know, the Colts probably
this might be their best shot to make a run
because the Texans did not start strong. The Jags started strong,
would have really tailed off. And the text and the
Titans they're a few years away, so you know, they're
they're very very almost curtain to make the playoffs and

(44:49):
very certain to have a nice high seeding. So why
not take a run at it when you don't have
to try to get quarterback right next year, and you
have wide receivers, and you have now you have corners,
and you can work on other things that aren't premium positioned.

Speaker 5 (45:05):
Hey, Rob, two things about what Santi Freeland just said.
Number One, she's the only guest I have who can
tell me about how long a corner is holding number
one receivers. Thank you very much. Number Two, I'm reminded
this whole idea of go for it or not go

(45:26):
for it? Didn't we just do this at the baseball
trading deadline. I swear we had this same conversation with
a different sport. What is it about the Eagles and
Howie Roseman? And you know, they're just going to do
whatever it takes. They're going to always be trying to
add players. It's not like George Allen the future is

(45:46):
now and just mortgage draft picks, but judiciously. They are
looking to improve every day.

Speaker 13 (45:55):
Yeah, I mean, well, okay, so they're always making the moves,
but as of right now, this is not very Eagles like.
When I think Eagles, I think a vicious defensive front
that's bringing a lot of pressure and constantly a problem.
Right now, they rank number nineteenth in pressure rate thirty
four percent. They've had I think sixteen sacks, which is
like the middle of the pack, and they're not really

(46:17):
they're not really scaring opposing offenses with Like, sure, Jalen
Carter is scary, but like, apart from that, who are
you worried about? They just got Brandon Graham back out
of retirement, so maybe the edgey a little bit better.
But Jalen Phillips brings you over the top. If you
look at what he was able to do.

Speaker 15 (46:32):
For the Dolphins, the Dolphins who actually didn't face a
ton of passing downs compared to other teams, he had
such a high pressure rate given the number of nasty played.
He fits really well into what the Eagles are trying
to do and hopefully he'll be a difference maker. But
I think the thing that the Eagles do better than
anyone is adjust for. They make contingency plans with their

(46:52):
cap in such a way that gives them the ability
to put, you know, to feel like if the cap
is two hundred and seventy five million, is seventy nine whatever,
but like two seventy five they're fielding like three hundred
and fifty worth of players. If you're looking at average
value per year, whereas like the Cowboys, they're the opposite
of that. They're fielding like you know, two hundred million

(47:12):
because they kind of get themselves behind the eight ball
and don't restructure cap and contracts appropriately.

Speaker 13 (47:19):
Lines are somewhere in.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
Between, Cynthia.

Speaker 5 (47:22):
I'm guessing that you do not have a vote for
NFL MVP, right.

Speaker 13 (47:28):
I wish they don't let NFL employees have one.

Speaker 5 (47:32):
Well, you should have one, There's no question about it,
Thank you.

Speaker 13 (47:34):
I want one.

Speaker 5 (47:37):
If you did have one, who would be one, two
and three on your ballot at this point?

Speaker 13 (47:44):
It's a great question because I mean I would have
to make the argument for Matthew Stafford back there. I
don't know about one, two three yet, but Matthew Stafford
I'd be strongly considering, like a Matthew Stafford a Jonathan Taylor,
and I'm not gonna lie. I actually think Drake May
is up there well in his second season with some
of the stuff he's the Rabbits that he's able to
pull out of his hat with what we would all

(48:06):
consider maybe a sub a sub elite receiving corps Drake May.

Speaker 5 (48:14):
I wonder who has Drake May in our fantasy football league.

Speaker 3 (48:17):
Rob, that would be the eight to one Rob Bennett team.
That's right, there you go.

Speaker 5 (48:22):
Yeah, have you been watching Cynthia again on Fantasy Live?
Is that.

Speaker 13 (48:31):
All right?

Speaker 5 (48:33):
Cynthia, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate it
as always. Are you going to be around for Thanksgiving?
Are you? You're no chance of coming in for the Lions?

Speaker 13 (48:44):
Right? Sadly no, but I'm really trying to work on
Netflix to send me at least to Minnesota. Now I
understand that's not home, but at least it would be
to watch the Lions.

Speaker 5 (48:54):
Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2 (48:55):
That's Christmas all right?

Speaker 5 (48:58):
Thanks so much, really appreciate it. Cynthia Freeland from the
NFL Network and the Pride of Okamus Rob. We're going
to stay right here. I want to welcome in Chase
Michaelson from CIRCA in downtown Las Vegas. Does a great
job in the risk room there, concentrating on college sports,

(49:20):
college football in particular. But want to talk for just
a minute about what we just saw last week with
Major League Baseball ending Saturday night with as memorable a
World Series as I can recall, Chase, and I've seen

(49:40):
every one of them since nineteen fifty nine, first one
that I remember watching Dodgers in the White Sox, so
this one ranks right up there, and probably a hair
ahead of seventy five with the Reds and the Red
Sox and ninety one with the Twins and the Braves.

(50:03):
The number of pitches in this series, but of course
you had eleven extra innings, you had the eighteen any game,
and then you had eleven inning too game to end it.
What are you going to remember about this World Series?

Speaker 2 (50:20):
You're Shinobu Yamamoto and Shohatani, I mean the Dodger Japanese stars,
but particularly you're Snobami Yamamoto. I was in high school
when Madison Bumgarner had his throwers in twenty fourteen, and
at the time I really thought that was sort of

(50:43):
the pinnacle for what a pitcher could do in the
World Series. In the modern era, you don't have guys
throwing complete games anymore, very often, just in general, teams
don't start their starters on three day breast in the
postseason anymore. You know, when I was, I was very

(51:03):
very young when when Raddy Johnson and Kurt Schilling did it.
I don't remember it really right, uh Bumgarner pitched in
game one, Game five, and then on two days rest
in game seventh. Do I think it was five endings
or it might have been four two thirds something like that.
But he came in in a one run game, and
you know that game was in Kansas City and people said,
oh this it felt over in the moment, I remember

(51:25):
thinking like, oh, the bad man's coming. What Yamamoto did,
I honestly think surpasses that. You know, I can't speak
to what Mickey Lulich did and what Bob Gibson did, right,
and you know Walter Johnson and these guys, right, I
mean you remember the Big Train of course, Jack.

Speaker 5 (51:47):
Yeah, I was there when he learned it.

Speaker 2 (51:48):
Throw yeah right, yeah. But for for since I've been
watching baseball, what Ya Yamamoto did. And frankly, the only
thing that I wish had happened that didn't happen was
I wish Freddy Freeman's walk off home run in Game
three had come won any later, because if y'all Moto

(52:10):
had come into Game three and gotten the win there,
you would have had four wins in a seven game series.
And I know that that will never be surpassed, like
Tony Dorsett's run. Right, Well, y'all remember when.

Speaker 5 (52:29):
The World Series. You don't remember this, but I'm sure
you've you've heard about it and read about it. World
Series used to be best of nine a long, long
time ago. Yeah, and pitchers pitched all the time. They're
more like softball pitchers now in terms of how often
they threw when they had the best of nine? That
did anyone ever win four times?

