Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
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Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
Breaking Down Wisconsin's Transfer Portal Drama with Scary Alvarez, Bucks vs Pacers and NFL Draft Expectations
this is wisconsin sports on the go with trage your place for all things wisconsin sports.
Speaker 2:Now your host. How we doing everybody and welcome into wisconsin sports on the go with Trage. I'm your host, trage. It is Wednesday, april 16th, a fantastic Wednesday here in the great state of Wisconsin. The weather is getting better right, getting a little warmer out there, and it is getting closer to spring right. It's fantastic. It's just fantastic. That's all we got to say. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2:I wanted to say tonight here happy belated birthday. I said happy birthday to her, but happy belated birthday to my wife. I met beautiful wife. She just had her birthday there over the weekend and then also my sister having her birthday today here. So happy birthday to them both. Great. I celebrated with my wife on Saturday, saturday there. I'm trying to remember my days back. It's weeks are a blur sometimes, right, you have a newborn kid. Weeks become a blur and then my sister will celebrate at some point, right. So happy birthday to them both there.
Speaker 2:But we got lots to get into tonight. I mean, holy cannolis. We got scary Alvarez coming on tonight here. If you guys don't know what scary Alvarez is, you're going to talk about Badgers with him, badger football in particular tonight with him. That's going to be coming up here just after the start of the show here. So we're going to be talking about Scary. We got Ummer coming on tonight talking about the Packers. We got Kyle coming on to talk about the Bucs. We have all kinds of exciting stuff here coming up tonight.
Speaker 2:A good weekend for myself there. We had our first 12U baseball, our tournament games, whatever you want to call them two games up in Athens there, and it was a pretty good time. It was a pretty good time there. I got to say, though, what drives me nuts? And okay, we're just going to start it out hot and heavy today. We're going to start it hot and heavy, right. We always have the segment of what's grinding my gears. We're going to start it out hot and heavy today.
Speaker 2:You want to know what grinds my gears the most is when parents coach their kids during the game drives me nuts. You send your kid and you want to be coached by so-and-so right, so you send them off, and then you watch during the game and these kids are standing there and they're playing the game and let's just say they swing and miss whatever, and they, they watch them constantly turn around and they're listening to their parents yell at them from the stands and tell them why'd you do that? Why did you swing at that? Why didn't you swing at that? Why is this? Why is that? Why are you sucking whatever? It drives me nuts. It does. You want to talk to your kid when he goes home? Great, talk to your kid when he goes home, but during the game, let him play.
Speaker 2:It drives me absolutely bonkers. It does, because I always, I always say it to you guys the game of baseball is so much mental and you know how hard it is. I, I had to. I told my boys the other day right, because we have a big issue with flushing, forgetting moving on, right, you make an error, whatever you walk a kid, whatever it is, you swing at a bad pitch, flushing, forgetting moving on. It's a pitch by pitch league, right, that's how it goes. That's baseball. It's pitch by pitch. It changes everything could change in a matter of one pitch. And we sit here and we watch in. Parents they harp on their kid after one pitch and it's like now that kid has to flush it, forget it. Listen to their parent yell flush it again, forget it, step back in the box and try to hit. You want to talk about mentally exhausting. You want to talk about making the game worse. That's it. Right, there Drives me nuts.
Speaker 2:And you might think I'm crazy for saying it. You might say, well, trange, come on, come on, I don't trust the coach, so I'm going to coach my kid, coach your kid when he goes home. These coaches get paid, whatever. Maybe they're volunteers to show up and help your kid. Let them do their job. For that little while, let them do their job. If you don't agree with them, fine, fine. But at the end of the day, this youth baseball, these kids, they got to get out there and just play sometimes and you just tear them a new one all the time. What are you growing? Are you really making them better? I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you think you are, but it drives me nuts. It absolutely drives me nuts.
Speaker 2:If you're a parent out there who does that and you want to say, well, trades, you drive me nuts. I'm sorry, but that's my opinion on it. I I could not foresee myself sitting in there and just yelling from the crowd and, after every single pitch and every single at bat, no, cheer your kid on, tell them they're doing a great job. Now when they go home or you're in the car on the way home, you can tell them everything they did wrong. That's the way to do it. My mom used to do it to me all the time. My dad same thing. They would let me play the game. They'd cheer me on during the game. After the game they'd tell me what I did wrong. That's when you need to hear it. Maybe it's something you can correct during the game. Right?
Speaker 2:I always remember my mom back in high school. She always tell me, you know, sitting over there on that, she'd sit on the bleacher and she'd always tell me, like I'd run over by the three-point line or whatever. She's like hey, do this, do this, whatever. Like she talked to me during the game. I get that, that's fine, but productive things, not tearing them a new one. Well, I just swing at that, I don't know, because I felt like it. You already feel like crap and yet you're gonna make it feel worse, right? So that's kind of where I'm at with that. That's what's grinding my gears coming into the day. So another thing is grinding my gears. You want to talk about grinding my gears and that's kind of what scary and I are going to talk about here coming up here in just a little bit.
Speaker 2:But this whole thing with nico there down at tennessee I don't even know how to say his last name, so I'm not even gonna try, I don't want to butcher it there nico, uh, I l m of leva, whatever you want to say at their quarterback down there at tennessee, he, uh, he's transferring, he's transferring outside to skip practice, transferring out whatever. He wanted four mil. Tennessee didn't want to pay him four mil. They wanted to pay raise up from 2.4 to four mil, right, and tennessee said basically no, dude, and now he leaves. And I saw a report. There was a 4 conference guy, one of the commissioners basically, and said he's not worth anything, he's going to have a hard time finding a new home. So I just see this and I saw the article and the article basically stated that before last season's playoffs, nico told Tennessee that he wanted more money before participating in the playoffs or he basically hold out, and many other players did this same thing. My initial reaction was are you, are you kidding me right now? Seriously, we're going to hold out of the playoffs.
Speaker 2:Where's your pride? Is there any pride left in in the game in college? Is there any pride left in in the game in college. Is there any pride, like? I can tell you one thing there's probably like wisconsin carter gilmore, that dude walk on didn't care, just wanted to play for the badgers. That guy had pride 100.
Speaker 2:But then I hear stories like this with Nico, who probably just ruined his career because I'm looking at it. They say, you know, he basically saying that it's going to be interesting test of how smart and disciplined colleges are looking at him, because what he said is he has zero market. So what's his big idea? What's his plan? Right, because now he might've screwed over his career. I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 2:This is the problem that is college sports. Now, this is the problem that is college sports and something that we didn't want, want. We advocated for. We wanted players to get money. I am, I am all for guys getting paid because I don't believe that espn should make money off of guys, name, image, likeness. I agree with that. But this is getting out of control and now you have reports and stories of guys trying to basically blackmail universities.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to play unless you give me more money. I'm not going to play in the college football playoff list. You paid me for 13 games. That's 12 plus the championship game for the conference, if I get there. You didn't pay me for a playoff, so now you owe me extra. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me right now? Have some dignity, have some pride. Go and play for the teammate, go play for your guys. Right? You're telling me you're going to sit out.
Speaker 2:That absolutely drives me nuts is that when guys sit out of bowl games or whatever and they stand on the sideline, they watch, right? I can't remember who was last year setting that record. There was a cam ward when he was going for that record and he sat there and he watched miami blow the lead and he watched this disastrous happen and he just stood there and watched because he took himself out of the game. He just wanted the record. I would hate that. As a teammate, I would ask guys, if they didn't want to be there or they didn't want to play, not to show up. I want the guys who want to be here to play. I want those guys here. I don't want you here. You were my teammate. Now you don't care. You're protecting yourself for your future. Sure, sure, that's fine. I don't know. Drives me nuts. Drives me absolutely nuts.
Speaker 2:So, nico we that big story happened over the weekend there. We'll see what happens. We'll see what happens there if he finds in our college, whatever is going to happen there. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of what is wrong with college sports and that's a whole nother thing we can get into and a whole nother day, because it takes even more time. We're going to get into it a little bit more here, just after the break. Here we're going to have a quick break. We're going to come back. Scary is going to be hopping on here, scary Alvarez. We're going to talk Badgers. Badgers have transfer portal news. Not good news, maybe not good news, I don't know. We'll be right back here on Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trades. Welcome back into Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trades. I'm your host, trades. We're coming back.
Speaker 2:It's April 16th, it's a fantastic April 16th, and that is because we have one of our great sponsors here at the show Foreman's Hardware. They offer everything from home essentials to farm supplies, house to farm, grills to drills. Foreman Hardware has got you covered. House to farm grills to drills, foreman hardware has got you covered. Visit today in loyal kobe or medford, wisconsin there. Tell them trade sent, you, get five percent off. Nothing better, nothing better this time of year. Get all your spring essentials. Tell them trade sent, you get five percent off. I can't think of a better deal right now anywhere out there than at foreman's hardware there in loyal kobe and medford, wisconsin there. So hey, I mentioned before we went to the break we were talking about the mess that is college football right now. I wanted to get a guy that I see as an expert on Wisconsin sports. He tells me he's not, but I think he's an expert on it. I got the scary Alvarez here tonight here on the show Scary, how are we doing tonight?
Speaker 1:Well, I can't answer for you, but I'm doing pretty well as usual. Got a goblet of sherry wine to my side and ready to get cooking. And, by the way, I want to say Foreman's Hardware, just an elite hardware store. Whenever I'm in central Wisconsin, north central Wisconsin, and I have a hardware need, they're cooking buddy. That's all I'm going to say.
Speaker 2:There we go. That is what we needed right there. That is what we needed From Scary himself. Get yourself in to Foreman's Hardware there. So we have lots to get into. Because we were talking about it a little bit, we were messaging back and forth there. But the Wisconsin Badgers right now. Can you make sense of the mess? That is what is going on in the transfer portal or what is going on? The transfer is coming in. Now they're leaving. What is going on in Wisconsin?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know it's a good question and I want to properly orient everyone for what's happening. The transfer portal opens up again tomorrow officially. I'm sure some people knew that already, and so the fact that there are a bunch of people announcing right now, both in Madison and across the country at 100 other schools, that's not a surprise. That's kind of timing-wise. This is when it was going to start happening. Now we can get into I'm not sure how much you want me to get into here on this, but we can get into the who's, what's and where's and why's of the people who are now in the portal.
Speaker 1:And we're sitting right now at Cozeal although I'm not sure it's official yet, we all know Cozeal's gone. Mark although I'm not sure it's official yet, we all know Cozio's gone. Mark Hamper, who it is official with, and then Quincy Burroughs, the receiver, who came over from Cincinnati a few years ago, has now gone and there are going to be more guys because obviously the depth charts and things like that have shaken out over the spring practices and guys kind of know where they stand right now relative to where they might have a month ago, and it's just. That's a fact. We're going to see other guys leave and of course I don't think I'm spoiling anything here we're going to have some additional guys come in too, so it's going to be a fun, fun.
Speaker 2:Next six weeks or so. That's the thing is. You got to look at it from both sides. Right, you're going to have guys leaving, but you're going to have guys coming in and Luke Fickle, I mean, he doesn't really seem concerned. He said you know, according to Dylan Graff this is the quote that he got there he said this isn't for everybody, right, this is a grown man's league and this is a grown man's game, and if guys don't understand that, then this isn't the right thing for them. It is what it is. I mean, that's the luke feckles at. He's like, if I'm gonna sit here and complain and I'm gonna worry about it, I'm not gonna get this program heading in the right direction. So I mean, we're talking about the losses of these guys. Is there a bigger impact than the tight end room? Losing a tight end like that into back into the transfer portal there, because now you're back at square one with, I guess, ashcraft, right?
Speaker 1:You know, I've had a kind of an evolution of how I thought about this, the more I learn about Cozeal, the way he went about his business in practice, or maybe perhaps didn't go about his business in practice- and I'm not here to bash kids.
