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Ducks Drama, Beavers Dominance & Blazers Buzz · The PNW Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: The disrespect coming Oregon's way is flowing all the way down to the scheduling.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the scheduling here, where Oregon the next week against Northwestern at home on Halloween was supposed to be a five o'clock game.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Which the game would get dark.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: It would be Halloween.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: I remember Oregon against USC on Halloween as one of the greatest games I've ever been to.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: The ambiance was crazy.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: The energy in the crowd at night was great.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: If this game goes to five overtimes, you might get to see that against Northwestern.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to wish for that because Northwestern is having a resurgent year.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: But the game was moved from 5 o'clock to noon.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: And if that wasn't enough, it's not gonna be on Fox or the Big Noon kickoff.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no, no.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: That game is gonna be on Peacock.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So if you don't have the Peacock network, you don't even get to watch Oregon play.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: There's still people swimming into an October party.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta love it.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Also, state-of-the-art workout facility where I just put a new video up working out up there, which is always uh funny when you have to run the cameras upstairs.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, sorry, to catch you meeting out while I'm meeting out.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: But people have got to see the facility.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's well worth the time.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Also, state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor tennis, and with the weather changing, even though people are still at the pool, it's gonna get cold.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to play tennis, that's your spot.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Friendliest staff around, hit them up today.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's staffordhills.com.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Tell them Drew sent you for half off your initiation.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a bit of a curveball today because Marcus is on vacation.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Forgot where he said he was going, but he is flying out of here and isn't gonna be back until tomorrow.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So for now, you've got me, but we had to come on and address some things because the Oregon Ducks, the Oregon State Beavers in the news right now, where uh the rankings came out this week and still no Oregon and no Oregon State in the top 25.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think if Oregon State hadn't lost some early games against those ranked teams, you'd be hearing a lot more buzz about them because they had one heck of a day against Washington State.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to some of these stats for the Oregon State Beavers as they beat the Cougars 48 to 30.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I think a lot of people assumed that they would win this game, but AJ Newberry, their running back, had a 225 all-purpose yards, 105 on the ground, 120 through the air.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Also, Jesse Legree, who's been one of the bright spots for the Beavers and wide receivers across the nation, had himself a day too, eight catches for 108 yards.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: But it's a little deceiving because one of those were a 90-yard bomb.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: But really, the big story, Braden Atkinson going huge for 347 yards.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you cannot make this stuff up.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: The Oregon Ducks coming in as a top-ranked team, someone who's a shoe-in, almost a no-brainer to make the college football playoff.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: And here we are now with it just not being the case.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the door is not completely closed yet, but the Beavers handled their business.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: The Ducks, on the other hand, oh my gosh.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I was just full disclosure, I was hosting a charity event on Saturday night, actually a fundraiser.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I was all dolled up.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was in a tuxedo, and it was a high stress situation.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you're hosting a fundraiser, you've got to raise funds.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I was I was a little nervous because it was an important crowd and for an even more important cause, but it wasn't until I got off the stage and I immediately beelined over to a buddy and I said, Hey, what's the score of the duck game?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And they told me that the ducks had not scored a point in the first half.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And at first I didn't believe it.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I went straight to my phone and grabbed it.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then to find out that our quarterback, the replacement for Dylan Riola, had a quarterback rating of eight in this game.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not a typo that your listening device did not glitch.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Eight.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, there was rumors that Dylan Riola had been out at a frat house or a frat party and that they weren't playing him for that reason.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now, that's an unsubstantiated rumor at this point because he did end up coming into the game.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: And there I was, once I'd gotten home from the event, the Ducks got pushed back so far.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: They've been slightly disrespected on scheduling, which I don't blame the big dogs for doing that to us because we have not looked great after what happened against UCLA, but it was one of those deals where I'm on the couch and I'm on the edge of my seat, just panicked at what's going to happen in that duck game.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And luckily, they're able to squeeze it out in the end.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, some of these, some of these stats are crazy.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the Ducks rallied from being down 14-6 entering the fourth quarter and went on to win this game 17 to 14, scoring that final touchdown with just 28 seconds left in the game.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not the only Duck fan who was super clinchy after that.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, how could you not be?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you lose that game, which would be your third loss, and this season is toasted at that point.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's there's nothing you can do if you get a third loss to make the college football playoff.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the carnage across the country, the Alabamas and the Georgias of the world falling off surely helped.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Ohio State losing its quarterback and coming out in a sling in the second half against Indiana surely helped.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Indiana taking a loss, another Big Ten team helps again.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: But it was one of those deals where it just didn't feel like it was going to happen, and it did.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: The offensive struggle was on another level.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: They managed only 50 yards of offense in the first half.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, are you joking?