Speaker 2 (52:51):
I don't know, but I don't know. It was the
best of nine for that long, right, I think it
was a of relatively anyways, what what well young Mother
did already, what he had done in Game two and
Game six was already you know, was going to be
a known thing that people talked about and remembered if

(53:13):
the Dodgers came back and one right, especially with the
part where he was he was warming up the game three,
but to come in on zero day's rest, and even
Randy Johnson did it, and he pitched like one Inny
Young Moro pitched three innings and the Dodgers didn't have
anybody warming up right right until the end. They they
you know, when when he got in a little trouble

(53:35):
in the eleventh, you know, I think Kershaw started warming up,
but like it, it felt like it was his game,
you know, really just amazing and obviously, you know, some
things had to go right, and I think Isaiah kind
of Pilepho maybe could have taken a bigger lead about
the ninth inning and maybe would have been able to

(53:56):
score on Don Bard smaller lead.

Speaker 5 (53:58):
Is that? Is it possible?

Speaker 2 (54:03):
Yeah? But anyway slice it, what Yamamoto did is will
will live forever in my mind, you know, I because
it's I don't think in the modern era it really
can be surpassed. There's no The only scenario would be
a situation where somebody was pitching, you know, in in

(54:27):
late extra endings, similar to what was you know, gonna
happen in Game three. That's the only way I could
see it happening in modern baseball. So I don't know
what the rest of Yaomoto Sperien is gonna look like.
I mean, he's obviously kind of a smaller guy, so
you worry about, you know, durability long term. But two
years in the in major leagues, two World Series championships,

(54:50):
two dominant World Series performances. You know, it was a short,
shorter series because the Yankees didn't have their ish together
last year, but what y'am motive did in Game two
of that series was really impressive. He is, I think,
you know, it's it's a situation that where you have

(55:11):
to look at him as sort of the modern day Bumgarn.
Like next year when the when the Dodgers go to
the playoffs, which I assume they will, I don't really
I won't care what his regular season will look looks like,
you know, as long as he's healthy in October. If
I'm the other team, I'm afraid. You know, when y'am

(55:34):
motto comes out on the mounth in October, there's the
heart rate never seems to rise at all. And so
that's yeah, I mean that that's I don't really I
kind of run out of things to say. I mean,
that's just as good as a guest.

Speaker 5 (55:47):
Why is Japan a Dodgers farm club?

Speaker 14 (55:55):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (55:55):
Well, I mean the ocean helps, you know. I mean
that that the most of the Japanese stars have come
to teams on the West Coast for them. I mean,
there are obviously guys that went to New York or Boston,
but the majority want to be on the West Coast
because it's significantly closer to home, you know. I mean,

(56:20):
obviously I grew up in Seattle with one of the
best Japanese players of all time in Eachiro. But yeah,
there's no doubt that there's gravity when you when the
best player to ever play the game happens to be
a Japanese player who has come to the Dodgers and
they have the resources to acquire more. Yeah, I think

(56:47):
if I was a you know, I know, there's a
couple guys that are are considered being posted by their
their clubs and MPB this offseason, and if I were
one of those guys, I'd be looking playing Dodger Blue.

Speaker 15 (57:01):
Now.

Speaker 2 (57:01):
I mean, you know, people don't like it when it
happens in pro sports, But you know, why did why
do an endless succession of receivers go to Ohio State?

Speaker 5 (57:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (57:15):
You know, because because that's where the best receivers go.
So I don't Yeah.

Speaker 5 (57:23):
Yeah, the fact that the Dodgers have the wherewithal or
the ability to structure contracts that others can't seem to master.
That those three players, Roki Sasaki, yah Shinobu Yamamoto, and
joey Otani combined one point three billion with a B

(57:46):
dollars in contracts for those three players. Any team in
baseball can match that. Could the Mets do that?

Speaker 4 (57:54):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (57:56):
Now, I don't think I think that that. Obviously, it's
a small number of teams that could match what the
Dodgers are doing. But you know, you and I were
on opposite side of this thing. In the World Series.
I was rooting for the Dodgers. And the reason that
I root for the Dodgers is because I like the
idea that the team that spends the highest percentage of

(58:21):
their revenue on players with to me, that demonstrates a
commitment to winning that every owner is capable of. Now,
they may not be capable on the same scale as
the Dodgers, that is true, But like we see this differently.
I think you view teams like the Dodgers and the

(58:43):
Yankees and the Mets as a threat to baseball. I
view teams like the Pirates and the Marlins as a
threat to baseball. I don't like the idea that some
rich guy because he's three percent less rich than the
other guy, I got to hold onto my money. And
when can we trade Paul Skis? I can't wait to

(59:05):
trade Paul skis because I don't want to pay him
six hundred million that I see that.

Speaker 5 (59:12):
I see that. I understand that some guys are in it.
Some owners, I should say, are in it to maximize revenue.
Others are in it to win championships. I understand exactly
what you're saying, but I still prefer the National Football
League model with the hard cap. And I don't think

(59:35):
that the soft cap in baseball, the second apron in
the NBA, or whatever the hell you want to call
it in college football, where the rich get richer is
a recipe for success. And I'll just refer to the
National Football League where everyone spends the same and the

(59:56):
idea is to have everyone in contention with two weeks
to go. To me, that is nirvana. UH want to
talk to you for just a minute about when you
thought the Dodgers were going to win this series. And
maybe you thought all along, maybe you thought even after
Toronto came home with a three to two lead. But
was there a point Saturday when it fell behind three

(01:00:19):
nothing on that home run by Boba Schett, you said
Dodgers are going to win this.

Speaker 2 (01:00:30):
No, not until miguil roy I set the home run
on the top of the night, it's not really tied it. Yeah, yeah,
I uh, I was even sure then.

Speaker 5 (01:00:40):
I wasn't even sure then because Blue Jays had an
extra at bat, and they certainly had chances. They had
lots of chances, as we alluded to. But sometimes chase,
you just get a feeling like, Okay, that's it's meant
to be. And when Dave Roberts made that defense move

(01:01:01):
and Paul Tommy Edmond and put Andy Pyez in center
field and then he steamrolls key K Hernandez to make
that catch, I said, Dodgers are going to win this.

Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
You know what's funny about that, player, Jack, is I
don't even think it's really that crazy of a play.
If key K just stays out of the way.

Speaker 5 (01:01:22):
Yeah yeah, but yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
If key K stays out of the way, you say, man,
Ernie almost got that one and Paul has chased it down,
and you know whatever. But because ke K was right
there and they couldn't hear each other because of how
loud the crowd was in anticipation of their joke harder moment,
you know that, I think is what what made it
so strange. And so you know, whatever you want to

(01:01:47):
call it memorable, I don't. I think you know, there
was a Paul O'Neill ran down a ball and right
center to close out a World series one time, and
it was hit well, you know things like that, like
there are times that that happened and nobody thinks about it.
But because t K was there, it's just it became

(01:02:08):
so so much stranger, and like you said, it felt
like meant to be the back to back defensive plays
that were made Dodgers by Rojas and by Pahas after
y'all Motow had loaded the bases there at pot than nine.

Speaker 5 (01:02:24):
What would the reaction have been. I'm glad that, uh
a classic world series like this isn't decided on something
like this, But I'm curious in terms of history and
the reaction in Casinos if the play at the plate
where Will Smith had his foot on the plate and
then he didn't have his foot on the plate, and

(01:02:46):
then he did again, if that had been one second
later and they had a replay overturn to decide the
world series, how would that have been received?