Speaker 1:That's not I said off camera, that's not my thing, but I do want to give some flavor and texture to the things that are happening. I would have thought this was an absolute disaster a month ago if I would have said, hey, in a month from now, this elite maybe not elite, but very, very strong portal guy you got out of Ball State, entered the portal that quickly. What I understand is that and I think you kind of played it in nicely with Fickle's quote they run tough practices, they get up early. This is not a country club, and so there are going to be in every recruiting cycle and every transfer portal cycle, a couple of people, sometimes more than a couple, and that doesn't mean everyone who transfers has this mindset. But there are going to be a few of these guys who it's hard to say if they're different than they thought it was going to be.
Speaker 1:I believe Cozio might be one of those guys. I think he's kind of a finesse guy. He's very talented. This isn't about his ability. I think he would have been a real nice pass catcher, a real good red zone guy. But did he want to be blocking? Did he want to be getting into the trenches and and and you know, mixing up. I'm not so sure, based on what I've heard that that was his thing. Uh, and so I I feel like he came in, he got a glimpse of what luke fickle football, wisconsin football is, and I think we're getting back to the hard nose. Uh, you know, jeff grimes system is going to be reminiscent, I think, of some of the things we've seen in the past before the ill-fated Longo era, and he decided it wasn't for him and he took off.
Speaker 1:I don't think that's a loss. I think you always want someone to work out, but I am not lamenting Mark Hamper transferring one iota. Mark Hamper transferring one iota and the fact that Tucker Ashcraft is having a really nice camp and seems to be putting it together certainly better than he did last year. I think we're going to be okay. I think that's a position that's going to utilize the tight ends better and I think Ashcraft is going to do just fine. You know that's one thing.
Speaker 1:Hamper is another guy and now we're kind of. You know, he kind of did a little bit of a shot across the bow in his all thanks to God, all that stuff he did in his statement, but he did a little bit of a I wasn't understood, or something like that. And I just get the same vibes from Hamper. And so when I see people, both Wisconsin fans and Gopher fans or Hawkeye fans laughing and saying, oh, what is Fickles sucks, these guys are leaving. Fans or Hawkeye fans laughing and saying, oh, what is Fickle, fickle sucks, these guys are leaving. I'm telling you I don't really for these two dudes. I don't put this on Fickle at all. I really don't. I mean, unless you want to say like he should have known them better before they transferred, I feel like these are guys who are not good culture fits and if you believe the insiders, so to speak, speak, hamper was not a starter, he wasn't going to be starting this year.
Speaker 1:I mean, who knows? There are a lot of different systems and he would. He probably would have gotten the field. Is he gonna put him up? But that's not a name. You're hearing a lot early on and and of course he's been sitting out for a while.
Speaker 1:But I guess and I'm gonna have people saying, scary, that's just coat man, that's scary coat. I get that all the time. It's not cope. I don't need to cope with anything. I call it like I see it. I think we're going to be okay without Hamper and Cozier. I think we're going to be just fine. I think the locker room is probably a better place without those guys. It's going to be all right. Quincy Burroughs is the third one. Everything I in 2023.
Speaker 1:So I don't have a reason other than the guy just can't get on the field. You know, in games I was hopeful and, as I mentioned earlier this the fact that the portal just opened up and of course, this is where a lot of guys jump off this is a good indication of maybe where the depth chart was looking, as practice spring practice starts to kind of head towards the end of the sessions and my guess is he wasn't in the too deep and he's a talented kid who's fast, has ball skills, the boundary guy that we really wanted but just didn't quite develop, apparently in in three Springs, and he'll find another place and it'll be okay. So none of this is out of the ordinary. If you look at other schools, hal had four running backs going to the portal on the same day. This is not.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying we're aspiring to be Justin Wilcox and the Golden Bears, but what I'm saying is everyone looks at their program. We have fewer transfers right now than most quality programs in the country. Because that's just how crazy the portal is. Anyway, I'm going to step aside. But that's just how crazy the portal is, anyway, craig, I'm going to step aside. But that's where I am right now, kind of as a preliminary matter on some of these big news items today.
Speaker 2:You hit the nail on the head. You did. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. These guys weren't up on the depth chart. They were, like you said with Cole Zeal, a little bit soft in your opinion, which that could very well be. He got used to the Jeff Grimes system. He said I'm not a part of this, I wanted to be a part of an air raid. I'm not a part of this ground and pound, I want to play in the trenches kind of football.
Speaker 2:I love that answer because that explains everything and it comes back to the point, the thing that I talked about in the first section of the show, the first segment of the show, and it's my problem with the transfer portal. Guys don't know how to fail. They don't know how to fail anymore. That's where we're at with the transfer portal. Guys get knocked down on the depth chart right To the second string, whatever it is. And you know what? For a guy like Quincy Burroughs, I don't know if he was ever going to see the field of Madison. Okay, that's fine.
Speaker 2:Like it sucks. It absolutely sucks, because you're not teaching these guys anything anymore. I get it's a professional league now. Guys are being paid NIL, everything like that. I get all that and that hoopla and everything like that and the transfer portal is meant for it, right, I get it, but I hate it. I absolutely hate it because, like Tom Izzo said, like all these great coaches that have been in the past, what, what are they? What are we really coaching anymore? We're just letting guys jump around. I just saw aj stores going to old miss now that's his school, eighth school.
Speaker 2:In eight years he went to four high schools and four colleges. That's ridiculous. There has to be. There has to be something that prevents these guys from just being able to. Oh yeah, I'm going to join up with the Badgers here. Oh, at the end of spring I'm leaving, see ya? Oh well, what's Luke Fickle supposed to do now? He's like I was just planning on this guy to be my starting tight end. Now it's like crap. Okay, now I got to go back into the portal and hope that I find another guy. I wasn't worried about it, but now I have to worry about it again. It's ridiculous. Like I don't know. In your opinion and I talked about this a little bit in the first segment of the show, but in your opinion, do contracts need to be brought into this? Because we are professional? Now we're making money, right, we're making money. Ask Nico. Right, he wants four mil from Tennessee. Like we're making money. Now Do contracts have to be involved?
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, yeah, they do need to be more formal, because there are contracts.
Speaker 1:Cozio has a contract either with the collective, the school or both, just like the gentleman who departed from Miami. It needs to be more formal. There needs to be more guidance. So I want to back up a little bit because I feel I need to properly define my general feeling on NIL and things like that. I am generally very pro player. They have been absolutely unequivocally taken advantage of for a hundred years by big money conferences and teams and sponsors. I love the fact that players are getting a share of the. I think that's great. But you need to have some semblance of order to it or you're going to have this Wild West show where, for example, xavier Lucas, there's literally, like the NCAA says you don't even have to enter the portal, you can just go to Miami. That became a new rule that day. The NCAA just said, oh okay.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, the NCAA is spending tens of thousands of dollars on high-priced New York and Chicago lawyers to fight 904 Korean for getting an extra year of eligibility, when the guy missed a full season almost and then was injured another season. What are we doing here? It's the willingness. So there needs to be frankly, and we don't need to get into politics here. But a great thing Congress could do right now is take some of that energy and stop the partisan bickering. Get together, have a kumbaya and get a workable logical landscape for college sports and NIL. What a great accomplishment. I mean. It's such a huge thing for America's soul and happiness is having these college sports. You go across the country on Saturday afternoons throughout the fall and it's magical. It's things you can't create. It's almost like a fairytale land and it makes people happy and it's not giving the proper amount of attention. So that's kind of where I'm high level. Now, getting back down to the Badgers and the things you're saying, as far as contracts, I think Fickle has done everything he can possibly do short of there being legislation and rules in place. You can hear the frustration in his voice. He's like we can't and it goes with whether they're going to cut the roster size and scholarship numbers, which of course, is out there now. He's like I have these guys that brought in a scholarship. I'm going to have to look in the eye in a couple months and say you're off scholarship now. This is the worst time to be a football coach in the history of football. So I have some sympathy and some grace for Luke Fickle. I think there are criticisms that can be levied against him, not the least of which his choice in offensive coordinator, which he would immediately tell you was a horrible regret picking Longo. But I do have some sympathy for him and the stuff he has to deal with People saying Leonard and Chris, they would have been fine.
Speaker 1:Paul Chris would have taken a jump off a cliff having to deal with anything to do with this stuff. He hated where the direction was going. That's why Wisconsin's recruiting class was 67 heading into halfway through his last season. It was going the wrong direction. It's why we had a former Wisconsin center as a running backs coach that was going to hell in a handbasket. Leonard might have been fine, but Leonard was still learning the ropes. It would have been, I think, a disaster In terms of this thing if it was just coaching. Leonard would have been fine. I love Leonard. He gets his guys in there and coaches, but dealing with the NIL and all this BS stuff, it would have been a disaster. Pickle's the right guy for that. He's got the mindset, he's got the CEO mindset, but he hasn't been good enough on the coaching end and I think that's what he's trying to remedy right now. I love the Grimes hire. I love the new harder edged, hard nose get back to the basics attitude that we're having. That should make Wisconsin fans really happy.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I mean I'm kind of answering six different ways. Yes, you need a system, a coherent system in place for NIL that makes sense, that makes the playing field as even as it can be. When you have the CEO of Dyke spending for one school and Dan Katz giving some money for Barstool for another school, these playing fields are not level, but let's make them as level as we can be. Mlb at least has some rules. Even though the Yankees and Brewers are different stratospheres, there's some rules where you can find success at the lower, lower levels of payroll. I'm going all over the place, man, but that's that's generally where I am and and and you know it's not, it's not. I think I came in kind of hot against Hamper and Cozio. It's not nothing against these guys. I want these guys to be successful and put some money in their pockets.
Speaker 2:It's great. They just want the right guys for this program. That's my vibe and and and hopefully they end up somewhere where they're happy. I, I, I love that take. I love that take. On there, I agree with you. I thought nil was necessary. I think the problem was they opened up the floodgates and they didn't just let the water trickle first, they just said screw it and just open it up and let players have basically control over the whole system. There was no limits. There was.
Speaker 2:Why is the transfer portal open up? Well, the season's still going on. That's my biggest question with the basketball, because we're having March Madness and the transfer portal is open. So guys are coaching their players, trying to recruit players, asking their players if they're going to stay. It's ridiculous. I just think, like you said, there's a contract but there's not a contract. There isn't something binding them. There's supposed to be something binding them right to like the Xavier Lucas situation that we know and we all love that situation, right and still, who knows what the heck even ended up happening there. But I mean there has to be something that says, hey, this guy, this is how I feel they need, something that says this guy is locked in for at least this year. Right, when he sends that, he signs that NIL deal, he's locked in for the university for this year.
Speaker 2:I understand it's supposed to be school comes first, but that's gone. We know that like it is it is, now it's athletics come first. We know that now, with these guys, money comes first. Nico we just saw that at Tennessee doesn't care, right, he doesn't care. They were going to sit out of the playoffs. There was multiple guys who wanted more money going into the playoffs, otherwise they were going to sit out. That's ridiculous. There's no pride in schools anymore. There's nothing.
Speaker 2:So I agree with you. I love what Luke Fickle's doing. Get me the guys that want to be here, not the guys who are here for money. Get me the guys that want to be in Madison, who want to play football, who want to play tough, hard-nosed football. That's the guys I want. I love that, because that's what I love about Greg Gardner. He wants the guys who want to play in Madison, not the AJ Storrs. I don't want none of that. He said AJ, I loved you for a year but, dude, see you later. I'm not matching, I'm not doing any of this crap. You want to be here. You want to be here. If you don't, you don't, I'll help you. If you want help, that's it Out the door. That's what I love about Greg Gard. You don't want to be here.