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I'll be the first to say I don't, I'm not the firing guy.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not the guy who says, oh my God, we got to get just clear the house, take them all out after a few games.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, these people have worked their entire life to get to the point where they can, you know, be an offensive or defensive coordinator at this high level.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: But 50 yards?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Are we serious right now?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the defense was a bit of a bright spot.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oregon held Nebraska scoreless in that fourth quarter and kept the team in position to mount a comeback.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And it's funny because if you look at the situation with how Oregon deals with teams that sing and dance to the song Shout.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you don't know this, if you don't go to Oregon games and often they're not broadcasting the time between quarters, but they the song Shout plays and the entire stadium goes ballistic.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a number of teams have decided that they're going to sing and dance themselves and maybe try to overcome the situation.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, in this deal, their coach, Coach Rule afterwards was like, oh my God, we are never doing that again.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was against his character, but he felt like his team had crushed.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: He wanted to keep them loose into the fourth quarter.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when they did that, it awakened something in the Ducks, and it was just enough, just enough fuel for those Oregon Duck players to come out and stop them defensively to where they didn't score a single point.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now the quarterback twist is interesting here because Dylan Rayola came off the bench in the fourth quarter.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: His former team was who we were playing against, which I was that's been a circled game since Dante Moore went down.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's been, oh my God, what's going to happen with Rayola when he goes up against his old team?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's kind of awkward.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: He he got to Oregon and kind of put fuel on the fire when he said that Nebraska's just full of a bunch of cornfields and that it's boring, but he still was not going to play in this game until the person that he came in to replace had a quarterback rating of eight.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so what happens?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: He rallies him back and he goes from hero against USC to dud against UCLA to back to hero again.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now, whether this means lights out for Oregon or not is still left to be seen.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there is a lot of football left to be played, and there is an automatic berth for the winner of the Pac-10 championship.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: So if the Ducks can rally, if they can play against Illinois in a positive manner, and then again against Northwestern in that same positive manner, and then take on an Ohio State team that will likely be without their starting quarterback, and the backup didn't look great against Indiana.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: The only reason they won that game is they already had the lead.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: So what that would do is that would give Ohio State two losses as well, and it would have the Ducks launch up over the top of them in the standings.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm talking about a situation where the Ducks would have to completely win out, which is a bit of it's a bit of pipe talk right now.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, let's be honest.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: They can, they just barely beat Nebraska, didn't score a point in the first half.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: 50 yards of offense, it's pathetic.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's completely out of character.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: But there is an opportunity to get it done.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the people who come at me online when I talk about the Ducks, and I can tell how jaded you are when you just immediately start throwing insults and talking about how Oregon's never won a championship and you always screw it up and blah blah blah blah blah.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: And they start just throwing swear words and you can feel the spit flowing from their mouths, and they'll go as far as to tell me the, you know, they'll start making fun of my outfit.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's when I know somebody truly hates the ducks.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: You're too old to have a flat-primmed hat.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: You're probably right.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm guessing you're too pretty to have a profile picture, and it's the trolls that never have the picture.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, keep that in mind.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: When somebody says something terrible about you online and you click the picture just to see who it is, and there's no profile picture, the writing's on the wall.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely on the wall.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what will happen with Oregon is left to be seen because of other events that went on Saturday night and really quite disappointing stuff, if I'm gonna be completely honest.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: First things first, Illinois is a team that's going to be starting a freshman quarterback against the Ducks.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Will that help us out?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Will that give us a kind of level the playing field?