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
You know, what is I saw a I don't remember
what where it came up, and maybe I think it's
like the montage of Michigan State football band complaining about
how Michigan State football is what it used to be,
and they showed the play against Wisconsin the Hail Mary right, whereas, oh,
it's an over the line. It was initially ruled one
way and then it was overturned. But people just watch

(01:03:21):
the play now, they don't see, they don't know. Nobody
shows the the replay over title. So in the moment,
of course, it would have been very strange in baseball
to have an umpire announced that the World Series is over.
But it would have just from then on it would
have just been you watch the play, you see you know,

(01:03:46):
the kind of leff of get there, and that's how
it would have been. Of course, yes, it did occur
to me in the moment, like man that is that
would have been an odd way for it to end.
I think we were joking about a pitchclock violation. If
it had been a three to two out and you
say pitchclock violation, World Series is over. That came up

(01:04:07):
in the risk room that night. We're having some fun
with it. The risk room definitely needed the Blue Jays,
so we're trying to find some different, you know, different
ways that it could have gone down.

Speaker 5 (01:04:19):
How long would Yashunobu Yamamoto have had to hold onto
that ball to make that a pitch clock violation with
the three to two counts.

Speaker 2 (01:04:28):
It's a good question. Well I don't know. Oh Tohani
got like five minutes, so yeah, right, that's a good question.
I think they would have applied Umpire's discretion.

Speaker 5 (01:04:39):
Yeah yeah, oh yeah, maybe the pitch clock indicators broken.
I get it. Let's talk for a minute about the
first college football playoff pairings unveil, and again, this is
a long way from binding, this will change. But what
did you make of the top of the bracket and

(01:05:03):
Ohio State Indiana where unbeaten DYU was slotted, and then
the big ten teams grouped together much later in the twenty.

Speaker 2 (01:05:16):
Five I think that Ohio State and Indiana have been
the two most impressive teams so far. So I don't
I don't have I don't have an issue with that
at all.

Speaker 5 (01:05:31):
They happened to right order.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
I know you're going to say that you think Indiana
should be number one, and that's fine. I understand that contention.
I don't. First, I don't get mass at all, and
I don't think. I mean, didn't Ryan Day they asked
him about, you know, the first rankings come out tonight.
He said, oh whatever, Yeah. I still think Ohio State's

(01:05:58):
probably be the most impressive team. Obviously hasn't really been
challenged the season. You know, I guess Texas sort of
kind of balance, and that's before they trusted Julian saying
the way they do now do say it's the front
runner for the Heiland at this point in time. But

(01:06:20):
I think those are the two best. You know, I
understand why they have to put text A and M
three because they're undefeated and they won at Notre Dame.
I mean, that's fine. I don't have any issues with it.
I think there are better teams in Texas A and M.
I think there are other teams in their conference that
are paler rated higher than them and would be favored
in Atlanta if it comes to that, which is fine.

(01:06:43):
I don't you know, I don't think that's the class
committee job. You know, some of these these these Big
ten teams, they're down there in the the late whatever teams,
they're going to have their opportunities. So like I think people,
I imagine people in the Big Ten country are frustrated
that you have teams ranked below a team like Miami

(01:07:05):
that's not certainly not playing their best ball right now.
But the reality is that these teams will have opportunities
to improve their resumes. Right It's pretty simple for Michigan
to get in right beat Ohio State if they If
Michigan finishes ten to two with a win over Ohio State,

(01:07:26):
they will be in Iowa. Same thing. You got Oregon
coming to town this week. If you win that game,
guess what you're not whatever they are twenty next week, right.
So I just think people in general freak out about
the initial rankings every year, and every year it turns

(01:07:46):
out they didn't matter. If you win your games, it'll
work out. The last year you had Alabama fans crying
that they didn't get in after they lost to sixth
and six Vanderbilt in six and six Oklahoma. If you
win i either of those games, you're in. So like,

(01:08:07):
it's fine. I think any of these teams that are
ranked right now have a path if they can get it,
if they if they continue to win games. There's enough
opportunities left in the schedule, obviously, particularly in the Big
Ten in the SEC who are going to get the
majority of the rankings or the majority of the spot.
They would say, as they should, that everything will work

(01:08:30):
out for these teams if they win games. If they
lose games, then I don't really know what we were
complaining about in the first place.

Speaker 5 (01:08:37):
Yeah, yeah, I'm never sure, because I think it changes
from year to year and you have a different committee.
You're going to have different parameters from a coach. If
you're trying to make the playoff, if that's key to
you keeping your job, then maybe you would like to know.
You'd haven't like to have it all stated in advance

(01:08:59):
what the are. But I never know whether committee members
are looking at how good a team is right at
that point or what they have done, what they're based
on their body of work, and what a loss in
the opening game, for example Texas or a win over Texas,

(01:09:24):
if Texas isn't what it was purported to be, how
much that is factored in And do you just say, hey,
I think this team is better than this team. I
think that's part of the reason that they have supposed
football people Mark Antonio is one of them on the

(01:09:44):
committee this year. Or is it something where you just
look at the record and you say, okay, well this
team beat this team by a lot, this one did
by a little, this one has the most impressive win.
It was on the road. I don't know what the
standard is.

Speaker 2 (01:10:02):
Well, we've talked about it before. I'm leary of the
like because everybody says, we're just trying to pick the best,
you know, the best four teams. So now it's the
best twelve teams of given the banders they have. I
don't think that should be the standard, because that's not
the standard in any other sports. The NFL doesn't say, well,

(01:10:24):
you know, this team is really playing well. They have
some injuries early in the year, but you can see
they're one of the best eight teams in the conference.
They should get in. Yeah, it's not how it works,
it's it's you know, and I realized college is different
because of the size of the scale you're looking at.
But I think it should go by resume. I don't

(01:10:46):
think it should go by power ratings. As much as
I love power ratings and as much as I you know,
spend my day worrying about hypothetical matchup, but that's not
I think you should be rewarded. I don't think the
best team should always win. I think, you know, we

(01:11:06):
don't need to get into this again, the whole thing
with the expansion. But I don't like it that in
college football teams now get essentially unlimited mulligans as long
as they're a really talented team, right, I don't. I
think it should mean what you do on the field,
not not how talented you are, what your NFL prospects

(01:11:29):
look like. I don't. I mean, that's that's a different argument.
Who's the most talented team? I can tell you the
most talented team is, But if they don't, like I'll
have to stay more talented than in the end. But
if Indiana beats them, should Ohio State still be number one?
Because like, look they guys here my spens to kill down's. Like,
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:11:46):
That's the argument I used to get from Drew Sharp
all the time about the Heisman Trophy. So, well, you
know this guy's some better player, He's he's going to
be drafted higher in the NFL draft. I said, that
means absolutely nothing for this, And I think that what
you're saying college basketball is moving in the Michaelson direction
because they used to have this last ten component right

(01:12:08):
of what you did in your last ten games. Now
that is completely out and every game is a data point,
and what you do the first week of the season
means the same as what you did the last week
of the regular season. Now the conference tournaments are are
not valued the same way. But but you're right. I
mean it's it's all resume based, and you know, they

(01:12:31):
just evaluate it. So maybe a computer could do that
best game this week, Chase, is there one you're really
looking forward to seeing?