Speaker 1:See you later, like yeah, we're not gonna try too hard for you that's well said, that's all well said. And like, look, luke fickle probably spends a half an hour before he goes to bed every single night regretting that he didn't do this two years ago, because I think it's who he is and I don't know. Look, a lot of us were super excited about long ago I'm not gonna pretend that there wasn't like it was tantalizing. It's like you have a really reliable car that's worked a long time, a minivan that's great, or a Cherokee, and you have this Maserati and it's like, hey, wisconsin is going to do all this cool stuff. So I understand the appeal of it. But Luke, in his heart of hearts, and probably well beyond his heart of hearts, would would freely tell you that was a terrible mistake and if you would have gone with a grimes type initially, I think wisconsin, there would have been bumps and bruises there. That's just the way it is with new programs. Because it's a very, I tell you I I did jack nelson podcast, had jack nelson on our uh tackle that just just left. Wish we had a bachelor year, um, but he just goes. It was just such a different system, just different, different, different. But he, he said good things about both of them and he said what you just said about wisconsin.
Speaker 1:Right now the vibe is we want guys who want to be here, tough guys. Not the guys want the fancy fendi bag or something, not the guys who it's not to say kids can't get rich playing for wisconsin, because some of them can, but like they want the tough, mean potatoes. Guys who are going to go in there and want to bleed badger red and yeah, you need some four stars in there. Certainly you're never going to have the same roster ohio state does. It's the reality of it. Till the money equal out. It's not going to equal out in time soon. Uh, but he has a vision for the program now. I think that that he kind of had maybe in the back of his mind. I think it's coming to fruition now with grimes in there and uh, yeah, I'm, I'm uh.
Speaker 1:Look you track. You've seen the schedule. You know, you know what's in front of this team this year. It is depending on the, you know the, the aggregator that you look at, the source you look at it is almost a consensus top 10 NCAA schedule. The one I loved was the one that was Wisconsin and nine SEC teams. Wisconsin was fourth in terms of the difficulty of schedule. You don't like seeing Wisconsin and Alabama having the same schedule and I know Barry Alvarez is looking at that Alabama game down Tuscaloosa going, you know, in 2019 or 2018, whatever that was.
Speaker 1:That seemed like such a great idea. And we're playing in the Big Ten West and we would have Purdue and Northwestern and Minnesota and Nebraska. He wasn't thinking in 2025 we're going to have, you know, a road game against Michigan, ohio State, a road game against Oregon, a road game against a good Indiana team, a really good Mac team in Miami coming in a road game. It's going to be a terrible. So this is going to be a daunting schedule that might make things seem worse than they actually are, but I feel very confident that Fickle is going to put a product on the field this year that is going to feel competitive. I'm not sure what that win total is going to look like, but it's going to be. It's. Possibly you could have a four win team in 2025 that looks and feels and performs significantly better than the five win team last year and the seven win team from 2023 is that fair?
Speaker 2:yes, that is exactly what I have said. I have said if luke this is my biggest problem with luke fickle, and this is when I watch these games, when I watch them get blown out, it looks terrible, like it doesn't look like football, it doesn't look like Wisconsin football, it looks absolutely ugly. I don't even want to watch the game. It doesn't have the room.
Speaker 1:It didn't have the room last year against Minnesota, nebraska Didn't have the room, iowa didn't have the room.
Speaker 2:I agree, I agree 100%, and that's where I look at this season. I say I asked people, I said how do you measure the success of the Badgers this season? Because you can't go wins and losses like that, that is. That's hard to do, wins and losses. I said it's about the product and what it looks like when it goes out If you play competitive games. But the thing with it is you got to get your one signature win. That is what Luke Fickle has missed every single year. Is that signature win? Where are you at when it comes to the Big Ten? Because the Big Ten's tiers right. You got Oregon, ohio State, you know those teams are up at the top.
Speaker 2:Where does Wisconsin fit in? That's what I think we need to find out. Like, are they there with Iowa yet? Because after last season, I can't say we're there After Minnesota, say we're there after Minnesota, I we're, we're ahead of Minnesota, I hope. Right, I don't like PJ flack, but I mean where do the Badgers fit in? That's what I want to find out. Are we on the tier with those teams that were supposed to like we beat the teams we're supposed to be? Where are we in a tier now? Are we right above them? Are we with Iowa? Are we with Minnesota? Where did the Badgers fit in? That's what I want to find out this year. It's like can Luke Fickle beat the teams he's supposed to beat and beat the teams that are right there with him?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's. I mean, I think that's a good baseline and the reality is it's tricky in the sense of, like the head-to-head stuff is there, but the stuff with you know who ends up with the best record, minnesota is preposterously easy. They do have some tough games. I think they'll play Ohio State, I think they'll start this, but it's easy. Nebraska's schedule is easy. Iowa's schedule is easy. I don't mean easy like ours is going to be easier in 26 because it is easier. It's easy like the kind of ones we had in 2019, 2018. I mean, I'm sorry. I mean I love those teams, I love those guys. I'm a big Paul Chris fan, but he had such easy schedules compared to now.
Speaker 1:And Fickle makes reference. He goes this isn't the Big Ten you're used to, this is the new Big Ten, and she's like we can't whine about it. It's the reality. But Wisconsin, this is their 24 and 25 where they're bad, they're tough ones, and then it goes back to being a little bit better next year. Fickle needs to. Getting back to your question, it's the eye test, you know it when you see it.
Speaker 1:Yep, 100%, and so two levels. You said we need a signature win. I think that's true. But more important than a signature win is you've got to win at least two or three with Iowa, illinois and Minnesota. You've got to win two of those games at least, and if you win all three, I don't want to say it's house money, but if you win those three games I think things are going to be okay. Yeah, with the rest of your season. That's going to be strongly, a strong indication, because those three schools you can make an argument at the end of last season this includes minnesota, which we are a superior program in quotes than minnesota. They were a better team than us and if you watch those teams play at the end of last season the Camp Randall you had no question which was the better. Like that wasn't an upset. Minnesota was better than us at that moment. Minnesota, there's that heart. Pj was coaching well, it was a complete debacle.
Speaker 1:So that you know I don't want to give Fickle too free a pass. I think he's a talented coach who's had a bad run of it, but that still happened under his watch. I know there was no offensive coordinator in that game and there's all, but that's, that's the bet. He's laying it man. So and you know he's not the kind of guy to to run from stuff. He's owned that behind the scenes, in front of the scenes. He owns it and he's trying to get better and he he has a people always say chicken ride with fickle at at cincinnati.
Speaker 1:Was it his assistants or was it him? Because you look at what his assistants are doing, you got the best offensive coordinator in possibly college football up at notre dame right now was his offensive coordinator. But then like fickle, like found and groomed that guy. That's a fickle guy. So it's not. You can't say you look fickle, nothing to do with that, it's a. So we need to have that same level of success with these assistants he has right now in Madison. We need to you know Devin. To you know, get that, keep that running back room cranking. We need Blazek to you know, keep moving along in a very about losing our left tackle for the year. But what a people were saying are you feeling bummed about the portal? No, I don't feel bummed at all about the portal at all. I felt horrified losing Kevin Haywood. That was a much more significant piece of news for the Wisconsin Badgers than all three of these guys combined, and it's not even close yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I would agree.
Speaker 1:I mean it's hard to replace offensive linemen, that's for sure. But the Badgers are going to try. They got guys in the room. We're going to see how it works out. Right, untest it. You know. I looked at Barrett Nelson's stuff at Vanderbilt. He's got a couple of SEC academic, all first teams. That's his calling card right now. So I don't know, man. I mean you know that's not not to shake it, you know not to make fun of good academics. And Vanderbilt's, of course, a wonderful school. But it's remains to be seen and if you listen to the camp reports, there's a pretty big drop off between the first team and second team on that offensive line this spring. So we shall see, my friend.
Speaker 2:I can't wait to find out there. But scary, hey, I got to run. We are woefully late for a break, holy crap. We are way late for a break here. But scary, make sure let everybody know where to find you out there, because you've got great stuff across social media. Let them know where to find you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know. Look, I got a podcast. Oh, look, it's right there in my face. It's called the Scary Albrows Podcast. It's a fun one. It's on the YouTubes. You got to tune in there. Also, I upload the longer ones with guests to Spotify for those of y'all who like to listen in your car. And you know, I'm on TwitterX, whatever the hell y'all call it nowadays the kids are calling it, but it's that thing where people complain a bitch about everything. But yeah, man, it's a really appreciate you having me on and I'm, I'm, you know, happy to jump on and share my opinions. But I, despite the sad day with the portal stuff and the stuff with Haywood, I like the vibes in that room right now for this football team. I'll leave it at that. The vibes in that room right now for this football team. I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 2:I love to hear it. I love to hear it there. We're going to have to have you back here pretty soon, scary. We're going to have to talk more Badgers here because we got Badger football. The transfer portal is just opening up, right, so we got to talk Badger football transfer portal. We got Badger basketball all kinds of stuff we can talk about there. So welcome back into wisconsin sports. On the go with trade. I'm your host, trade. I hope you guys really enjoyed that.
Speaker 2:Last segment. There was scary. That was awesome having them on there. Make sure you guys are checking them across social media there. We'll definitely have them back here to talk badgers at some point in the near future there, because that was awesome. That was us right. A little bit longer there before the commercial break there. So that was awesome, though we got a lot covered in a short amount of time there. But hey, we got to flip to the commercial break there. So that was awesome, though. We got a lot covered in a short amount of time there, but hey, we got to flip to another commercial break here just because you know you got to meet the quota right, so we got to hit another commercial break here.
Speaker 2:We're going to come back. Kyle's going to join me. We're going to talk bucks, because bucks Pacers coming up here in a this next weekend we it's right around the corner. We got playoff basketball and the NBA. We want to get to that. We're going to talk NBA. We're going to talk Bucs. We're going to talk about it all. Kyle's going to be joining us. We'll be right back here on Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trach. After this quick message from our sponsors, welcome back into Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trach. I'm your host, trach. We're coming back. It is april 16th, a fantastic april 16th, and this next segment of the show is sponsored by a great sponsor of ours marshfield motor speedway, the half mile paved track just three miles west of marshfield on county road h. Find upcoming events and races at marshfieldspeedwaycom that is, marshfieldspeedwaycom there. So I got kyle with me tonight here from chomping at the Bit podcast over there. Kyle, how are we doing on this Wednesday?
Speaker 4:I'm good. You know it's playoff basketball time. I love this time of the year and I'm excited to talk about it once again with you. So yeah can't complain at all.
Speaker 2:I'm stoked, we're just stoked. Playoff basketball is right around the corner here in the NBA, so we cannot wait. We cannot wait here, but before we get there, before we get there, like you guys, I mentioned earlier in the show there, aaron, he's had prior, or not prior, but other obligations, right. So he's had to step away from the show here for the foreseeable future. But hey, we still got to do the Mellow Yellow Minute, so Kyle will be a part of the Mellow Yellow Minute tonight here.
Speaker 2:I've heard this stupid thing, Kyle, it drives me nuts. It drives me nuts. Scientists have brought back the dire wolf. It's like a three-foot-tall dog that I mean. It's bigger than a wolf. Let's go with that. It's bigger than the biggest wolf. I don't know why we need If anybody has watched the Game of Thrones, which I made it through like two episodes, I make it to, I try to watch it, I really do.
Speaker 2:I sit down and I'm like I'm going to watch Game of Thrones and I did get through two episodes and that's as far as I can make it. But anyways, the dire wolf is in game of thrones. So they bring back this dire wolf and I don't know why. It seems like this is not going. What is the benefit that's? I always want to figure out what the benefit is. What's the benefit of bringing back a three foot tall wolf like I? We need more predators in the wild. I, I have no idea what. What is the best that I know? We bring it back. So I'm going to ask Kyle here tonight Kyle, what animal, what animals let's go top three would Trage bring back if he could?