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because we still haven't heard a word about what's going on with Dante Moore.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Does anybody want to say something about that?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Is he going to play?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Did he already tell Oregon that he's done and they don't want to, you know, cause unrest?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because let's be honest, if he's not playing for a national championship, he's probably going to punt on this season and get ready for the pros.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, his his stock in the NFL draft has already plummeted on a level which has never been seen before, from the second overall pick to the number six overall quarterback, which could drop you out of the first round altogether.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And the amount of money that you lose at that point could cause a nosebleed.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: So that's left to be seen.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Also, the disrespect coming Oregon's way is flowing all the way down to the scheduling.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the scheduling here, where Oregon the next week against Northwestern at home on Halloween was supposed to be a five o'clock game, which the game would get dark.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: It would be Halloween.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: I remember Oregon against USC on Halloween as one of the greatest games I've ever been to.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: The ambiance was crazy.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: The energy in the crowd at night was great.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: If this game goes to five overtimes, you might get to see that against Northwestern.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to wish for that because Northwestern is having a resurgent year.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: But the game was moved from five o'clock to noon.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: To noon.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if that wasn't enough, it's not going to be on Fox or the big noon kickoff.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no, no.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: That game is going to be on Peacock.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if you don't have the Peacock network, you don't even get to watch Oregon play against Northwestern.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not truly complaining.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just reporting on it.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because, I mean, what have we earned at this point?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're not even ranked.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if we're going to play an unranked Illinois team, even if we win, we still might not be ranked.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And if we are, it's going to be high 20s.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: There's going to be plenty of other games that the big dogs want to get and to sink their teeth into.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: But Oregon has bigger fish to fry after Evan Stewart, their leading receiver, did not play against Nebraska because of an undisclosed injury.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: But that didn't keep him from going out and having a good old time on Saturday night because he was arrested in Springfield, which is adjacent to Eugene.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's just the train tracks or the Willamette River away.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And he is going to be facing DUI charges.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: He was released early Sunday morning.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oregon says it's gathering information after you know Stewart's arrest, but they're saying that he was arrested at like five in the morning.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Five in the morning?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: What are you guys doing out at that point?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, is this something exclusive to Oregon?
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: But it also is concerning because we've had these problems before.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: We've had players kicked off our team at the end of the season when we're having a great year and it's affected us heading into the playoff.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now we're trying desperately to get into the playoff, and we're finding ourselves in the same situation.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I do want to put something to bed.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: The haters have been quick to believe online hype and the rumor city, and that's fine.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Haters gonna hate.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: But the street racing rumors.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, people are saying that multiple ducks were involved in street racing, eluding police, and all these other things, and that that is what led to Evan Stewart's DUI.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as of now, that's a rumor because police investigated a separate high-speed pursuit.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Several Oregon players were contact because they were in that area, but police said that they had no reason to believe that any of the players were involved.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the pursuit was reported to be unrelated even to Stewart's arrest.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we obviously don't have all the details because when Dan Lanning was asked about this, he was quick to uh put a cap on it and say, you know, we're not going to talk about team business, which is a punt in itself.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I see what he's doing.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're not going to do yourself any favors by throwing your guy under the bus.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: A DUI is terrible.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: I've never had one myself, but people make mistakes.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: People make bad decisions, especially when they're drinking.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like, why would you do that?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they were drinking, and so they probably thought, oh, I'm good, and then drove home.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: It could have been, you know, and and this is just me talking.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: It could have been that you're hanging out with a lady.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the night, you're like, oh, well, I should probably head back to my place.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: You go to drive home, and boom, you get popped for a DUI at five in the morning.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have a buddy who actually went out drinking at a duck game years and years ago.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: The next morning, he went to breakfast with his mom at a restaurant, and on the way home from the restaurant, got pulled over for speeding and got a DUI.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't know the details.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: They're not sharing all that stuff, but there are a lot of different things that can lead to a DUI.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: There's also rumors that it was a weed DUI.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Still, none of that's been confirmed.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so until we have more details on that, I don't really want to speculate.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: All I know is he's gonna be out.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, for how long is the question?