Speaker 2 (01:12:41):
I know, game days in Lubvick for BYU Texas Texas
is fun game. You know, tex tex kind and a
half point favorite BYU from powering perspective is not caught
up to you know, what their ranking is or the
fact that they're undefeated at step it close calls I
like Yu, you like the Uyu you We've talked about this.

(01:13:02):
By the way, Sorry about Vanderbilt Georgia Tech. Tough week
for your dream of like a Vanderbilt y U Georgia
Tech Indiana Final four. But I'm excited about that game.
I wish it was at night. I wish Fox would
play their best games at night. But that's neither you

(01:13:22):
nor there, you know, so whatever I that's definitely a
game that I'm that I'm interested in.

Speaker 4 (01:13:30):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:13:30):
And then Oregon Iowa is a really fun game. That's
a big press for Orient because Oregon won a road
overtime game against the team. And you're gonna forget this
team existed. They're called Penn State. Coat they actually they
were naturally ranked at one point very high. Uh hard, Yeah,

(01:13:54):
and they.

Speaker 5 (01:13:54):
Were championship choice. I really probably shouldn't admit this because
no one's going to listen to me ever again, but
my national championship game prediction at the beginning of the year,
I don't know if you remember it, but it was
Penn State and Clemson. So well, yeah, kind of kind

(01:14:15):
of rough. I should just forget I ever did that.

Speaker 2 (01:14:18):
Yeah. Well, I've made plenty of bad predictions on your show, Jack,
so hopefully and Rob doesn't go take in through the archives.
But Oregon had all the shine on them, right, and
then they lost a home to Indiana. Yeah, in a
game that Indian outplayed them, for sure, and I'm not
not denying that, but it's not like we got out
classed or anything. Right, They lost the game to obviously

(01:14:41):
a really really good team, and since then have you
heard anybody talk about Oregon in the last three weeks. No,
they're like invisible. So they need to win this game
because if they don't, then the resume kind of starts
to look pretty thick for Oregon. It does if they

(01:15:02):
lose this game, all of a sudden, that road win
at Penn State means nothing. In fact, you could say, really,
what business did they have going over time with that
horrible Penn State team?

Speaker 5 (01:15:13):
With Washington too, And I don't know where that game is,
but that's not going to be easy, right right.

Speaker 2 (01:15:20):
I believe that game is in Sea Downle like okay,
So yeah, then that being of the neuge game, So
Oregon needs to win this week. Iowa obviously needs to
win this week. We talked about it. We both like Iowa.
We think i was very kind of sneaky, underrated, good.
They have improved over the course of the season, and

(01:15:44):
they have an offense which is not always a given
in Iowa City, but they do have as always a
very good defense. So Oregon six point favorites in that
game on the road. If i would does win that game, yeah,
Oregan's in trouble and all of a sudden, Iowa, I

(01:16:06):
think I had a real chance to be that third
Big Ten team. Yes that really that won't have to
I'll have to stay. The Nia are our collision course
to play each other in the in the Conferencaionship game
in all lifelhood last they lose to Michigan again, but
somebody else is going to avoid having to play one
of those teams, and they're going to have a chance

(01:16:27):
to kind of sneak in, right. Yeah, And if Iowa wins,
I think it's probably then.

Speaker 5 (01:16:36):
Iowa was kicking a field goal to go ahead of
Indiana in the last two minutes of that game. Wound
up losing by five and kind of a bizarre ending.
But I don't know another team in the country that
could be real confident it would do that. Chase, thanks
so much for joining us. Really appreciate it, and.

Speaker 2 (01:16:57):
We will talk with you soon, all right, Tucky.

Speaker 5 (01:17:01):
All right, we're going to take a break here and
when we get back, we're going to talk with Rod Barmack.
Final four is not on the schedule, talking Michigan State basketball.
What he saw or maybe didn't see in the opener
against Colgate, Talking a little bit about the game Saturday

(01:17:23):
against Louisville What a day, Rob with the hockey game
against Penn State, and then people heading over to Breslan
walking across the street for the basketball game, be aware
that parking might be a little different than you are
accustomed to Saturday. And we're also going to talk about

(01:17:45):
Josiah Jervis, who is committed to Michigan State May Tom
is a very happy guy. Talk with Tom this afternoon,
and we're going to try to get Josiah on this show.
But we will be back with that and much much more.
And also Robin Freelik is going to join us at
the end of the show. An incredible performance last night.

(01:18:08):
Uh you know, Michigan State scored eighty points against Colgate.
Michigan State Women one one by eighty six points. Brezlent
Sutter Record. Be right back on the Drive with Jack.
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Speaker 8 (01:21:01):
Letter whyjus.

Speaker 5 (01:21:14):
We welcome back? It is a drive with Jack Spotlight
Radio Network, Jack Evlin here with my producer Boston Rob.

Speaker 14 (01:21:21):
Rob.

Speaker 5 (01:21:21):
Want to go right back to our guest line and
welcome in, Rod Barmac from the Final Four is Not
on the schedule my favorite basketball podcast, And if you
are a Michigan State fan, I say this about the
Blitz Newsletter with Jim Gump. If you're not listening to
the Final Four is not on the schedule, you're not

(01:21:43):
all in as a Michigan State basketball fan. Rod, When
you think about what the Spartans did well and what
they haven't done yet in terms of the exhibition game
against Yukon and Stores and against Colgate Monday night and

(01:22:04):
Breslin Center, how would you evaluate the start for this team?

Speaker 4 (01:22:10):
I would say it's to be expected in subways, and
so what I mean by that is they're not connected
defensively the way we would expect a Michigan State team
to be right now. And that showed up against Yukon.
It definitely showed up against Colgate, and you know, it's

(01:22:30):
disappointing but not surprising. You're working in a lot of
new players, and you know, even the guys that are back,
it's you know, it's a new season. I can remember
great teams. I can remember seeing guys like Charlie Bell
have rougher games early in the season, you know as
a senior, where you're like, how can this be happening?

(01:22:50):
But it does. It takes a while to get that back.
I think the advantage that last year's team had was
taking that European trip, that trip to Spain. That seems
to help with that kind of thing to get you
maybe a leg up over a lot of the competition
that doesn't have the advantage of playing in those things.
And so that's what I observed as a big negative.

(01:23:12):
The biggest positive team wide, at least that I took
from say the last twelve or thirteen minutes of the
Yukon game and the entirety of the game against Colgate
was the rebounding. That had been really spotty in the
exhibition against Bowling Green and the first say twenty eight
minutes of the Yukon game, but that changed, and I

(01:23:32):
thought they were great against Colgate. You know, you could say, well,
it's Colgate, you should pound them on the boards. That's true,
but Michigan State had a ninety percent defensive rebounding rate,
and I think it was a forty eight percent offensive.
That's that's not just winning the rebounding battle, that's obliterating
an opponent. And so that was encouraging to see the effort,

(01:23:54):
the effort, the energy, all that stuff looks good to me.
The cohesion that's in a story rod.

Speaker 5 (01:24:03):
When you think about defensive rebounding like that, how much
of it do you think is Michigan state, you know,
a dog and bone rebounding philosophy, and how much of
it was just the fact that Colgate knew they weren't
going to get a lot of these and they were
more determined to try to prevent transition.