Speaker 4:Look, I'm going to throw out one. Yeah, I'm going to throw out this. Guess I'm going to go the Tasmanian tiger.
Speaker 2:That's a bold. That is a bold take. That would be awesome. Yeah, without this, guess I'm going to go with the Tasmanian Tiger. That's a bold. That is a bold take. That would be awesome. I would take. I'm going to go. Yeah, I'd bring the Tasmanian Tiger back. I'd bring him back. I like that one. I'd bring him back there. We'll say number three, that would be my top, that would be the third.
Speaker 4:I'd go with. Third, I feel like another one is one that most people kind of think of, because the name is kind of fun to say it's got to be the Dodo.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's number one. Oh, my God, I was talking to my grandma, I was talking to my cousin about this. I'm like why do you bring back a dire wolf? Bring back something funny like the Dodo bird. Yeah, it has no point. No point to the Dodo bird. It just waddles around, it just makes a lot of noise. It made me laugh in the movie up. What else do you want, like that, a dodo bird, that's what we need. I, I'm all for the dodo bird. Number one, number one on the list. You want to bring something back? Bring back the dodo bird next.
Speaker 4:Guess I could go a couple of ways with this, but I think for like sheer shock value, the woolly mammoth, because you imagine one of those walking around how people would freak out, so I'd go with that I'd take the woolly mammoth.
Speaker 2:I would. I've heard scientists told me that it would benefit global warming. I don't know what that means. It would like they stomp ice down. I don't know. People tell me they stomp ice down. I don't know. People tell me things and I'm like why don't we just send people up there with jackhammers then I have no idea. I feel like it'd be the same, it'd be a tradeoff. Why do we need a wall mammoth when we have jackhammers? I don't know.
Speaker 2:All I know is I've watched Jurassic Park. There has to be bring back, because there's a reason why they make movies like that, so we don't make dinosaurs, that's. That's the darn truth. Because, guess what, it didn't go well. They made a movie about it and as much as they put a cage around a t-rex, it always ended up finding its way out. That's all I know. So we need to avoid that at all costs.
Speaker 2:So there you go, mel yellow minute there from with kyle, with kyle tonight here. That was fantastic, there, kyle. So I want to get over to the Bucs. Let's talk a little Bucs. Let's talk a little NBA. We're going to carry this on. I mean, we're nearing the top of the show here, but we might carry this over into the second hour of the show there. Make sure you guys know, like I always tell you guys, goodness gracious, we're on for two hours now, maybe drive around the block one more time, I don't know Just stay in your car. That's what you got to do. You got to check out the second out of the show here.
Speaker 1:So Kyle.
Speaker 2:I saw this question and I had to ask it. Bootholzer got fired down in Phoenix. Doc's kind of like Buck fans don't really want Doc anymore. They're kind of like let's get rid of Doc. I don't know how Giannis feels we actually Buck fans don't really want Doc anymore. They're kind of like let's get rid of Doc. I don't know how Giannis feels the only reason why Doc's still there is because Giannis still wants him. But if you're the Bucks, do you flirt with the idea of we haven't really been the same since Budenholzer left? Do you flirt with the idea of maybe a reunion with Budenholzer? Letting Doc walk out the door, go on his way. You've had your day. It hasn't been well. I mean, what part of this Bucs tenureship for Doc Rivers has been good? I don't know. Somebody tell me that. So I mean, what do you think? Do you flirt with the idea of Budenholzer coming back? I don't know. I feel like it's a love-hate relationship at this point.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Can you right, I think the players still, I think you still like the players, like we saw Giannis and him kind of chatting it up on the sideline. Giannis made sure to go say hi and everything like that. But in your opinion, do you bring Boone Holzer back or do you just kind of let that one walk?
Speaker 4:away. I think the Bucs let that one walk away, because when I look at Budenhoser, I look at Doc, I feel like they're kind of similar in the fact that when people look at Doc's coaching record, your first thought is man, that Celtics championship he led them to in 08 was a long time ago and it's like he's dragged every bit of juice out of that. I think with Budenhoser, when you look at it, it's like you know, in Atlanta he had a 60-win team but then they quickly went off the cliff after. That led to him being relieved. Then he's with the Bucs and they up and win a title with him. But it seemed like it was kind of going downhill from there. So it's either Boone Holzer needs a certain type of team or whatever.
Speaker 4:I don't think you go back to Boone Holzer because I think you're almost getting more of the same that you have with Doc. I think the Bucs kind of have to like swing for the fences, like you have some big names out there, mike Malone's out there, I mean I don't know. I mean I guess the question would be Mike Malone and Giannis, would they mesh? Well, I think for Giannis he just wants somebody who's going to get this team back to winning. That's Giannis' drive. Amongst all this, he won one, he wants another one. So I would pass on budenhoser and maybe try for, like a mike malone or, you know, taylor jenkins, like somebody who would bring something different. I think budenhoser is just extending out what you had with doc and what you had with budenhoser before I like mike malone I.
Speaker 2:I think he demands a hard-working group and I think that's what kind of led to his demise, which which he, they just the players didn't feel. They're like oh, you're being too tough, right, and that's where I think a lot of these coaches kind of run into a wall nowadays. Yeah, it seems like a guy like you said, he just wants to win and he wants to work hard to get there and I think that move, I just can you handle. Another Adrian Griffin, move, right. They get Adrian Griffin. He does well, but they don't like him. So then they move on from him. They bring in a guy like Doc halfway through, right, you have a winning record, you move on from him. You haven't had that same kind of record since then.
Speaker 2:So what was the problem? I think the Bucs need to come back to what's the problem, what's the real problem? Don't keep looking at coaches and saying that head coaches are our problem. Let's find the root of the problem. Maybe, just maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm just talking crazy, maybe I'm talking crazy for a second here, kyle, but I think there's a deeper, rooted problem. Then let's just keep kicking the head coaches out the door, because if adrian griffin had a very good record and then when he left it went sideways, what's the problem? I don't know. It might be a common theme of you. Let one guy make all the decisions for this basketball team and maybe he might have the best interest in mind, but at the same time, sometimes what he wants is not the best. Just a thought.
Speaker 2:Just a thought. I don't know if it's a great thought, I don't know if you want to take off yannis in the process, but just a thought in my opinion there. So, kyle, we saw that altercation between malik beasley and yannis over the weekend and I guess I just want to get your take on it from the outside perspective. You know, looking at it, was yannis out of line? Was beasley out of line? Was anybody really out of line? Because we saw it after, you know, after the game there, beasley took to Twitter and then the next day they were buddy, buddy, fine again. Was it just an overreaction or are guys kind of they reach a peak with Giannis's goofiness? And because we've seen it with Jalen Brown too, right, I mean, you saw with your Celtics there with Brown, he didn't really take really kindly to Giannis. He's a goof, right. Is that a problem? Is that becoming a problem around the league in your eyes?
Speaker 4:No, I don't think so. I feel like people kind of know how to deal with Giannis and what aspect of him you kind of take seriously as opposed to what you don't. I think that you know, he and beasley I feel like that was this, that was like a no, it was a non-factor, I don't. I feel like it was probably a bit of an overreaction, but it's kind of seems like it's something that yannis does where he likes to be a troll at times. So he has this part of him where he will try to kind of get under people's skin and it usually just annoys them because we saw it. I mean, you brought jalen brown. He also had with, uh, al horford, you know. So I think it's just part of who he is. I feel like it doesn't become a problem if he tries to be somebody that he isn't.
Speaker 4:And I think around the league he's probably well-respected for his work ethic and his ability, the uniqueness of his skill set. But I do think little things like this are, you know, because of regular occurrence, that is something that can kind of hurt your stance around the league. And, look, it may get to the point where some players may be like, yeah, I wouldn't play in Milwaukee because of Giannis's I don't know if you want to call it childish or whatever part of them so I think that's what makes it interesting to see the next coming years. If we start seeing free agents not wanting to go there, in the back of your mind you might have to wonder does Giannis put people off? So I think he and Beasley is a non-factor right now, but now it is something you might have to think about going forward.
Speaker 2:I think it's just kind of crazy because it's just fun, right. It'd be different if he was trash talking. He's not really trash Like, he's not doing it. These guys have got to know he's not doing it to trash talk you. He's just doing it to have good fun, because why not have fun playing the game you love? That's the way he wants to play it and I, just like you said and guys take exception, guys get a little, you know, irritated by it. They're maybe not having a good day. It comes all back and you just hope that it doesn't drive guys away because they're like the leader of that team is kind of a child and it's like, ah well, you know it's a good time though. So hopefully, hopefully, they think business and not childish. I don't know At the end of the day there, but I don't know at the end of the day there. But I completely agree with you that it was an overreaction, I would say on both sides of it. There.
Speaker 1:Giannis didn't really care, like he kind of just moved on from Beasley, freaked out on Twitter and then the next day was like oh you know, we're good, right, gave a hug everything, dame and him, we're all good so I mean we're glad to see it, glad to see it there.
Speaker 2:Um, so I was looking at and just before we got to get to the break here pretty soon and then we'll talk a little bit more on the back side of that break there but looking at the bucks and this hot streak that they've been on right going into the playoffs here, they had what an eight game win streak heading into the playoffs end of the season. Two straight wins against the pistons. There they had a huge, a huge win against the timberwolves. I don't think there's enough people talking about that game against the timberwolves where they had a 24 point run there. They 39 to 8 in the last 10 minutes was the margin there. I mean that's nuts, something you don't hear about in the nba too often.
Speaker 2:39 to 8, that run that they put on at one point. It was what a 23 to 0 run or something like that that they put together. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's great defense, that's great on the box all the way around. You did it without damn. I mean I'm looking at this last little run they put together that eight game win streak without damn. That's the big thing. That's the key ticker that I want to put into this. How much stock, in your opinion, do you put into that eight game win streak? Because for me I'm looking at I'm like it speaks volumes me because you're going into the playoffs hot, but you prove to me that you can win without game. You can beat some competitive teams right, the timber wolves, the pistons, twice right, you beat some competitive teams.
Speaker 2:The second game against the pistons didn't really matter because nobody was really playing, but the game before that, yes, you're still playing for seating, everything like that. So I mean you beat some good teams along the way, you beat some teams that were, and, but you also, in those games, saw some of these guards take a step, right porter take a step, rollins take a step. So, in your opinion, how big, or how you know, impactful, are these last eight games for the bucks heading into the playoffs around that eight game win streak?
Speaker 4:yeah, look, you definitely want to go in with some momentum on your side, get some good play on tape before you get into the second season and I think with this team, especially because we know Dame won't be available at least early on in the playoffs. It gives Doc and the evaluators on the team a chance to see, you know, who could fill those day minutes in a playoff situation going forward. Because regular season is one thing. The playoffs are a completely different animal. Where you're dealing with, you know, hostile environments. When you're on the road, you're at home, raucous crowds that are expecting you to play a certain way. That can be overwhelming to certain players.
Speaker 4:So you know you, you might gain some confidence in in some of these guys with their play during this stretch that you know. You put them on the court in the postseason. Maybe they play a little bit better, their intensity is a little bit higher, their awareness is a little bit. You know more. There is a little bit more aware as to the situation on the court. So, yeah, going into the playoffs on a hot streak is nothing to necessarily look past, because good play and momentum can carry you through a first round series against an opponent where you might be evenly matched and you're looking for just that little bit of an edge that could lead you into a series win. So, yeah, there's definitely nothing bad about going into the playoffs on a hot streak.
Speaker 2:Love that, and you hit a key point in there talking about some of the guards getting some very good minutes there over that eight-game stretch. So I want to talk more about that when we come back here. We got kyle. He's gonna be back here at the top side of the hour. Here we're gonna talk more bucks. We're gonna talk nba playoffs. Can't wait to talk about it. We'll be back here after this quick commercial break.