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's not domestic violence.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's not uh, you know, strong-armed robbery, it's a DUI.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: So is it a couple games?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: Are you gonna get kicked off the team?
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, remember when LeGarrett Blunt knocked that Boise State fan out?
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: He got kicked off the team or suspended for the year.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: But then they amended that and let him back late in the rotation.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's fair to say that we need to pump the brakes on hurrying him back to save the season because you still have to set a precedent that players have to follow rules.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: And in this day and age, with the NIL and people are getting paid more than I've ever made in my life, especially these days, and it's hard to regulate them.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: But rules are rules.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't follow team rules, you do need to be suspended.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as a Duck fan who's desperate to get back in the hunt, I would like it to be a couple of games.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: But if they see fit to kick him off the team entirely, you have to respect it.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you see fit to give him six games, you gotta respect it.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: But it's all left to be seen because Oregon winning by a hair 17-14 against Nebraska felt good in the moment.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: I was gonna go to bed sour, but it felt good in the moment.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: What will happen come this weekend against Illinois and next weekend against Northwestern?
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Normally Northwestern's a free game, but it doesn't seem to be the deal this time.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: But all I know is we're not getting a night game.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're not going trick-or-treating at the end of that Halloween game.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's homecoming, too.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Homecoming at noon?
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be a strange day.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: But it's what the Peacock says, and it is what it is.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: But right now, we're in a paradox.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: We're in the upside down.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is like stranger things.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: The beavers are blowing people out.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: The beavers are lighting up the scoreboard, throwing for 300 yards, having superstars that are being talked about all over the place.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So much, in fact, that Chad Ochocinko claims, and now he's an Oregon State alum and was a superstar in the NFL, that he will give$2 million himself to Jesse Legree if he doesn't leave for a different team.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, teams are going to be begging.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna be begging for the quarterback, they're gonna be begging for him and other players on that team.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, will that Nvidia money ever show up?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: Will that Risa Burrito money ever show up?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: And will Chad Ocinko, who himself says he wears fake gold watches, does he even have the cash to get that done?
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's been out of the league for a long time.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: He's doing a lot of podcasts for a guy who has endless cash flow.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Not saying he doesn't have it, but will he give it to his alma mater?
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's left to be seen.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: But right now, Oregon State is the juggernaut in the state, not the ducks.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, we talked earlier about, ooh, could they could they meet up in the playoffs?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: Probably not, but they couldn't meet up at a bowl game.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I know the matchmakers would love to rekindle what used to be the Civil War, the rivalry between the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And wouldn't that be grand?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: It'd be nice if we could just play it right there at Providence Park, too.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Keep me nice and close to home.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: But for now, we'll find out what Dan Lanning's gonna do about Evan Stewart and about those coordinators.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: And can they get right moving forward?
• 20:27
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• 21:30
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• 21:32
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• 21:39
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• 21:45
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• 21:50
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• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I've already had a history of them helping me troubleshoot problems, but some problems are bigger than you can handle by yourself.
