Colts Season Tix Increase

speaker-0: Welcome in, beefers. This is a special edition of a midweek episode of Who's Your Beef? We got some topics we wanted to cover here with Toby Baldwin, aka Slick. This is the general Jason Farling. It's come to our attention that the Colts have just sent out season ticket renewals for the 2027 season. So we wanted to touch a little bit on that, and then we wanted to get into the couple big games for the Hoosiers and the Boilers this weekend. IU Ohio State and then Purdue versus Washington. So your thoughts on Colts season tickets for twenty twenty seven. Where would you stand on that, Slick?

speaker-1: Colts, can we confirm that the prices went up? I believe, yes. That prices increased.

speaker-0: Yeah, don't have anything specific. I don't know, but they have gone up s in some sort of fashion.

speaker-1: That's to be expected. there's probably not too many franchises in the four leagues that keep their tickets stagnant every year or any year, And I think that should be a rule. if you can't go five hundred, you can't raise your tickets. That should be a rule.

speaker-0: That would be good.

speaker-1: 'Cause then it really gives the the team incentive to to put the best product on the court or the field But as far as the Colts are concerned, my parents in particular are out. my good buddy who's had season tickets since he could afford is out the last two years. And he said he might renew when Ballard is gone.

speaker-0: Fair.

speaker-1: Let's hope that happens, right? you you told me that sixty five percent of are corporate.

speaker-0: Yeah, so through a good source, apparently sixty five percent of the Colt season tickets are corporately owned or held. So we're looking at thirty five percent of folks like your parents or myself or yourself.

speaker-1: Individuals with with money coming out of their own pocket.

speaker-0: Right. So, you know, I mean, I I've only lived what, say, twenty five, thirty minutes away from downtown for the majority of my life. back in the RCA dome days, know we're we're dating ourselves here, but I I mean, I we literally went to every game and we sat to zeros because my stepfather, he wanted to we we were getting our money worth, so to speak. But I mean tickets back then, I can't even remember, but I wanna say like we had first row of the upper deck, maybe like forty, forty five bucks a ticket somewhere in there.

speaker-1: Those were the days. What I'm saying is the tickets you had back in the early nineties, if you could get those tickets today at those prices, you'd be paying a hundred bucks, but instead you're paying what, two fifty.

speaker-0: Absolutely. And I mean, yeah, I would wager to say that the cost of our four tickets and and obviously, you know, we're talking twenty five, thirty years ago. I know we're dating ourselves here, but the point is four tickets back then probably equal to one seat, call it 160, 165, 70 dollars in that same ballpark with RCA Dome, Lucasol Stadium. A fair.

speaker-1: inflation and and the cost of the dollar nowadays till then there's still a a major increase. and I think you see that throughout sports in general. unless it's a big, big game or I've got primo tickets, particularly football, T V has made it such a good viewing experience, especially with fantasy and so many games on at the same time, I prefer to watch it at home or with multiple screens, you know me, I've got eight games at once going But if I'm gonna see it, I wanna see like good tickets. Like a couple of years ago, I'm in Phoenix and Christmas Day, the Colts came out here when Wentz was playing. I had

speaker-0: yeah, I remember that.

speaker-1: a client that had really good tickets like lower bowl, forty yard line, ten rows up, And he gave me all four as like a holiday gift. Mm-hmm. And my parents came out and we had a great time. it was like one of Wentz's best moments. He had that last second touchdown pass in

speaker-0: Yeah.

speaker-1: the end zone.

speaker-0: I remember we won that game.

speaker-1: Yeah. We were wearing like the Colts Christmas Santa hats. We were the only Colts fan there. It was it was a sweet time.

speaker-0: Nice.

speaker-1: but you know, if I gotta pay a hundred and twenty five bucks to sit up in the corner of Nosebleeds at Lucas Oil for a shit product. Right. No thanks.

speaker-0: And that's just it. Until this organization can show us that they can put a good, watchable product on the field. And look, it doesn't matter how good the team is, what sport it is, every team's gonna have a bad game, bad night, bad day, whatever. We we get it, right? We're we're all sports fans here. But the fact of the matter is when you see it week after week after week, and there's consistent Turmoil within the organization and there's nothing done about it, then that's when it becomes frustrating.