Speaker 2:Welcome back into wisconsin sports on the go with trade. I'm your host, trade. We're coming back. It's hour two of wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. We got Kyle here tonight. We're already talking Bucs. We were talking Bucs right before there.
Speaker 2:So if you missed any of the show, make sure you go back. Listen. Itunes, spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, youtube, wherever you get your podcasts. You can find the show there. You've just got to search Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. You can find us there. Like, subscribe, follow. We love you. If you do it there, that'd be awesome there. You can also find us across social media. You can find us anywhere from Facebook, twitter, tiktok, youtube, twitch. You can find us on Twitter, twitch and TikTok. Just search Wisco Sports on the go. You can find us on Facebook and YouTube. Just search Wisco Sports on the go with trades. That's Wisco Sports on the go with trades. You want to text us? Let us know what you're thinking? Hit us up there 715-990-4914. That is 715-990-4914 there.
Speaker 2:So we went to the break. We were talking about that eight-game win streak. The Bucs were on heading into the playoffs there and Kyle brought up a great point there, talking about the guards, right, and you know Porter has been I don't know what happened, right, and you know porter has been. I I don't know what happened, but he meshed and what he has been able to bring to this bucks team. I I didn't expect it to be honest with you, but he has been fantastic as of late here for the bucks, and I mean rollins has been good too, don't get wrong. Ryan rollins has been good too, but porter has been fantastic.
Speaker 2:And I love what you stated there when you said getting these guys valuable minutes heading into the playoff series, not just. You know, scrap time behind dame, whatever it is. No, no, dame was out. So now we know, hey, this is the roster we got, like this is what we got. Bobby came back and they knew that this is what we got and I I love that and I love that point that you brought up there, so I can't wait to see it there, there, and that's the big thing. Right, no Dame, to start the playoffs. Do we believe that these other guards can fill that role somehow, some way? Do you think it's going to be a collective effort that they have to go with to fill that role, or is it going to be? Do you see one guy that can kind of stand out? For the rest, what are you seeing right now, kyle, from this bucks roster, where these guards are going to have to fill a pretty big void?
Speaker 4:yeah, well, look, the. The keys to them is going to be don't think you have to be dame willard, like whether it's rollins or Porter Jr. It's like be the best version of yourself, but understand that when it's the playoffs, each possession takes on a different life. You know the runs and everything like that are things you have to manage. So if you're going to throw Porter or Rollins out there, the confidence has to be not only within Doc but the player that they deserve. Those minutes and confidence alone can take you far.
Speaker 4:So what they have to do is look they, they got a play off of Giannis. Giannis becomes a bigger focal point. So if Giannis kicks it out to you, confidently take your shot, no hesitation, because that all that does is then put a seed of doubt in Giannis or whoever the player is in that if I dribble, drive and I kick it out to you, if you're not going to be ready now, we have to reset and it just puts more of a burden on everybody. So if those guys can go out there and play free and easy, they'll probably be better off. It's if they feel like they need to be dame willard, that's where the the issues may start. So, yeah, you got to do it by committee. You know one guy's got it going, you leave them out there extended minutes of not putting the other guy. Just kind of manage it that way and piece your way through these games right now until dame can't come back.
Speaker 2:I love that. Don't be more than what you are right. Do what you got you here right. Kevin Porter has been fantastic, filling in the role and just utilizing him alongside Giannis, not trying to be too much, just trying to be himself, using him off of ball screens, whatever it is, cutting to the basket, he's been fantastic. Rollins has been fantastic, passing the basketball along with that. So I mean, yes, I completely agree with you. It's like don't be what you're not. Don't try to be Dame, don't try to fill that void, don't try to play hero ball, just be the player that got you to this point. So I completely agree there.
Speaker 2:Uh, jericho Sims also. Doc did say that Jericho Sims will be ready for the playoffs. So that's huge right, getting athletic big back for the playoffs behind Brooke Lopez there you already have Bobby right, but you want to get Jericho Sims back in LDC? Love to see that. I'm looking at this Bucs team and I'm going to ask you, kyle, what role player or players right in your eyes have to come up big for the Bucs in the playoffs If they want to not just get past the Pacers, but maybe even have a chance to. You know, once they get past the Pacers get into a playoff series and play well right they're looking at right now where would they go? They got the Pacers and then probably the Cavs right, so it's going to be a tough series. What role player if not more role players need to step up big time for the Bucs to not just beat the Pacers but to try and put on a playoff run.
Speaker 4:I mean, look, the safe answer would be you need all of them because you don't have Dame and, to a further extent, this is a run where you don't have Chris Middleton to rely on as well. So the spotlight will be on Kuzma. That's the guy you went out and got for Middleton for a reason. That's the guy who was supposed to bring in like an infusion of youth. So you know he struggled against against indiana during the regular season, averaging like nine points. He can't be a nine point per game guy in the seven game set. He has to turn his game up to a level that kind of justifies the trade, because if he no-shows this, fans will just look at it and say we could have kept Middleton.
Speaker 4:If this is what we're going to get from Kuzma and for Kuzma, he can't put pressure on himself. That's going to be the key, because Kuzma's been kind of outside of the playoff picture for a few years, being in Washington or whatever. He can't try to put too much on himself as well. Now his expectations and his responsibility that is raised at a point because without Dame, he's now your number two option and he's gonna have to play like that, like's going to have to be able to take advantage of mismatches that present themselves against a Pacers team that defensively can kind of go through some ebbs and flows with it. And if he can do that then yeah, that gives the Bucs a better shot at it. So I'm going to say Kuzma has to be that role player to step up because of the trade and everything he's. The kuzma has to be that role player to step up because he's because of the trade and everything he's, the guy's gonna be looked at to fill that vacancy from lillard the most okay, I love that, I love that.
Speaker 2:There, I, I would go along the same route if kuzma, if kuzma doesn't take that step forward to be that guy yeah, I mean, you're relying on what brooke lopez, bobby portis at that point there maybe a guy I, I, you could almost say you need a guy like porter or rollins, one of those two to take a step forward, maybe one night, and then the other guy takes that for the next night. Like you need a. You know guys to show up, yeah, but kuzma's got to be a mainstay. You gotta have stars that you know what they're going to give you. If maybe not 40, right, but they're going to give you 20, you gotta have guys like that in that rotation. And I completely agree, I think kuzma is definitely going to be one of those guys for the bucks there. So if the bucks fail, let's okay.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I want to get to the fail part first there, what, but I guess this is where a lot of Bucs fans are worried about. So I want to maybe put their minds at ease, right, maybe you'll put their minds at ease, maybe you'll freak them out even more going into this playoff series. But if the Bucs fail to advance in the playoffs? Are you worried about Giannis? Because I've seen a lot of of people talking like we saw what was it? Marcus? I think it was marcus morris who is on espn now, whatever he does, and he was talking about yannis to the heat. Now I'm like shut it. Now he's not going to the heat. But I mean, are you worried about yannis? If you're a bucks fan, if the bucks fail once again to move on to the playoffs, get deep into the playoffs. Are you worried about yannis and his future with the milwaukee bucks? Do you think he's going to try and ask out?
Speaker 4:I think you have to Only because, since they won the title, like every offseason that they haven't won a title, those rumors have been there, whether it's reading between the lines of stuff that Giannis says on a podcast or in an interview, or the fear of a smaller market with a big name in that. What if we don't win four or five years in a row? And in Giannis' mind he thinks he's done all he can in Milwaukee. How does Milwaukee combat that? So if they come up short and you know if it's a first-round exit, then yeah, you might have to hit the panic button because you just don't know what Giannis is thinking. Because, as we said earlier, giannis wants to win, so Giannis doesn't want to. You don't want Giannis to wake up one morning and say I'm in Milwaukee, we won one a couple of years ago, but I don't think we could win another one, so why would I stay around?
Speaker 2:so, yeah, I think you you do have to worry about it, okay okay, well, did not put the bucks uh fans minds at ease, but that's okay here. So we got the bucks and the pacers right. Coming up here on saturday it'll be the kickoff to the NBA playoffs. Coming up on Saturday there, the 19th game won at 12 o'clock there. Pacers coming in 50 and 32, bucs 48 and 34.
Speaker 2:Not much to really talk about record-wise, because records get tossed out the window when we hit the playoffs. So right now, looking at the head-to-head right, the Bucs they won the first matchup of there. They, yeah, they won the first match of the year, won the second matchup, lost the third matchup, won the fourth matchup for the year there. So they've been, they fared, uh, fairly well, I guess you could say, against the pacers this season, but the pace they're still coming in with the better overall record on the season, kyle, I mean, we're looking at this matchup here. What are some your thoughts? What are some of your thoughts? Heading into this matchup for the Bucs, what do they got to do against this Pacers team to get the win, to pull it out? Game one's important, right Game one's important, especially because it's on the road. Stealing one on the road and setting the tone early in the playoffs. That would be massive. What's some keys you got for the Bucs here heading into this playoff series?
Speaker 4:So I think for the Bucs, when you look at these two teams, the Pacers want to play fast because you know, you look at their talent, they have Halliburton, who I think Halliburton is his most effective when you're running a gun in you can get his assists and everything like that. You know the trail three. He can get his assists and everything like that. You know the trail three. So if I'm docking, I'm looking at this, I need my bigs to stay attached to Turner and Toppin. Both those guys shoot over 35% from three. I think between the two of them they average like 10 threes a game and I think they shoot like 40% between the two of them. So when you're getting into pick and roll action with hal burton, it's normally going to be toppin or turner, and that's where portis lopez, even sims. These guys have to be aware that if they are late in their rotation or the communication is not there, toppin and turner are capable three-point shooters. So so that's my first one. The second team we kind of touched on without Dame who steps their game up, and I think we went over the cast of characters. Kuzma has to, porter Jr needs to. I mean Portis, you know, came back not that long ago. You're not going to ask him to do more. Brooke Lopez has to be more of a presence as well, and it doesn't need to be the same guy. Like each game can be different, like you can look at it and be like game one was the kuzma game, game two was the porter game. You just need somebody to step up and not look at it as yannis has to go for like 50 every game because that's asking a lot. So you need somebody to step up there.
Speaker 4:Then Doc because of the landscape of the coaching scene in the NBA, doc has to feel pressure and then with that will he kind of go down swinging on old habits, because the book on Doc is he's not really one for adjustments. He has his game plan and he's just going to stick to it. I think in a series like this, especially if you are able to steal a game on the road against the Pacers, I would want to see what does Doc do in that situation, because once again, no, dame, rotations can't be set Like a Torian Prince. I hammer on him a lot, but if he doesn't have it, doc needs to have a quick hook and get somebody else in there. You can't run Prince out 30 minutes a game to score two, four, six points. I think in a series like this you're kind of being counterproductive. So I want to see if Doc's going to be slow to adjustments or will he be on it knowing that he's kind of coaching for his life with the Bucs right now? I like that.
Speaker 2:I like that. That's some of the best keys he could have came up with there. Who's going to step up? Well, it's got to be the players, plus Doc Doc. Some of the best keys he could have came up with there. Who's going to step up? And well, it's got to be the players, plus doc. Doc has got to be better if the bucks want to move on in this one kyle. Gut feeling, gut feeling. I know we're going to talk next week about the bucks because the playoff series will still be going on, but gut feeling. Game one what do you got bucks pacers? What do you got in that one? They're coming up 12 o'clock.
Speaker 4:They're on espn so I think for the home teams, game one is the road team's best shot. So if the Bucs are going to steal one in Indy, game one is their opportunity. And with it being a bit of an early start, you don't know, the Pacers may be overly hyped. They could come out playing a little bit undisciplined, because that is one thing I want to watch with the Pacers when they play their fast pace. That doesn't mean they can be wild and crazy with the ball, because the last thing you want is Giannis running free in transition, because there's very few who can stop that man once he gets going downhill. So if the Pacers want to play fast, they have to be smart with the ball. No turnovers to give the Bucs easy buckets.