Speaker 4 (01:24:26):
It's some of both, it usually is. But that explains
like an eighty twenty, a seventy five twenty five. It
doesn't explain in ninety ten because you'll get even if
you're playing that way. And by the way, MSU still
scored twenty points in transition, so it's not like Colgate
shut down the transition game. But right, but you know,

(01:24:50):
you would think just long rebounds off of missed threes,
that kind of thing alone, you would think you'd be
able to do a little bit better than that, even
if you're not committed or if you're committed to not
really sending anybody to the glass, and I'm more inclined
to give Michigan State credit for that one.

Speaker 5 (01:25:12):
Would you also say that it was the aggressiveness Michigan
State played with that led to an otherworldly thirty seven
to six advantage and free throw attempts Monday night?

Speaker 4 (01:25:28):
Yeah, and that is That's actually another thing that I
suppose is worth mentioning as a positive. Even going back
to the Yukon of Bowling Green exhibitions, they have continued
what they did last year in terms of being aggressive, offensively, creating,
creating contact. That's very true. I think the reason it
didn't come to mind immediately for me is they haven't

(01:25:49):
done a great job of cashing in those chances just yet,
but they're generating them, so that's the good news.

Speaker 5 (01:25:56):
Yeah, all right, you have done more recent church than
I have about the Arkansas Razorbacks and John Calipari's team
coming into Breslin Center Saturday evening seven o'clock. What do
you make of the Hogs and what are we going

(01:26:17):
to see?

Speaker 4 (01:26:18):
Well? There, I think you start from sort of a
usual premise with a John Calipari team. They've got a
lot of physical ability, you know, toolsy is the term
they use in baseball. But a lot of guys with
some good length who can run and can jump. They
got a lot of that. They do have some guys
with ball skills. They've got some guys that can shoot.

(01:26:42):
Just a lot of talent. They won their opener against
Southern by thirty two. It was like one o nine
to seventy seven. So Calipari was not happy with the
defense and that one. But you know, thirty two points
is thirty two points. I expect them to be a
very stiff challenge because to me, if you remember last year,

(01:27:03):
they were an underachieving team pretty much the whole way.
They got into the tournament basically on the backs of
the SEC's you know, metrics standing as a league because
they were eight and ten in the league. They weren't
great in the SEC. But once they got there, they
beat Kansas, they beat Saint John's, and they almost beat

(01:27:24):
Texas Tech and they lost in overtime by two. So
they played really well at the tail end of the season,
which is also kind of a John Cali party thing.
I think this team could be and I kind of
expect them to be better than last year, mostly because
of the point guard that they've added from originally from

(01:27:44):
cast Tech, Darius Zakob's he's for real. First game. First
game he played against Southern twenty two points, three for
five from three for assists, two turnovers, so he played
a good floor game. I think last year they were
really without a true point guard. They've tried. They tried
to play DJ Wagner there, and I don't think he's

(01:28:06):
a point guard. He's still on the team, but now
I think he could be better because he's moved off
the ball a little bit more and they have a
real point guard who is also a guy who can score.
I mean, Acuff can do everything. I think he's a
one and done.

Speaker 5 (01:28:19):
Yeah. Yeah, I think a lot of people would agree
with you on that. What about other players that fans
are going to want to watch for or really do
a little research on.

Speaker 4 (01:28:31):
Well, I think I think DJ Wagner is another guy
I mentioned. He's moved to the off guard now, and
you know he's freed up from those playmaking responsibilities. I
think he maybe will finally make He was a super
hyped player and he hasn't met the expectations, either at

(01:28:54):
Kentucky or Arkansas. I mean, people thought he was a
one and done. He's in year three now, so something
has not gone according to plan. But I do think
he's still got some talent and I would watch for him.
I also think they're big kid Brazil who had twenty
five points and eleven rebounds in their opener. I think
if he can stay healthy this year, that's always been

(01:29:15):
the knock on him. He gets hurt a lot. If
he stays healthy, he's a problem.

Speaker 5 (01:29:22):
All right. If Michigan State wins this game, what does
it mean? And if they lose this game by double digits,
what would it tell you?

Speaker 4 (01:29:34):
Well, look, we've all been around long enough to know
that you don't take all that much from a November game,
especially if it goes badly. Typically when they go well,
it's very rare that Michigan State plays really well in
a game early on and doesn't go on to have
a very good season, But there have been plenty of
years where they've struggled early. I would say the one

(01:29:58):
number that I'm keeping in mind, tom is a lifetime
in home games in November is eighty three and one,
And we probably all remember the one which was two
years ago against James Madison, so that's pretty daunting.

Speaker 14 (01:30:14):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:30:14):
In fairness, he hasn't played a lot of teams like
this Arkansas team at Breslan in November over the years,
especially the last you know, fifteen twenty years when coaches
just started avoiding home and homes. But I do take
that into account. I think if Michigan State wins, as

(01:30:35):
I say that, to me, would be a sign of
some positive things. It's pretty rare that they play well,
and I think they're going to have to play well
to win. It's pretty well that they win a game
like this and don't end up having a good year
if they lose. I don't take a lot from it,
because again, as I mentioned at the outset, to me,

(01:30:59):
the thing it's lacking right now, which is often lacking
with Michigan State teams in early November, is cohesion. They're
not on the same page yet. We can be pretty
confident they will be at some point, but they're not
as of right now. So we'll see where that puts
them for this game.

Speaker 5 (01:31:18):
All right, Let's talk for a minute about the newest commitment,
and I guess it's not binding commitment because it's nothing
official and Graham couch and I've talked about this many times,
but certainly a pledge of public statement of intent. And

(01:31:41):
tom Izzo was very happy today that he managed to
secure that from Josiah Jervis, who his mind is going
to be a future NBA two guard. Very very impressed
by what he has done. And what do you make
of that commitment to Michigan? Say, what does it mean

(01:32:03):
moving forward? Someone said to me, you know, if Iszo
gets Josiah Jervis and gets Ethan Taylor, a seven to
one and a half center who is going to be
announcing very soon, and then you know that didn't even
count Maximo Adams from California added to the two players
they have, they might not be able to get him
out of Resident Center with the jaws of life.

Speaker 4 (01:32:27):
Yeah, it's true. For the relatively few detractors that are
out there. I guess this recruiting class is kind of
an in your face moment that he hasn't lost it,
specifically with Jervis, because and you know, I don't need
to tell you this, but you know, tom Izzo has
been known for forever as one of the hardest working

(01:32:49):
recruiters out there. But there are some guys Gary Harris
was one. I think way back, Shannon Brown was another,
and they've probably been a few others. I'm forgetting where
he goes in overdrive, and that's what he did with
Jervis from all accounts like he was I don't know
how many times he visited him after Jervis's official visit
where he went out to I don't know if it's

(01:33:12):
technically Westchester County where where Steppenak is, but just north
of New York City and just worked that recruitment right.
And I think it's a huge addition. Now he's ranked you,
depending upon which service you're looking at, anywhere from like
number twenty to the forties nationally. But from what I've heard,

(01:33:33):
Michigan State viewed him as they thought the best two
way wing in the country, the number one guy, and
that's why he went after him the way he did.
So you think about what that means. I think that
tells you how important it is, right the word on him,
A very good offensive player overall, good shooter both coming

(01:33:53):
off screens and as a spot up guy. They said
he's got an off the dribble game, and he's a
good athlete. Not a Cohen car but a good athlete.
And the thing that I like best about his defensive potential.
He's six four to sixty five, but he's got a
six to eight wing span. Yeah, so that usually plays well.