speaker-1: We all eyes go to to the three girls and particularly Carly, She called him out in January and said, Hey, here's the expectations and you will be held accountable. Well, we know where the season's going and we know what she meant. So the axe is gonna come at some point and that's when we're gonna know what kind of owner we got. You know, I wanna see if she's already prepping, she's already reviewing candidates, because if somehow Ballard keeps his job and signs for a third time. Third contract. this city is gonna burn itself down.

speaker-0: Right. It will not be good. And and I know I was kind of filling you in a little bit earlier. Like I said, I've I've run across I've gotten a few texts today from buddies that currently have season tickets and then I've run across some stuff on X. Let's take a take a couple tweets here.

speaker-1: hate mail for us.

speaker-0: One fellow Colts fan says, I received a phone call from the Colts about my season tickets today. I declined, but I told them that if the team took football as seriously as they are about raising ticket prices for a mediocre team, I'd surely sign up again. That was met with silence on the other end. A serious change needs to be made within this organization. And I couldn't agree more.

speaker-1: Dead on. Dead on. Have you do you listen to much of I'll let you get back to that, but do you listen to Bill Simmons at all in his podcast?

speaker-0: not not too much.

speaker-1: Well anyway, he's a season ticket holder for the Clippers. Has been for like twenty five years. He just he he claims it's just so he can watch the other twenty nine teams. And he's a big Celtics guy. Okay. read his letter he sent to the Clippers breaking up with him and he wants his money back and he wants out of the next two years of his five year deal. That's that's what Coles fans seem to do, just barrage the ownership with, Hey, we ain't coming back.

speaker-0: That is. And I also just kind of scrolling through some some tweets on X earlier, found out from another guy. He says he's stuck in for another two years. He says they made him renew for a three year period. And I was like, say what?

speaker-1: Yeah, what they do they offer you a a little bit of a discount if you renew for multiple years. Multi years. We didn't know we had a GM that doesn't give a shit about how we play, I guess.

speaker-0: Right, right. So yeah, I mean, I legitimately felt felt bad about that. Here here's another one as well. Officially opted out of my season tickets for the Colts for twenty twenty seven. There was a point in time where I was thrilled to be a season ticket holder for my favorite football team. Now I have the same feeling dropping that status. The season ticket holder experience has become just like the on field play, mediocre. So there again, we kind of have a mere tweet. And I I responded. To this this particular one. And I said, Yep. Until they see a half empty stadium and hurt their bottom line so much, we won't see the product on the field that we deserve as fans. It ultimately starts with the Ursay girls firing Ballard. It should have been done several years ago, but it is what it is. I said, The bathroom lines are shorter in your house. The snacks, beer, soda is only five to ten steps away from your couch, your Lazy Boy Recliner and your big screen TV and probably your red zone channel as well. So

speaker-1: Exactly. It is expensive to go to a game nowadays, especially if you take in a family. that's probably most of all of the average family's entertainment budget for the whole year. That's that's a easy ten grand.

speaker-0: Seven fifty for a hot

speaker-1: Yeah, parking, whatever.

speaker-0: And that's one of the biggest things I will say, versus the RCA dome in in Lucas Oil Stadium is that the parking down there, unless you know or you're willing to walk a few blocks to get away from that that you know area down there, you're gonna sit forever. And so all of a sudden you've driven, let's call it anywhere from a half hour to two hours one way to get down there. You watch the game. The Colts put a shit product on the field, Colts lose the game, and then all of a sudden you're stuck in traffic for God knows how long, trying to get home. By the time you get home, you've just lost a whole day. And how much money have you spent that day?

speaker-1: you expect that you go to the five hundred every year. It's once a year. You don't expect to do that eight, nine times a year, to go into a football game.

speaker-0: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, I mean I I told I told one guy and one of my buddies earlier, I said, Hell, I'd just as soon go to go to watch a Indy Fuel or Indianapolis Indians. At least I know I'm gonna see a hundred ten percent effort from those players because they're trying to make it, you know? Rather than rather than fifty one Gaither Davis and Several of our other linebackers and DBs acting like they have no clue how to tackle. I heard on JMV. I don't know. Give it credit to JMV. But Steichen, he had a clip on there. I was listening on my way home today about saying how they practice tackling drills. And I'm like, bullshit. Bullshit. You guys do not practice tackling. They might.

speaker-1: Watch the film you're not tackling.

speaker-0: They might practice like going up and actually preparing to hit the guy and maybe making some sort of contact, but there is not one time in practice where they specifically take a guy down. There's no way.