Speaker 4:So if the Bucs can make the game close in game one, I think they would have a chance to steal it because looking on the court, Giannis is the best player NBA. You usually go with the best player on the court. So that's what I'm looking for. In game one the Pacers will have their moment where they get their run and the crowd's into it. But can the Bucs kind of counter that and stay within reach late in the game? I think that would give them their best chance to win a game, one, especially as the road team.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, I like that. I like that. I'm going to take Bucs. I got Bucs game one. They got to, they just have to. I just got that feeling. I just got that feeling that Bucs will take game one down there. So, hey, we got to get. We are woefully late for a break, but I don't want to get out of here. Before I ask you this one question here what game are you most looking forward to? I guess in the first round, that one matchup where you're like I can't wait for this matchup to get going there. I don't know if it's going to be your celtics and the magic down there, because I don't know if that's going to be the, the highlight one. But which matchup west east, which one are you looking at and you're like I can't wait for that playoff series to get started?
Speaker 4:I mean, I think there are some good series, but I I'm interested in pistons nicks. I've been thoroughly surprised by this Pistons team. I want to see what does this young group do in a playoff setting. I want to see what Cade Cunningham does. I think for a lot of people this will be their first time seeing Cade Cunningham on a stage like this and he has an opportunity to kind of let people know the talent that he has.
Speaker 4:And you're dealing with a Knicks team that has a lot of pressure on themselves as well, Because the same thing we talked about with the Bucs If the Pistons can go into New York and steal a game, the amount of pressure that's going to be on that Knicks team, that's going to be something to watch, Because the Pistons they don't have any expectations, so they can go out there play their game. If they get swept, so what? That's probably what some people expect. But if they make this a six, seven-game series, they may be able to pull this one off. Because, like I said, the Knicks have so much pressure being in New York all the years that Knicks fans have been waiting for something. And this group where you make that cat deal you got Jalen Brunson, you go get Mikkel Bridges Like you did all this to win now, and if you go out in the first round, like that is a big thing to deal with. So that's the series I'm watching.
Speaker 2:I like that New York would implode. It would just implode and it would be awesome. It'd be like when the Yankees lost in the world series. That's just. That's just. It'd just be icing on the cake at this point here.
Speaker 2:So, kyle, thank you, as always, for coming and joining us tonight. Here the people. They want to find you out there. Chomping at the Bit is the best place to do it. Across Twitter, everywhere on social media, just search Chomping at the Bit, you will find Kyle out there. But hey, until next week. Thank you, kyle, for coming on here. We'll catch you guys. We're going to be right back here. We got Brewer Talk. We got Amar Ummer. Sorry, goodness, gracious. Um, we'll be back on the backside of this ad break here. Welcome back into Wisconsin. Sports on the go with Trage. I'm your host, trage. We're coming back here on this Wednesday. And, hey, this next segment of the show is sponsored by Sport and Spine Clinic of Greenwood, wisconsin. Their expert traditional physical therapy and structural integration programming Call for flexible scheduling and evaluations. Just call Chad down there at sport and spine clinic in Greenwood, wisconsin. He'll get you right. He'll get you back to doing whatever you're doing, feeling better than ever. That is sport and spine clinic in Greenwood, there so.
Speaker 3:Hey.
Speaker 2:I told you before we went to the break, we just had Kyle on, we were talking bucks, we were talking NBA. We had all kinds of madness happening over there. We got Ummer coming on here. Now I got it. I nailed it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you nailed it, that was perfect I was ready for it this time.
Speaker 2:there I got Ummer. Here tonight we're going to be talking Packers because we got to get ready. The draft is coming up next week. We got to be talking about the Packers here tonight.
Speaker 3:Um, I am great Just enjoying myself right now, a little vacation in Charleston, south Carolina, so just taking in the sights and sounds of the family and just really, you know, taking a seat back and just enjoying myself. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:Good, I'm doing great. I'm doing great. The weather here. How's the weather in Charleston? Is it better than what we've got up here?
Speaker 3:It's beautiful. It's between 70s and 80s, A 70s and 80s, little wind, but for the most part it's great weather we get like 30 degrees in the morning and like 60 in the afternoon.
Speaker 2:So it's that time of year where you like heat to AC. I love the time of year when you have to get into your vehicle and you have the heat on in the morning and then when you get back into the afternoon you have to turn the AC on and drive home. That's my time of year. That is my time of year right there, all right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like in between winter and like spring.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:That's exactly what you're talking about.
Speaker 2:Yes, Yep, Yep, the morning got frost. The afternoon it's like oh, it's hot again. All right, here we go, here we go. So we got lots to get into today. We got lots to get into. We were talking about last week, talked Jair situation. We had all kinds of stuff we got into today.
Speaker 2:So, according to Tom Silverstein I saw this Packers are still actually they're looking to trade Jair Alexander. They're looking to trade or release, but preferably trade. Right, they don't want to just release Jair, they want to get something back from. But the problem is coming down to salary and the unwillingness of Jair to adjust that contract ahead. That's what's really hindering all these deals right now. Most likely a trade's gonna happen, but it's probably gonna be after the draft. So we're looking more after the draft right now, after everybody's kind of well, what do we need now? Okay, we still need Jair Alexander. Now we go get him. So that's kind of where we're at with the Jair situation.
Speaker 2:But I wanted to ask you so the Packers, we look at what the Bears have done this offseason. They've made some big ads. Right Offensive line was the big need for them. They're up their gut because Caleb Williams was constantly under distress last season. This season. They go and they grab a bunch of offensive line. Help the Lions. They've added depth. They've added depth on the defense. They've loaded up and just getting healthy if you are the Detroit Lions is already a boost right. You're getting eight nudges in back. You're getting a lot of boost from there. And then the Vikings. That defense has just got everybody at this point on that defense for the Vikings. So I mean, in your opinion, these rosters we look at those rosters. They've definitely improved right. Some solid moves. They've definitely improved this last off season here. Do you believe that, talent wise, the packers are keeping pace like? Are they there with these teams right now? Are they keeping pace talent wise at all with the likes of the bears, the lions of vikings, or do you believe the packers need to do more?
Speaker 3:I think that it's really easy for people to like look at like the big spending that's been done by the vikings and the bears, and a little bit by also lions too, to be like, oh wait, the pack, the Packers, aren't doing enough. And seeing last year where we ended on a losing streak and we lost to the Bears we got swept by the Lions and the Vikings it can be really easy to say that we're not on the same talent level. I just want people to go back and look at those games we didn't lose, like when we lost against detroit, we had a lot of injuries on offense line at home and then we played them in detroit. You know what we? We lost by three points. You know minnesota? Yeah, both games we started out slow but we were able to come back in the end and make it a game and almost win each game and they were less than a touchdown loss for both those games. Bears they needed everything to go in their favor when it comes to injuries and just a punt return for a touchdown all kinds of crazy stuff for them to come back and squeak out a win. So, in my mind, for us to be in such a disjointed state.
Speaker 3:As a team, I feel like, talent-wise, we are right there with them. I feel like Vikings are smart. They're taking advantage of their rookie quarterback that they have right now. They had an opportunity to bring in Aaron Rodgers and do like a one-year run, but they said forget that, we're going to take advantage of this rookie contract. You know we all know that when you have a good quarterback and they hit that second contract, you look at an area between 15 to almost 23% of your salary cap gone right there, based on the quarterback market. Right, taking advantage of it. There, they powered up their offensive line. They went and brought in jordan mason from the niners and, on top of that, too, their defense being ran by flores. I really don't care who they have back there. Flores is probably one of the best defensive minds that we have in the nfl right now. Um, he's the reason why that the patriots won the super bowl against the rams in 20,.
Speaker 3:Oh man, when was that? That was like 2020, I think it was like 2021. It was a while ago. It feels like it's been like a decade, even though it's not been that long, and I feel like when you look at the way everybody in our division. They haven't gotten worse, they've gotten better. And again, the Bears are the Bears. We always say the Bears still suck, that's our thing. Hashtag Bears the bears. We always say the bears still suck, that's our thing. Hashtag bears still suck, you know. Shout out to matt ramage. Uh, but one of those things, like, no matter, they did do the right moves. You know I'm not a, I'm not sold on ben johnson yet. Uh, and but the way they kind of beefed up that offensive line, the way they're giving caleb every opportunity to be able to have the protection he needs to be able to play behind a good offensive line, have the time to make right decisions, it could work out.
Speaker 3:Me personally, I believe in the floor. I do believe in joy and love. I believe in our team. Uh, I want goody to really kind of. He's really locked in his last couple drafts. I want him to continue that. Um, and I feel like this draft, with the talent that we have coming out, it's gonna be really interesting to see, like, which way we go. Like, I know, like Goody's thing is trying to get more picks. Who knows if he decides to trade up or trade down and acquire more picks or use picks to get a guy that he really likes. But I really can't wait to see how this team like shapes up. And the Jairi thing that you just mentioned I thought that was really interesting that Tom Silverstein actually reported that.
Speaker 3:That's something that Domofsky has been reporting for a while and I want to give some. I want to give people to back off Domofsky. People are trying to say that these beat writers especially, you know, rob are like coming at him for a personal vendetta, and it's just not true. I really feel like they're just reporting the news and reporting exactly what's given to them will do, does the exact same thing. They do add their own like personal thoughts on things, but for the most part they do basically give them what's being given to them and I feel it's unfair to be like oh, they have like a vendetta against somebody at the day.
Speaker 3:Gyra's not happy, the packers aren't happy. We keep them. I would love that. If you get some kind of compensation from that would be great. Looks like that's where. That's where we're going towards. He just needs to figure out how he wants. He's earned that contract. I don't blame him for not wanting to budge on that, but if he really wants to leave, then he's gonna have to make some concessions to make that happen yeah, no, I agree.
Speaker 2:And I think a problem with, like you mentioned, their beat writers, I think a problem is some give bad names to others, right, you get one guy who goes against just to say aaron rogers. Right, he's always got something against aaron rogers. Well, that puts everybody else then you know rob and tom or whoever under this microscope, that you just don't like this guy.
Speaker 2:Well, no, technically probably not right. You probably don't like this guy, but you're not saying it because I don't like him. I'm saying it because it's the news. So, like you said, I mean it is news right, because I did rob. I, I did see.
Speaker 2:Tom silverstein was the one who reported it I saw so rob's like I just want everybody to know this is what he said too, so like we're all saying the same thing right now, and I mean it's common knowledge, I guess is like we knew this was a possibility. We knew this is something they wanted to do. It was just a matter of when and it was there. This is what we want. If we can do it, we want to get it done. So that's kind of what we got reported there. I I like what you said there. You have a lot of teams in the north right now with a lot to prove, right ben johnson, caleb williams they have a lot to prove. Ben johnson did great with the lions. What is he going to do with the bears? Caleb williams had a good season. What does he do now? That's what we got to see. What does golf do? What does this lion's offense do without ben johnson?
Speaker 3:what do they do?
Speaker 2:without the defense, without you know, uh, aaron glenn, there on the defense, what?
Speaker 2:do you do without him? It's a question mark after question mark. Jj mccarthy what's the question mark with minnesota? How is that gonna look? It's you can put all the right guys in the right spot, but, okay, does it work right? And that's what we're going to find out. The Packers have been staying like they're the most uniform team, yet they didn't lose a lot. Jeff Halfley still coming back. You got Matt LaFleur, yet in the room. He's still the play caller. Even though some wish he wasn't the play caller, he's still the play caller. You still got those guys there. So you're keeping that team knit together. Now it's a question of do they progress? Because I thought to me that's where the Packers lacked. Last season was from year to year. They did not progress. I thought guys actually got worse. Jaden Reed I thought he took a step back. Dontavion Wicks thought he took a step back. You can't really. Romeo Dobbs got hurt twice, concussion twice.