Speaker 5 (01:34:13):
Talking about ISO's recruiting approach here, Rod, we called it
service for Jervis, and he was pretty determined that he
was going to land this guy, despite the fact, despite
the fact I'm understanding that it was at a minimum
two hundred thousand dollars and it may have been much

(01:34:36):
more than that that I heard. Yeah, well, and I'm
thinking most people would tell you it was a half
mill left on the table for Jervis to come to
Michigan State rather than Tennessee would have been second North
Carolina State. I don't I don't understand North Carolina State's recruiting,

(01:34:58):
but there come flying in here at the last minute
and flashing, you know, big checks. So the attention that
tom Izzo paid here the involvement, believe it or not,
conversation with Magic Johnson. For all the people who think
Magic Johnson isn't funding the entire Michigan State Athletic Department,

(01:35:22):
I don't know they would have gotten Josiah Jervis without him. Also,
this is where culture really matters. Rode parents of past
players talking to parents of prospects. And I know that
Jaron Jackson Junior's mom was very effusive about what it's

(01:35:47):
like to play for Tom Izzo and that was a
one year deal that didn't end well. So you know,
I think these things come back to bite you or
help you. In Michigan States came, they've often come back
to help Iszzo in these situations. And you know, who
knows if he can finish this thing off and get

(01:36:09):
Ethan Taylor and then whether he gets Maximo Adams or not,
would he would really be the icing on the wedding cake.
But this would be as good a class as Izzo's had,
and he's had a crack at more than thirty of them.

Speaker 4 (01:36:25):
Yeah, it would be for me, assuming they do get
Taylor that which I expect is going to happen, that
that would put it right there with that twenty sixteen
group with Cassius and Miles and Nick Ward and josh Mineford, right,
they would be right there with that group. You know.

(01:36:48):
It's it's funny you mentioned the family stuff and the
value of talking to parents and everything. Don't think it
was an accident that Josiah Jervis's official came during GRIG week.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, that was intentional. I'm sure of it.
And you know, it's funny if you, I don't know,
if you saw the photos that came out of his
official visit. You know, normally it's everybody's smiling and the

(01:37:11):
players in the locker room trying to look hard and
all that. But these I'd never seen any of them
like this. Tom Izzoh and Josiah Jervis both screaming for
the camera. It just it said everything I think about
how badly tom Izo wanted this one. I've never seen
one that looked like that.

Speaker 5 (01:37:29):
Yeah, yeah, And I would say even the Ethan Taylor
recruitment was strategic because yeah, when he came in for
MSU madness and I have never seen a recruit have
more fun than that kid, did. I mean, he's standing
up directing the zone on chance of his name. You know,

(01:37:52):
he's just loving the fact that everyone is coming over
to see him. They weren't bothering him. He was being
shielded from the people you wouldn't want to talk to,
but everyone he would ever have wanted to talk to.

Speaker 2 (01:38:06):
He talked to Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:38:08):
I think he was quoted as saying something like he'd
never experienced anything like that in his life. I think
you're right. It just they've been They have just been
noe perfect in their recruiting for this class. The guys
they targeted and spent time with and time on are
the guys they seem to be getting.

Speaker 5 (01:38:29):
Rod. Let our listeners know again again the best way
to get the final fours not on the schedule.

Speaker 4 (01:38:37):
Just plug in the final fours not in the schedule,
in whatever your favorite podcast aggregator is. We're available on
all of them, so Spotify, Apple. Whatever we did and
we just finished running them, we didn't trust me. I
use this word advisedly an exhaustive appreciative each of the

(01:38:57):
now eighteen teams. This thing, it used to be so hard,
not that long. But I start doing these. We start
in late July at a necessity. We have to to
get them all in.

Speaker 5 (01:39:11):
But someone all of them. I have to tell you
that I now have to budget in time for you.

Speaker 4 (01:39:18):
Yeah, I feel like I should halfway apologize. Yeah, it's
it's a lot, but I do think if I do
say so myself, I do think it gives anyone listening,
a reasonably good primer on the eighteen schools in the
Big Ten, certainly Michigan State being the one we spend
the most time on, but everybody gets about at least

(01:39:40):
an hour. So yeah, we're pretty proud of those. And
obviously since we're in the season now, we have previews
and post games for every game we've started doing, particularly
the post games we've started doing live. You can get
to that on YouTube, Twitter, wherever. Pretty much.

Speaker 5 (01:40:00):
All right, thanks so much for joining us, and I'm
sure we'll talk again soon.

Speaker 4 (01:40:04):
Thanks what Rodbarmack, the Final.

Speaker 5 (01:40:07):
Four is not on the schedule. We will be right back, Rob,
and we're gonna be talking with Robin Freelik. No truth
to the rumor that the Spartans just scored again, but
one hundred and twenty five points last night in that
big win over Mercy, her history making. Yeah, yes, in
many ways. We'll talk about that. And you know, Robin,

(01:40:28):
she's ready to move on's she'd probably rather talk about
the next challenge than the one she just saw. But
I don't know how coach couldn't be pretty happy with
the way her team performed. We'll be right back on
a drive with Jack.

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Jack Eblin with my good friend Matt Sloan at graph
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Stop a ce Matt in the gang at graph of ookems.
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(01:43:40):
Network and Jack Eblin here with my producer Boston Rob
Rob Do. We have our last guest on the.

Speaker 3 (01:43:46):
Line, still working on it. Left our message, so hopefully
coach will give us a call back here in a
minute or two.

Speaker 5 (01:43:55):
Okay, I'm going to try to send her a quick
text as well, just to double up on this. And
we had talked about the time and she was all in,
so I'm sure she'll be here. She might have been detained.
This is what happens to coaches, right even after eighty
six point wins, when you saw that score and you

(01:44:15):
know that it's hard to beat a team by more
points than the defending Big Ten champions from your school
score in their game. What did you think about one
twenty five to thirty nine?

Speaker 3 (01:44:32):
Yeah, I mean, I mean, what can you what can
you think? But very good execution obviously, I mean wanting
to start the season off right. Most certainly when you
look at a score like that, everybody probably would have
gotten involved. Maybe some of the fans even got some
minutes in that game the way that was going. But
excellent start to the season. I would imagine she would

(01:44:55):
be very happy. But as you said, coaches being what
coaches are, he's probably already looking ahead to the next
game and putting this in the rear reverwer. But for fans,
I mean, you can't ask for a better start to
a season than that, I would imagine.

Speaker 5 (01:45:11):
You know, we talked about this a little yesterday and
we're going to much more the rest of the week.
We're going to be focused a little bit more on
hockey because Michigan tate football with the bye week. But
what are you excited about seeing with Spartans and Penn State.

Speaker 3 (01:45:30):
Well, I think it's going to live up to all
the hype, right, I mean it's and hold on, we
are getting a call stand by?

Speaker 5 (01:45:37):
Ah Okay, all right, I was just texting her, so
she obviously probably beat me to it. So Michigan State
hosting Penn State. Most people's minds coming into the season.
The top two teams into Big ten. I mean, Michigan
has something to say about that, but nonetheless it is, Yeah,

(01:46:00):
McKenna making his appearance in mun and I'm sure he'll
be warmly received people looking at the next big thing
in the National Hockey League. And the guy who was
close to coming to Michigan State certainly had a fun
official visit. And you know, you get one school, it

(01:46:20):
might be offering three hundred thousand, another might be offering
seven hundred and fifty. Sometimes it's a pretty clear business
decision of what you have. So we will be watching
that very closely. And back to back games. It's weird
you've got the Friday night game and then the late

(01:46:40):
afternoon game. But they have to do that. They can't
have Michigan State Hockey and Michigan State basketball this Penn
State and Arkansas at the exact same time. That doesn't
work for a lot of reasons, including people who are
seasoned ticket holders and traffic patterns, et cetera. So that's
that's not going to happen.