• 22:07
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• 22:11
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• 22:12
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• 22:24
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• 22:27
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• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's a big day for the Portland Trailblazers, and I I thought this was so important to be here today that if you're watching on YouTube, you may have noticed that I've got this little wrap on my arm.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's because I gave an obnoxious amount of blood just a few minutes before I came on the air here.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: I also had a cardiac calcium test on my heart where I crawled into a CT scanner and just got radiated.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm kind of like a half-cooked burrito right now, and then came right here.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm fasted since yesterday, borderline seeing spots, but I couldn't miss the launch of the Portland Trailblazers season.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Not on the PNW podcast, not for a second.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it's all going down tonight.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a 7 p.m.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: tip at the Moda Center.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: That place is gonna be popping off because Damian Lillard is home.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: I remember the moment I heard that he was wanting out of Portland and praying that it wouldn't stay that way.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then when he actually got traded to Milwaukee, just heartbroken.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then when he got injured and somehow got that contract buyout and came back home, it just felt like destiny.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now I didn't know what that would mean for the team long term, but it was something I was all about.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, because I didn't have to go out and buy myself a new jersey.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: But Lillard is an all-time great, and he's a great person.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've met him in the public, in the community a couple of times.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't have a long, drawn-out conversation.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: I've met him three separate times, once at a Dick's Sporting Goods, once at a hallmark.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was either Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, and the whole place stopped.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a hustle and bustle day, and everyone just stopped and like, let's let Dame get his stuff real quick.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then I met him at the Maurice Lucas Foundation event, and he was so gracious to take a picture with me and with just about anyone else who was willing to do it.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I told him how much I was just over the moon to have him home.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And well, that put a smile on his face.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: He probably hears that a thousand times a day.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: But Damian Lillard returning from the Achilles injury, we don't know exactly what it'll look like.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen a lot of tape about him shooting threes.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: He still has the touch.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: The guy can hit from anywhere.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: I would never leave that man open if I was an opposing coach.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: But it's not just him, it's Denny Advia.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about the just the obvious thing here.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: The guy was an all-star last year and unstoppable.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: His ability to drive and create, both for himself and others, is next to none.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: He's incredible.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: And now you have all these other pieces.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: You have Ja Morant, who's been traded to Portland.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, there's a lot of haters on Jaw, but I think you also have to remember that when somebody goes through something and gets thrown away by their team, there's a fire in them.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: He's still one of the most popular guys in the league.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: When the Ja Morant shoe comes out with Nike every year, it's one of the most, if not the most, popular shoe release.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: So there are plenty of people still on Team Ja.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm there too.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to see this guy succeed.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you look back at the Blazers of the late 90s and early 2000s, that team was made up of players that other people threw away.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: And they call us the jailblazers, but they weren't all jailblazers.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: So many of those guys were high talent guys that people uh casted off as somebody else's sidekick or a has been.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we got Scottie Pippen when everybody talked about Jordan.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: He almost took us to the finals against the most dominant Lakers team in 20, 30 years.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Shaq and Kobe would never have been Shaq and Kobe if they didn't have a miracle quarter against Portland.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: We don't need to get into all that.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: Not on opening night.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: But it is left to be said that there's a lot of talent that gets disrespected.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that lights a fire under those guys.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I expect Ja Morant to do things.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Scoot Henderson, even though we failed to get a contract extension done with him when we finally admit that it's a big deal, and that's sketchy.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Scoot's a big-time player.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's still a young guy and he's strong.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if we can make it to where he doesn't have to carry the load and can kind of play a supporting role, he's dangerous.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it goes on and on.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: Tamani Kamara, nobody wants to be guarded by that guy.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: He is one of the elite defenders in this league and could be all defensive team this year if he earns himself a starting spot.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: But a starting spot on this team isn't easy.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: You got Drew Holiday, you've got Donovan Klingon.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you the list goes on and on and on.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Robert Williams, the third, is just an absolute beast as well.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: So with a supporting cast like that, and Shaden Sharp won't be back till midseason, but there isn't a higher flyer or a more electric dunker in the league than Shaden Sharp.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: That guy looks like he's straight out of NBA Jam.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be honest about it.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: So what happens tonight?