Speaker 3:You can't really knock him on that.
Speaker 2:Watson got banged up. You can't really knock him on that. Watson got banged up. Can't really blame him on that. You didn't have Musgrave for most of the season. He was out there, but he comes back. He's a huge threat. They underutilize him. They underutilize what they have with Tucker Kraft, I mean you look at what the Chiefs do with Travis Kelsey and I said look what the Packers could do with Tucker Kraft.
Speaker 2:This guy is an all-around talent. He could be one of the best tight ends in football. You got to utilize him in the right way and I think, matt LaFleur. If I had one thing against this Blake Alling, it's that he doesn't utilize the play-action game enough. He says that he does. I don't believe it. I watch it and I'm like dude, you don't. You don't utilize play-action enough. Your analytic people might say you do bull crap, I call bull crap. You have one of the best. Josh Jacobs is a great running back, you have one a great tight end and Tucker craft. You have wide receivers that can move around in motion like crazy, and yet you don't utilize play action. It drives me nuts. Jordan love is mobile. When he, if he's not mobile, I, he's half a quarterback. So then you need to, you need to address that right now if he can't become mobile again. But Jordan Love, as we know, is mobile. You got to get him out in space. You got to use play action. That's where I'm at with Matt LaFleur and his play calling, if anybody wants to know.
Speaker 2:But I mean looking at this Packers team. Now, this is like early speculation, right, everybody does their way too early speculation. We're going to do one before the draft. Where do you have the packers in the north right now, one through four? Where do you have them fitting in with those teams? Because I know, you know, we go wide spectrum, eagles, everything like that. I don't want to go wide spectrum right now. Let's go nfc north. Where does this team fit in with the lions, vikings and bears in your opinion?
Speaker 3:so I'm a perpetual hater of every team in my division. I just am I. I just can't help it.
Speaker 3:And something that you said, too, about Detroit Lions, where, like they literally have a whole new staff there, they do bring back some talent. They have some guys that need to get healthy and you know they did win the division last year. You know, kudos to them. Dan Campbell is a rah-rah guy that we all love, but it's going to be now going to be, you know, be put up or shut up, because he does have a lot of veteran leadership that's left on the coaching staff and these guys that he's brought in that are going to be the new DC as well as the new OC. These guys have never done that before. It's their first time, and so I'm going to be interested to see how, if they can still keep that up, because that could be an issue I still think the packers have a chance to win the division.
Speaker 3:I feel like, when it comes to talent, when it comes to the floor and what you just said about play action, I couldn't agree more. Floor's biggest thing was like, oh, we run play action on a shotgun and it's when, basically a fake handoff and they throw the ball. I'm like, yeah, that's not really a true play action play it's not like under center, you're not.
Speaker 3:You know. You know an eye formation or single back. You're doing eye shotgun. It's the stuff that Rogers used to do back in the day too. Right, I do feel like.
Speaker 3:From a ranking standpoint, I feel like the Packers are probably tied between Detroit right now because Minnesota, with everything being said, jj McCarthy being back there I understand Aaron Jones, I don't understand their offense is very potent. They still got Justin Jefferson, but JJ McCarthy is a huge question mark. Who's coming off a pretty not devastating knee injury, but a knee injury with the way they went about deciding to repair the meniscus instead of just trimming it. That's a very long rehab process and because of that, you're looking at a guy who's young, who hasn't had any staffs in the nfl, minus maybe some practice. So, yeah, you're gonna be. We depend on that running game and that defense to take over. Uh, when it comes to chicago, you know what I? I'm never gonna give chicago their kudos. They could. You know the year they went through the super bowl. I still think they suck. It's just the way I am. I can't help it, uh, and so I still think that, even though they did beat us last year in their Super Bowl last week of the season. That was their Super Bowl win. Truth matters that they still got a long ways to go. Because to me, when you have a rookie head coach who has a quarterback who has a lot of talent but again has freelanced a lot in the last I want to say probably the last four years of his football career his time was at Oklahoma, his time was in USC and then now, when him being NFL, caleb Williams is not really played within structure and for Ben Johnson to put them into that structure, it will be interesting to see if he can do that because he's a great offensive line. But being a OC and a head coach two separate things. And the last thing is I do need the floor. He has Sean Mannion now as a quarterback coach. He had some changes but for the most part, like you said, the OC, the DC, those guys are returning. I do need the floor to do what you just said. When it comes to Kraft, kraft could be our George Kittle. I 100% agree with that, lucas.
Speaker 3:When it comes to Musgrave, his ability to not really block very well is something that needs to be worked on. He needs to not really block very well, it's something that needs to be worked on, like he needs to make that like. It's like, kind of like when we first had Aaron Jones as a rookie and he was terrible I mean absolutely terrible at pass blocking and then all he did was just work on and work on and work on, he became one of the better pass blockers in our backfield. Musgrave needs to do that because you can't have a guy out there as big. He's a side speed freak, but if he's out there you know more than likely they're not going to be running the ball because he can't block to save his life. It's just unfortunate truth and we need more production from our second round pick because right now craft is out playing him. He should be our starter, he should be our george kittle. Um and I could agree more like there has to be a step forward, not two steps back.
Speaker 3:When it comes to the progression on offense. You know this is a third year for Jaden Reed, third year for Wicks. Normally that's when receivers really hit the ground running and they kind of have that explosion as a receiver. You know Romeo Dobson's get healthy, watson needs to get healthy and then honestly, like if we infuse some talent into that room with a rookie. Honestly, if we infuse some talent into that room with a rookie, like, hopefully, mbuka or maybe even Jaden Higgins, I would be ecstatic about that.
Speaker 3:But there's a lot of stuff that I think Green Bay was a culprit of their own demise in a sense, where they were their worst enemy. I feel like a lot of these games that we lost, it wasn't because the other team was better than us outright. It was more so that we just didn't play our best game and the players said all year they had yet to put a complete game together on offense, on defense, on special teams, right. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing how the floor can take all the adversity and all the mistakes of last year and make it into something that he can learn from and really take this team to the next level. Because, you're honestly, it's been what now? Almost 15 years now since we've been to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3:I know, like we're in Titletown, we're spoiled, you know. But Green Bay, there's a reason why that statue is named after our head coach, right, and the floor, and Goody especially. You know I'm not saying like, oh, it's, you know, hot seat, I'm not saying anything like that I just definitely feel like we need to see something where there's more, like there's progression in the right direction, because our run game is solid Josh Jacobs absolutely amazing, but you cannot run him into the ground. I understand like he's built that way, but that is not a recipe for success. And Jordan Love he needs to also take that next step. Yep.
Speaker 2:Yep, no, 100% agree. And you hit a couple great points in there. The shotgun that drives me nuts.
Speaker 1:Yes, why are we running from the shotgun?
Speaker 2:Run under center Because Jordan Love the things that you can do when you turn your back to a defense are unreal, and Jordan Love has the ability to look guys off and to be able to sell the fake when take that away from in shotgun. That's a problem. You don't give josh jacobs time to run downhill, that's a problem. I find all those things problems. So I I completely agree with the shotgun. Take there drives me absolutely nuts and, like you said there, like we talked about, guys have got to take a step forward. They have got to take a step forward. The problem, like you mentioned, their pre-snap penalties killed this team.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of mental mental mistakes. So if we want to, blame Matt LaFleur if we want to come back to the drawing board.
Speaker 2:Mental mistakes need to be cleaned up, because that lost the Packers a lot of football games. And you hit the nail on the head when you said it's put up or shut up time Because we can only and I know fans aren't going to want to hear this one, but Bill Michaels loves to say it all the time too you can only use the excuse of you're young for so long. You may be young in age, but you're not young in experience. And this Packers team has been to the playoffs twice. They've been there, done that. They have got to be able to get past the first round. They've got to be able to move on here. They've got to be able to move on and play, like you said, a complete game, because last season there may have the Cardinal game maybe, where you could have said that was a complete game, but still.
Speaker 2:I mean people want to go back to the Seattle game and say that was complete. That was not complete. There was more of that one where they could have done this but they failed to do that Late in the game. There they let Seattle come back in that game. It's just there's those little things that this Packers team struggled with last season and hey, I mean we want to get into it all. We got more to get into next week here. Amar Umber, sorry, I had it, I had it. I had it. I had it there.
Speaker 2:I had it there. Umber will be back next week. We have got a special episode coming next week. We're going to talk a lot of Packers. We got draft preview. We're going to talk a lot of Packers. On top of that, I coming here. So thank you again for stopping by tonight there, ummer, and we will catch you back here next week on the show I cannot wait, man.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me again.
Speaker 2:I can't wait of course, of course. Hey, we'll be back here. We're going to talk brewers on the back side of this break here, so make sure you guys are sticking around. We'll be right back here on wisconsin sports on the go with trage. Welcome back into wisconsin sports on the go with trage. I'm your, your host, trage. We're coming back. It's April 16th, it's a fantastic April 16th.
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Speaker 2:The half mile paved track just three miles west of marshfield. There on county road h, find upcoming events and races at marshfieldspeedwaycom that is marshfieldspeedwaycom there, and also sport and spine clinic of greenwood wisconsin. Their expert traditional physical therapy and structural integration programming call for flexible scheduling and evaluations within 24 to 48 hours. They're just called ch Chad at Sporting Spine Clinic in Greenwood, wisconsin. So, hey, we just had a great talk with Ummer there talking Packers. What a great talk. What a great talk it was there. We got more Packer talk to get into next week here on the show Probably a lot. Right, we're going to be talking draft. We got lots to get into with the Packers, so I can't wait for that Coming up next week there.
Speaker 2:But, hey, we got to get to the Brewers here, because the Brewers it's been I don't know how, what's the best way to put it right, they've blown some games. That's both the best way to put it. They've blown some games and a lot of people are not exactly happy. Right, you got that lead. You're beating Corbin Burns up. You got that lead over him on this last Saturday. You end up losing that game late, right, and a lot of people look back and they're like you all pions, you all pions. Right, he stunk, he stunk again. You all pions continues to struggle.
Speaker 2:Then you lose that game to Gallon there on Sunday. Had a 2-0 lead there for the longest time and the Diamondbacks were able to battle back and they will take the lead and then in the eighth inning be able to kind of push that lead to five to two and take the win there. And then we look over at the game against the Tigers and that was just disastrous. And you look at what Pat Murphy had to say and he said you know, you look at a team where you believe you're supposed to be, you know pretty darn good. And it's hard to say that when you've been blown out four times right, you lose 9-1 to the Tigers there. You lost 11-1 to the Royals early on. You lost the Yankees 12-3 and 20-9, so it's hard to say that you are a well-rounded, good team when you keep getting blown out.
Speaker 2:What, where are you at right now? Right, and I think the bullpen is a big concern for me. I didn't think it was going to be a big concern going into the year I, I, we just confidently say to ourselves the birds are going to put together a good bullpen. That just seems how it is. They find guys right. Last year was Brian Hudson and Jared Canning who were those for the Brewers got nobody's. This season they've been pretty good for the Milwaukee Brewers. But now you look at what's been faltering right. Well, alvin Rodriguez has definitely struggled for him and he's finally they move on from him.
Speaker 2:Logan Henderson number I believe number 12 prospect for the Brewers there is brought up now the right-handed pitcher, so we'll see what they do with him. If he's going to be a bullpen role or kind of what, what's going to work there? But uh, if he's going to be a bullpen role or kind of what what's going to work there. But uh, you all pints, I don't know, five and two thirds and 19 earned run. He's got what. He's given up a 12 earned runs on the season so far in eight games, eight pit games, pitch five and two thirds innings and he's given up 12 earned runs, 11, 11 hits, 12 earned runs, 11, 11 hits, 12 earned runs, one home run given up. It's just at what point is enough, enough, and you just kind of got to move off of a guy, and I think that's where the milwaukee brewers are at at this point. That's where I'm at. I'm like I get it.