Speaker 3 (01:47:01):
All right, Well, let's talk a little women's hoops, shall we.

Speaker 5 (01:47:05):
Oh great, let's do it. Let's do it. Let's welcome
in Robin Frelik, head coach the Michigan State women's basketball team.
No true to the rumor that the Spartans just scored again,
but certainly seem last night that it was dizzying if
someone was trying to keep score, they were busy.

Speaker 7 (01:47:26):
Robin, Yep, yep, we did. We did find our way.

Speaker 4 (01:47:32):
Yep.

Speaker 7 (01:47:33):
Found a way to put the ball in the hoop
a good amount, which is good. Hopefully we can hopefully
we can keep it up.

Speaker 5 (01:47:42):
Rob I told you she was going to be a
coach here, she's going to talk about you know. Okay,
that's good. We got that one done. Let's move on
to the next one. I can't let you I can't
let you go without talking about a sixty six to
zero eds and points off of turnovers. As much as
your teams have scored big points in the past at

(01:48:04):
all levels and have driven teams crazy with steals sixty
six to nothing, have you ever seen anything like that?

Speaker 7 (01:48:14):
I think that's the first. Yeah, I think that was
the first. You know, we pressured, you know, we like
to press, but we did only do that in the
first half, so you know, we were able to create
a lot of turnovers in the half court and you know,
from where we were a few weeks ago. Defensively, we
know we're going to have bigger challenges ahead, obviously, but

(01:48:36):
even from where we were a few weeks ago, we
did see some growth and just we really challenged them
to play the game the right way for forty minutes,
and you know we did in the second half, which
two weeks ago we did it. We just kind of
went on cruise control. So, you know, I think some
of those stats are reflected in the.

Speaker 5 (01:48:58):
Who played particularly well? In your mind looking at the stats,
you didn't play anyone more than twenty minutes, didn't have
anyone score twenty points. Didn't mean that they didn't play
exceptionally well. But who stood out to you as really
playing well?

Speaker 7 (01:49:15):
We had so many people play well, and you know
what was cool is we subbed and we had a
lot of kids get a lot of minutes, and I
felt like everyone just made the most of them. You know,
I could go down the line and we had a
lot of people who shot it well. I think, you know,
Kennedy having fourteen points twelve assists. You don't see twelve
assists a lot like that really stands out to me,

(01:49:40):
you know, and we know we're going to face tougher challenges,
but I will say we passed the ball very well.
And when you pass the ball better, you get better shots.
So and we made a lot of shots. Right now
we were open, but we still we still made them.
So so many people played well. I think the twelve assists,
that's the stat. You don't see a lot.

Speaker 5 (01:50:03):
Yeah, you don't see three turnovers very often either.

Speaker 7 (01:50:08):
Uh no, I tease them we have. We'll do special
five on O four. We'll do five on old full
court break, working on our break and practice. You know,
we'll do our misshot break, our made shot best break.
And we have more than three turnovers with no defense,
right well, we'll go up and down. We got to
do skitch a certain amount of points, and I'm like,
we turn it over more. We've turned it over more

(01:50:30):
there with no defense. So you know, only turning over
three times is that is very good?

Speaker 5 (01:50:37):
All right, Robin. Every time that Izo's team has a
game like this and I start talking about all the
things they did, right you know, he he wants me
to ask about the things that they didn't do as
well as they can. And you need coaching points based
on getting ready for the next game. Where would you
start in terms of improvement.

Speaker 7 (01:50:59):
Well, there's some things defensively that we switch. We'll switch
out on some ball screens, and we switched out on
some single screens and we did it. We had segments
of doing it well, but we had segments where we casual, lazy,
kind of lost track, maybe not good communication. So that
that's something we definitely need to work on. Is like

(01:51:20):
just you know, we can't guard for twenty seconds and
then the last six or seven seconds just have a
brain fart on a defensive action. So you know, we
have some clips of that, and some of the things
that we were switching, we'd just switched late, or we
wouldn't switch, or they'd both switch. So we got to
that's something we can definitely clean up.

Speaker 5 (01:51:41):
Yeah. Yeah, you have fifteen players on the roster, is
that right?

Speaker 7 (01:51:46):
We do?

Speaker 5 (01:51:48):
And I think I saw eleven last night. Did you
have a couple of players who didn't play because of
physical issues or did you have players who you're looking
at in terms of other other factors.

Speaker 7 (01:52:09):
Yeah, So when needs Sotello is out with an injury,
she should be back soon a few weeks. Sarah is
not eligible until semester because she's international, so it's just
a little trickier with credit transferring.

Speaker 5 (01:52:25):
We did see her right.

Speaker 7 (01:52:28):
Yep, yep, and she'll be eligible after semester. Julian Woodard
is coming back from her aclso she started playing live
five on five in practice, so we're hoping that she
can play in games and then soon the next week.

Speaker 6 (01:52:44):
Or so two weeks.

Speaker 7 (01:52:46):
Yeah, and then Jordan Odia, freshman for US, is red shirting.

Speaker 5 (01:52:50):
Okay, So that's fifteen all right, plus or.

Speaker 7 (01:52:55):
Else everyone obviously everyone would have gotten it, yeap.

Speaker 5 (01:53:00):
So uh, what's ahead for you? Now? You have more
home games, more opportunities for fans who like to watch
uh tremendous defense and yell boom a lot.

Speaker 14 (01:53:15):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:53:16):
You got to have opportunities for them to do that.
What can you tell us about the schedule moving forward
in the month of November?

Speaker 7 (01:53:23):
Yep, yep. So we got home some home games. We
played Eastern Michigan Sunday, We've got Youngstown, We've got Oakland.
Over Thanksgiving, we play in a tournament in Bahamas where
we'll play Temple, who beat Rutgers in Penn State and scrimmages,
and then Clemson, who they predict being in Soul a
tournament team, so definitely, we got some home games in

(01:53:44):
front of us. We love our fans, you know, I
always share like this group is worthy of your time,
of your resources, of your you know, we're going to
play hard at the best. We're playing hard together and
you know when you share the ball, well you put
up a lot of points. But yeah, yeah, we've got
some good non conference games up through November, and then

(01:54:04):
in our Bahamas tournament will play some some really good competition.
Beginning of December, we have our first Big ten game.
We're at Wisconsin and then yeah, we kind of it's rolling.

Speaker 4 (01:54:19):
It's rolling, it's here, Robin.

Speaker 5 (01:54:23):
In terms of the philosophy of pre conference scheduling, you know,
there is those kind of way out on a limb,
and a lot of people think he's nuts, and he's
at the head of that list. A lot of times
when he's in the middle of it is the idea
to ratchet it up, so your players just constantly gain confidence.

(01:54:46):
Do you want to be challenged? You want to see
their deficiencies? Can you overschedule when you make out the schedule?
What's on your mind?