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: The Blazers take on the Phoenix Suns.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Devin Booker's still the centerpiece there.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: And they have other pieces as well, people who can get it done.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: But Vegas still likes the Blazers by a couple of points.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I like them too.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I always take the Blazers by a couple more points than the other guy.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: But it's left to be seen what can happen because the Blazers are playing small ball.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's interesting.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about on the show the other day that Kevin Garnett said that the Blazers are the team that if he was a coach, and he says he doesn't want to coach anyone, let's be clear about that.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: But if he was the coach, Kevin Garnett says he would coach the Trailblazers over any other team.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: That includes the the Spurs, who are also playing small ball and are going to be running three guards and a seven foot-six individual.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that team, now I'm not, let's not get it twisted.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Spurs are the favorite to win it all.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: The Knicks had a great run.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Can they do it again?
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: It'll probably be another 30 years till that happens.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: But the Spurs are the juggernaut.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: But can the Blazers make a run?
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Donovan Klingon underestimated, underrated, and a massive human.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: I told you I saw him at Costco, and he made a 60-some-inch TV look like a pizza box.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a dominant force in the middle.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: And if we can just kind of piece it all together and learn to not have to be the starter to make magic happen.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I know a Drew Holiday can do it, but can a Ja Morant do it?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: Who's been always been the superstar on his team?
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, when you go to the bench, some guys feel disrespected.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that's smart thinking by them, but it is something that happens.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: And with the Blazers team that still has no contract deal, now is the time to make some magic happen.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because I feel like if the Blazers, now this is we're pipe dreaming a little here.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, take it easy in the comments.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: But if the Blazers won a championship, it'd be pretty hard to take them out of here.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, all of those guys would be cemented into history.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Back to that Scottie Pippen thing from before.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: If he beats the Lakers and goes on to win a championship, Scottie Pippen would be one of the biggest ambassadors in the history of the team.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Look at you've got even Clyde Drexler doesn't even come back here and shake hands and kiss babies because he didn't win the championship.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: He won it with the Rockets.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: He wore a Rockets jersey in the Hall of Fame, which is still extremely painful for me to know and to deal with.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: But it's all about who wins the titles.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: So coming into tonight, there's a lot of excitement.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really stoked to see what happens with Portland.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it's and even Dame says it's the deepest team we've had in a long time.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: But Dame has been cautious about his involvement in this offense, seeing that he's gonna have to limit his minutes.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why it's good that we're deep.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because he got he says, now pump the brakes.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not an old man, but I'm no spring chicken either.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't just run me till the wheels come off, especially coming off of an Achilles.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta take it easy.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna have plenty of other guards who can carry the weight.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: Will Dame feel like he has to bring the ball up all the time?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think he should have to feel that way.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: Jaw can carry it.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: Denny, I think, can carry it the best at this point.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: And no disrespect to Dame or to Jaw.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: But Denny obvious has earned a chance to be the centerpiece of this audio, this offense.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: Hook, line, and sinker.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: So tonight it's Rip City, baby.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it's in every NBA team, just like with any other major sports team, on the first night of the season, we're all full of hope.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: Just like we were when Greg Odin showed up.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's painful, but it's something to remember.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: We always have hope when it gets going.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: Could it be dashed in minutes?
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to hear the words microfracture surgery ever again in my life.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: I would have been less upset to hear I was getting it than Greg Odin was getting it.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: But this team is deep.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: Deep, deep.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it's Rip City till I die.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: So Marcus will be back with us and we will we will break down how the season is getting started.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: And whether it's ducks, beavers, blazers, even the Seahawks are reeling a little bit right now.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: We're hoping everybody can kind of you know build up that armor and make a run on the back end here.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: And the Blazers have everything in front of them.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: And Vegas says they're a favorite in the first game.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: So let's go and get it, baby.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget all new episodes of the PW podcast, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hope you'll join us and you can listen to them all.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or actually, you can listen to them wherever you get your podcasts, and you can watch them on YouTube.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: And you can even check out my little bandage from all the blood I've given now.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna get out of here.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go eat some chicken or something, and maybe I think I need some blood sugar.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit of some fruits.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: Lots and lots of fruits.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great rest of your day.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be back next time.