Speaker 2:You want to keep a guy around, but you have guys in the minors now. Are they ready? I don't know craig yelo. Is he ready? I don't know. Is a guy like mizorowski ready to go into the bullpen? That's a question. Are they trying to ramp them up for a starter role? That could be too.
Speaker 2:You have guys where they're going to come back and they're going to be able to fit bullpen roles right, and I don't think yohal pines is. I don't think it sucks as much if he's not supposed to be a high leverage guy, but he's supposed to be a high leverage guy. He's supposed to be a late in the game guy for you right now. You kind of look at it. Trevor mcgill. He's got that knee problem right now. Hopefully that's all going to get figured out there. You have mcgill.
Speaker 2:Nick mears has been fantastic since coming back. So you have mirrors Mears. You have McGill. You have guys like Uribe has been fantastic. Jared Koenig, brian Hudson. You got those guys. But they expect UL Pines to be a guy and it just hasn't been there. It's been like this for a couple years now.
Speaker 2:When he first came in to Milwaukee he was fantastic. Right, we know that he's fantastic with the Brewers. That was back in 2023. He had 69 games pitched and he had 2.55 ERA. He was fantastic 7-5 record. He had 77 strikeouts and in that season he only gave up 20 runs in total. Last season, in 68 games pitched, he had a 3 ERA and only gave up 20 runs in total. Last season, in 68 games pitched, he had a 3 ERA and he gave up 20 runs in total. You want to look at the 2025 totals for Yoel Pimps Because in 8 games he's given up 12 runs. He's almost to the point. He was at completing 2 straight seasons with the Brewers in 2023 and 2024.
Speaker 2:Not good, not good at all, and I I love the Brewers confidence that they can fix guys, but this is one that maybe a designate him for assignment whatever and maybe he just sticks with the team and then maybe you can fix him down in AAA. But right now he's no help to you in the bullpen and I'd rather see the Brewers bring up somebody else or try something else in that spot. So we'll see what he does. We'll see what the Brewers do there with Joel Pines, but I am definitely at a crossroads with him at this very moment.
Speaker 2:Outside of that, I I did have one more question on pitching and that was with pat murphy, because in that game I kept going back to the. He pulled patrick out of the game and I believe he pulled him out in the fourth inning. It was the fourth inning or just at the beginning of the fifth inning there that he decided to pull patrick out, just at the beginning of the fifth inning there that he decided to pull Patrick out. And I look back at the move and I'm like, okay, I don't hate the move because you thought that you were in a spot. You had guys who you thought were ready to go Four and a third inning, five hits, two walks, three strikeouts. And Brian Hudson then came in for two-thirds of an inning, got out of it and got you know, got him advancing out of that game. 77 pitches for Patrick and he's done this a couple times with guys. He's pulled him early out of games and he goes straight to the bullpen. Well, when you pull Patrick, you use Hudson, you use your rebate, you use scanning and then you bring Nick Mears in. You already limited your bullpen. You had a full bullpen, but because you pulled Patrick out so soon, you had to use that full bullpen right.
Speaker 2:And at that very moment in that game, the Brewers, when he pulled him, had a 2-0 lead. 2-0 lead. That was in that fourth inning there that they had that 2-0 lead. And you look at the situation that he was in and Naylor had just doubled, gurley L flied out. And then we see Suarez. He ended up walking in that inning. And then we see Thomas, all right here, right here, hampson struck out, looking so Patrick, I was in, I was in the wrong inning. I'm sorry there, patrick, in that bottom of the fifth struck out Hampson. And then Hudson came in so he got the strikeout. 77 pitches had a strikeout. Nobody's on base, in my opinion.
Speaker 2:Ride with Patrick. He's pitching well. He got you. It was not. Should I say it was his greatest performance of the year. No, I thought it was a gutsy performance. He was pitching well. Let him battle, let him get through that fifth. When I saw him come out of the game and he's ticked off, that's what you want to see, right? But I also, at the same time, I'm like put him back in, don. But I also, at the same time, I'm like put him back in, don't pull him, let him go out there, let him try to do it. I just hated it. I did not like that move.
Speaker 2:So do I agree with? Do I think Pat Murphy is kind of pulling starters too soon. Sometimes I do, sometimes I do, and is it his decision at the end of the day? And sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Yes, but in that situation I thought he pulled him too early and I think there's been a couple other situations this year.
Speaker 2:Well, I think pat murphy's kind of outmanaged himself ride with the hot hand, go with the gut feeling. Patrick was pitching a good game, let it ride. I don't know. That's kind of where I was at with that. So I had that question, somebody asked me that question on murphy and if I thought he was pulling some of his arms early just because he had arms available, and I think, yes, I think he is somewhat pulling arms, pulling guys early, just because he believes, yeah, I got arms available. Great, well, sometimes your start is rolling, you just gotta let him roll, man, you just gotta let him go, let him get it. So, yeah, I that's where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2:Uh, with that uh situation with what I was asked there, I was asked that by a couple people out there, so I just wanted to answer that Terang and Churio continue their hot streak. They've had a great start to the season for the Brewers. Churio is Churio. Right at this point, churio is just fantastic. He's a phenom. At this point I mean, goodness gracious, he is just fantastic.
Speaker 2:But Bryce Terang I think I said it last week and I think I'll say it again here the way Bryce Terang's hitting is different than what we saw last season. The way Bryce Terang's hitting right now, he is just he's seeing the baseball, he's seeing it, he's seeing the pitch, he's taking the pitch where it is. He's not trying to do too much, he's just hitting it where it is. Outside pitch boom. Other way Inside pitch boom, pull. Last season we have not seen him hit a home run like he did at Coors Field. That home run he hit was a shot Getting around on that quick heater. We wouldn't have seen that. We saw it.
Speaker 2:Bryce Teruring, I believe, is a different hitter this year. I don't know if it's Ryan Brown's batting gloves. He's wearing Ryan Brown's batting gloves from 2011. I don't know what it is, but he is definitely a different kind of mode right now and he's leading the Brewers right now 3.29 average. He's got 24 hits, he's got 10 RBIs, 3 home runs. He's been fantastic, fantastic. Trujillo has been great too 275 average there. He's been great. Sal Frelick continues to hit the ball well 306 average for Sal. I mean he's been well.
Speaker 2:Reese Hoskins has been heating up a little bit for the Brewers, which is great to see it, as he hit his first home run the other night against the Tigers there, hit that first home run, which was great to see. Christian Yelich still in the schneid a little bit there. William contraris has been hitting the ball better. Joey ortiz has been getting a little bit better. Mitchell, hopefully, heating up there. So guys are starting to hit the ball better and you love to see it. You love to see it. Now it's about can this thing, is it sustainable? Can these guys keep carrying it and will some of these guys come along? Right, will some of these guys come along?
Speaker 2:Because I think a big problem guys or people have right now with the brewers is the third base production. Because I'm looking at the stats right now and the two guys playing third base for the milwaukee brewers are toe-in-toe with their batting averages. We see oliver dunn bat 171 and we see capro batting 100 and he's only he's got three hits on the One of them that home run in Yankee Stadium, the first at-bat of his MLB with the Brewers there, first at-bat of the season there, home run, and since then it's just been nothing. So I guess it's kind of, at this point, what are we going to get from Vinny and Dunn? And I think that's where a lot of people are having problems with. And I think that's where a lot of people are having problems with. And I would not hate if the brewers were shopping right now for a third baseman. I think they definitely need to be shopping for a third baseman at this very moment. So that's where I'm at. I completely agree. Everybody out there freaking out about it right now. I'm not freaking out about it. I'm not going to freak out about it, but I'm going to tell you right now I'm in agreeance with you.
Speaker 2:The breers need to find better production at third base, whether it's in-house, somewhere else than these two, whether these two figure it out, one of these two figures it out, one of them, maybe both, figure it out, or if they go down to the minors and find a guy, or if they go out in free agency, or if they have to make a trade, whatever it is, I don't care. You got to give them an arm and find production at third base. Right now you have nothing, you have a hole. You move joy ortiz over and now you have a hole. How are you gonna fill that hole? That's the question. That's the question that pat murphy and this brewers team has got to figure it out. Man arnold especially right in man arnold, not as much pat murphy, matt arnold and marco donazio have got to figure out. Where can we find help at third base for pat Murphy and the Brewers, because right now it's ugly, it's not great, and they need to fill, fill that hole here moving forward.
Speaker 2:So the Brewers they got a pretty pretty good stretch, I guess you could say, of games coming up here, uh, against some decent, decent enough teams, right, that's what we'll say decent enough teams. You have that wrap-up series with Tigers there. That was a tough little stretch. And then you have the Athletics. Not a pushover team in the Athletics, right, but not a great team in the Athletics. So we'll see what happens there. When they take the Athletics on here, that'll be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so they have an off day tomorrow and then they'll have the Athletics over the weekend and then next week, before we come back here and talk about them a little bit more. They're going to have the Giants, so they're going to have a four-game series with the Giants. So we'll talk a little Willie Adamas next week here on the show. So with that I mean, hey, we got one more ad break, we're going to come back, we're going to wrap up the show for the day. It was a great show. We're going to wrap it up here when we come back.
Speaker 2:Welcome back into wisconsin. Sports on the go with trage. I'm your host, trage. This great program today was sponsored by some fantastic sponsors here of the show and I want to mention them off here real quick here at the end as we wrap it up. Sport and spine clinic of greenwood expert traditional physical therapy and structural integration programming. Call for flexible scheduling and evaluations within 24 to 48 hours. Just call Sport Spine Clinic there in Greenwood Foreman's Hardware.
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Speaker 2:If you know anybody who is looking for a sponsor, right, if you want to sponsor the show here, you want to get your name out here, definitely let us know about it. We would love to help you. We'd love to take you on as a sponsor in this new year and get your name out there, get your business out there and get more recognition. If you can, and also if you missed any portion of the show today, make sure you find us there iTunes, spotify, youtube, wherever you get podcasts, you can find us out there. Just search Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trades. That is Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trades. You can find us across all the podcast platforms there. So it was a great show today. Make sure you listen back.
Speaker 2:We had Badger Talk there with Scary Alvarez. We had Ummer on there. We were talking Packer talk there. We had Kyle on for Bucs talk. We're going to have the Bucs coming up this weekend here. A big series starting with the Pacers there. A big series in the fact of Kyle, like he said earlier, we don't know about Giannis. What is he going to think if the Bucs drop another first-round playoff series? What's the honest gonna think?
Speaker 2:Here we got the brewers coming up over the weekend. They're gonna be taking on the oakland a's. We're gonna see chad patrick taking on uh, the oakland a's in the first game there, then peralta, alexander and then hopefully, just hopefully, we're gonna get some good news here. Moving forward brewers pitching staff we see woodruff making great progress there down in triple a n with Tobias Myers. Hopefully get those two back at some point here.
Speaker 2:As we get closer and closer to the month of May there, goodness gracious, we're almost in the month of May here Next week we got draft talk, so make sure you guys are tuning in. Next week there Umber's going to be back. We're going to talk a lot of Packers next week, a lot of Packers, a lot of Brewers between those two because, goodness gracious, we got the mlb draft coming up. We're gonna have a lot of brewer talk to get to. So I can't wait to get to that kind of talk there. So with that, for that's about all we got, that's about all we got for nay, it was a great night there. Thank you all for tuning in. I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your night and the rest of your week, but until we talk to you guys again next week, wednesday, see ya.