Speaker 7 (01:54:55):
Yeah, well, there's a lot of factors. But I think
something that needs to probably hasn't talked enough about, is
that in our league, Big ten women's basketball, last season
we had twelve men double tournament teams. This year they're
predicting thirteen, so we you know, non conference sometimes you
need to like you know, I think last year our
men's side had seven, and that's still a lot, but

(01:55:15):
we had twelve, which is a lot of built in
strength of schedules. So for us, it's about getting home games.
Some of it's about getting some confidence, kind of getting
our feet wet, learning a little bit more about ourselves.
You know, we do think with our tournaments, who have
an opportunity to play some men's double tournament teams in

(01:55:37):
our non conference schedule, which will which will be challenging,
but you know, predicting thir this year, ESPN's predicting thirteen
teams in our league out of eighteen, so you know,
our I think we feel very confident that we're getting
enough high level games.

Speaker 5 (01:55:57):
There's been a lot of talk Robin about expanding NCAA
tournament fields. Is that true for women the same way
it is for men? Would you assume that if one
expands the other, would.

Speaker 7 (01:56:12):
I think so. I mean, it would be hard to
have There's a lot of parallels with our tournament, so
it would seem a little strange to do one and
not the other. But you know, people outside of my
domain make those decisions, so we'll see. I know, right now,
that's I don't think that's on the docket for moving forward.

(01:56:32):
But and athletics, things change every day, so I won't
be surprised if I woke up tomorrow and they made
a new decision.

Speaker 5 (01:56:40):
I want to go back to your personnel now, and
someone who has shown so much improvement from last year.
You've told the Kennedy Blair story, and I think it's
pretty cool. It's kind of what college athletics used to
be maybe what it would be in terms of growth.

(01:57:03):
Could you share that with our listeners.

Speaker 7 (01:57:06):
Yeah, So, Kennedy Blair, she committed to us when we
were at Bowling Greens when I was the head coach
at Boyd Green State University. Kennedy committed to us really excited.
She's been a really good player at Divine Child, you know,
here in the state of Michigan, and then when when
we took the Michigan State job. She's a die hard
Michigan State fan, so she was like, I want to

(01:57:27):
I want to go to Michigan State. And she actually
came here initially as a walk on, and I love
to teaser her freshman year, she we couldn't even put
her in drills. She she literally would mess them all up.
So and she knows that we can laugh about that now.
And she had she ended up having a foot injury,
so she was out for the season, came back last year.
You know, she had she definitely got opportunities and there

(01:57:50):
were I mean she even checked into our NCAA tournament games.
You know, she definitely had moments where she was she played,
she was in rotation, but it wasn't like a consistent.

Speaker 4 (01:58:00):
Part of it.

Speaker 7 (01:58:01):
And then this summer she got really serious with her conditioning,
her fitness, her skill level because she's always had a
great feel for how to play this timing, rhythm, passing, creativity,
and then she's matched it now with her fitness, and
she's matched it with skill level and being just cleaner

(01:58:22):
with the ball and with shooting. And you know, through
preseason and practice she's been she's just been a really consistent,
accountable player. She makes a team better because she's such
an elite pastor, and so when you all of a
sudden you add an elite she's five eleven two, so
she's got some size. When you add an elite pastor

(01:58:42):
to a team, suddenly everybody's more open, and it's a
little bit you know, there's an energy that comes with that, right,
all of a sudden, the ball's moving, the ball's signing
open people. There's an excitement with that. But she's really
come on strong. We're excited to continue to challenge her
and see her. But you know, every pre season game
we've had when we scrimmage our scout guys, she has

(01:59:03):
been very she's been really good, and she's kind of
stuffed the statue points the sists rebound, right, So we're
going to keep expecting. We're going to keep expecting a
lot out of her. But you know, last night people
are like, oh, one hundred and twenty five points. I'm like, well,
when you got to pastors and they passed the open,
people make more shots, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:59:23):
So we're excited about it right there.

Speaker 7 (01:59:26):
Yeah, Yeah, she's got work to do and she knows that.
But a cool story right from a yes bullyting Green
comment to I will love Michigan State. I want to
be here to Hey, we can't even put you in
our drills. You mess them all up, so dang, we can't.
You know, it's hard to take you off the court
like she. She just makes so much happen.

Speaker 5 (01:59:46):
Yeah, and a couple other players very quickly Isa Alexander.
You know the injury issues she has had and people
wondered how she progressing and what's the expectation.

Speaker 7 (01:59:59):
Oh how cool last night for her to play set
out two seasons, two whole seasons. That's hard. She's during
this time out, she's gotten herself, I think in the
best fitness she's ever been in. She's moving well. I mean,
there's still gonna be some things with getting her rhythm
and her timing back with actual basketball, but you know,

(02:00:19):
a big, strong player that gives us a different look,
a lot of size at the rim, a lot of
size defensively, and you know, in her fitnesses has been
great and I think that's been a big part of
her being able to come back being out two years.
And a huge credit to our strength and conditioning coach
Claire for her because she our kids, she really helps

(02:00:41):
transform them and even when they're out. She keeps them
serious about their fitness, all right.

Speaker 5 (02:00:48):
And the last player I wanted to get your reaction
to is someone that said to me, after Madness, you know,
I forgot she was still around. But a couple of
years ago, happy Kimball was a key player on the
team starter and then last year uh not, and it

(02:01:09):
looked like the joy was back for her. I remember
one Madness when she first got here, Robin, and you know,
we just couldn't take our eyes off of her on
the bench. She was so emotional and players gravitating to
her having so much fun. Looks like the fun is
back with her.

Speaker 7 (02:01:29):
Yeah, you know, in a big credit to Abby to
voting captain by her teammates this year, and just think
that speaks volume. She's somebody who has experienced every role
on the team, like every possible role, starter, sub, not playing,
and has stuck with it and has learned like the

(02:01:50):
value of showing up and impact and she has She's smart,
so she always knows what's going on. She has a
great ability to communicate. That is our team. And yeah,
I'm what an honor you know, I mean from someone
who didn't even get to play much last season to
her teammates, feeling like, you know what your voice that

(02:02:12):
we want to follow. I'm excited for.

Speaker 4 (02:02:14):
Her this year.

Speaker 5 (02:02:17):
Congratulations on what happened last night. I know you're more
concerned about the games I had. Great coaches always are.
But thanks for joining us. We really appreciate it. We'll
see you soon at Breslin.

Speaker 7 (02:02:29):
Thanks Jack, go Green, there you go.

Speaker 5 (02:02:33):
Robin Frelich and talking about Michigan State's incredible debut one
twenty five to thirty nine only one by eighty six.
Want to thank all of our guests today, Rob and
touched a lot of basses starting with Steven Brooks twenty

(02:02:54):
four seven Sports Spartan Tailgate premium site covering Michigan State
football and basketball, and no, he is not a member
of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Cynthia Freeland, the
Pride of Okamis from NFL Network and talking about her
beloved Detroit Lions and moves at the trade deadline. Always

(02:03:16):
appreciate Cynthia's time with us. How about Chase Michaelson from
Circa in downtown Las Vegas talking about the World Series
and talking about college football and the first set of
CFP rankings, Chris phil excuse me. Rod Barmack with us

(02:03:36):
from the Final four, not on the schedule. I always
appreciate Rod joining us and Robin Freelik, head coach of
Michigan State women's basketball, see tomorrow. Everyone, have a great night.