speaker-1: Well, we look forward to the Titans this week. If we can't win this one, I don't know who gets fired first, but head should be rolling at some point because that is not a good football team coming into our place. you wanna move on to the biggest game of the weekend?

speaker-0: Yeah, so some might say it's the biggest game in memorial stadium history. Really? I heard some refer to it as the biggest game in IU program history, but I think we already had that back in January.

speaker-1: Set the stage. What what time's game time? What's the what's the what's the spread? I haven't even looked.

speaker-0: Well, we've got big noon kickoff rolling into Bloomington. The Buckeyes are currently minus three and a half on the spread.

speaker-1: My song dog's getting the hook. I like that.

speaker-0: four on some books. yeah, the Ohio State is set to get back their right tackle, Phillip Daniels. I believe he's been out since the Texas game. and I have it on good good record that this guy is like he's he's all right, you know, but in terms of Ohio State offensive line, like he's just another dude. so Yeah, I mean and there's been some fans out there saying that, hey, maybe Bryant Haynes has been saving some of his tactics or whatever you want to call it for this

speaker-1: Tell me this, General, Mr. Bloomington. Yes. What is your plan for number four Heisman contending whiteout, Jeremiah Smith? That's the big question. With that secondary that you do not trust yet.

speaker-0: I think you the only the only plan in in my opinion, and I'm no defensive coordinator, but you have to get whoever you think your best jam corner is, and I want him jammed at the line, and then I want a safety rolled over to his side as well, or multiple safeties. And I I mean, basically the bottom line is in this game. You don't let four beat you. If he does, let him have the short underneath three, five, seven yard catches, but do not let him catch a ball 30, 40, 50 yards down the field.

speaker-1: Well, you know how you do that, right? You take the same approach the New York Giants did when they knocked off Tom Brady and Randy Moss in the two thousand seven Super Bowl. You gotta get that front four to penetrate and make Saiyan very uncomfortable back there, so he does not even have time to let Smith take those routes and throw it forty yards deep.

speaker-0: Yes. So, you know, Julian Saiyan is not known for his his wheels and his mobility. I mean he he can run it if needs be, but it's not gonna be a Aiden Childs or or Calandria from Nebraska type of deal where I use just gotta, you know, rush three and drop eight into coverage. Now, you know, Bo Jackson, the Ohio State running back, he's a beast in my opinion. you know, he he's coming off a big game against Maryland. I believe he had yeah, a hundred and seven yards and two touchdowns. So so Bo Jackson he is he is definitely an animal. Jeremiah Smith only had four catches in that game, but it was for 93 yards and two touchdowns and a long of four. So right there's your your two guys, Bo Jackson and Jeremiah Smith. Those are your keys. So I use proven they can shut down the run, but this secondary is so suspect. I I'm worried. Now, they do have Nate Roberts, Chris Henry, and Jacoby Jackson, other wide receivers, that all, you know, they get kind of sprinkled in by saying here and there. But make one of those guys beat you. If I you can get some pressure, and the big strength of IU's defensive line is they do go about eight deep.

speaker-1: we know the defensive strategy. What about offensively? Is this gonna be a ground and pound game with Turbo and B B or is this gonna be over the top with Martian Becker like we saw last week?

speaker-0: IU has to come out and try to establish the run. They have to. Somehow Nebraska found a way to to shut our running game down last week and Hoover was able to make some big throws. Obviously Nick Marsh, seventy five yard T D and a forty four yard T D, huge. But if Turbo and B B do not get at least something going in a ground game and this O line does not get a push. Then I think IU's gonna be in trouble because this Ohio State defense, they can get after the quarterback. We saw him do it to Arch down in in Texas.

speaker-1: I Ohio State's defense sits at the low lead ninety six percentile in pressure, and they're only a hundred and ninth in sack rate this year. I think the way to go is through the air with these guys once you loosen up that front line.

speaker-0: Yeah, I mean, just looking back at it at the last few games, Maryland very ineffective on the ground. Iowa, super ineffective on the ground. Iowa, get this. Twenty one carries for thirty nine total yards in that game two weeks ago. That's that's is that good?

speaker-1: That's good.

speaker-0: Yeah. So I I've seen, you know, obviously watched, you know, bits and pieces of a lot of Ohio State games this year. They are very good at stopping the run. I do think you're right. And And Marsh and Becker, they even said, Hey, look, you you take one of us out of the game, the other one's gonna beat you. Associated Press National Player of the Week for Nick Martin.

speaker-1: Okay, I'll see ya, Nick Mark.

speaker-0: Yeah, Nick Marsh. yeah, there were some people were talking about him. I don't know if you heard this story about how day one, his first practice at in Bloomington, he busted out all gold cleats. And Signetti did not take too well to that that

speaker-1: That's not Sig's style there.

speaker-0: I believe he said something to the effect of take your butt back inside and find another pair of cleats. So but I think Nick Marsh after the last couple of games has maybe deserved at least one practice in those gold cleats. Okay.

speaker-1: So must see TV, big noon kickoff on

speaker-0: Yes, sir.

speaker-1: Saturday in Bloomington.

speaker-0: how about your two game Big Ten winning streak Boilers? What time is that game, the Boilers and the Huskies, and and where are they playing it?

speaker-1: So it's gonna be at Ross aid under the lights. It's the Big Ten Friday night game. So it'll be eight o'clock kickoff. Purdue bringing in the Huskies of Washington, who started three and have lost three in a row.

speaker-0: Yeah, US they so Minnesota, US C and Iowa all in a row.

speaker-1: also their quarterback, Desmond Williams Jr. took a hit and he's in concussion protocol.

speaker-0: Okay.

speaker-1: So we do not know if he's gonna play or not.

speaker-0: Hey, here's a good one for you. Did you know this that you're probably shocked that I know this? This Friday will only be the eighteenth game ever under the lights at Ross Aid Stadium. Doesn't that kind of shock you? Only the eighteenth game ever under the lights.

speaker-1: No, 'cause they've always played during the day and and usually if you're playing a night game in the Big Ten, you're usually pretty good. I'd say you probably hadn't had too many night games before.

speaker-0: So I heard the o the only reason I know that is because when I was watching the the Purdue Minnesota game last week, they said, Yeah, this is only the seventeenth game under the lights in Ross Aid Stadium history and I was like, What? It's like, sure, they played more than that. But I would say except for the bucket game last year when we went up there, for I. U. Purdue, every other Purdue game I've been to has been during the day. So that does kind of check out. We got the boilers minus three and a half and the total sit at fifty one and a half. And in that something, the IU Ohio State line is three and a half, and the total is the same, fifty one and a half.

speaker-1: There you go. You could just parlay that. Same.

speaker-0: Boilers minus two and a half in the under and IU getting the points and I don't really know where I'd go. You know, I IU I I I feel like they're due to bust out, but yeah, I mean this Purdue team, let let's just obviously keep it there. Easy boy, what do you have? Three T D's against against Minnesota.

speaker-1: thirty one carries, which is too many. And then you know Brown's got some weapons now.

speaker-0: So let let me ask you this. What do you think is the biggest key in the last two games versus Purdue's say what first three or four games on the defensive side of the ball? What have they done well?

speaker-1: Pressure. They've gotten way more pressure on the quarterback and they've limited the run game. So they've just been much, much better with their front seven, whether it's pressuring the ball or tackling, because they gave up a million to Notre Dame on the ground, and they gave up a million to Wake Forest through the air, and UCLA put up six hundred yards and did a little bit of both. But then you get to the Illinois game, and they made their quarterback look like he didn't belong in in the Big Ten at all. And then last week, I don't know what happened with Minnesota, but we got pressure after pressure after pressure on them. We knew they could score points. we've seen enough big plays out of this offense just a matter of if they can score more than the other team, which has been a problem.

speaker-0: Got I got a couple couple things here for you. So after Damond Williams was knocked out of the game against Iowa, Elijah Brown came in the game. Now the Huskies lost this game 41 to 24. However, Elijah Brown, I don't know what the score was when he came in. But this kid did go 28 for 39, 251 yards and three TDs. So there's obviously something there. But get this the Washington running game. Twenty five total carries for negative three yards in that game against Iowa. it sounds like this Elijah Brown kid can can sling it. So again, that's gonna be key for the Boilers if if they can get pressure, you know, up front on this kid and and really knock him off his spots.

speaker-1: Well, I'll tell you what, it's gonna be a fun weekend to watch football. all our teams are favored. Let's see if we can go three and for once,

speaker-0: So let let me give you one question here. Let's just discuss this for a couple minutes. If a big if the Tennessee Titans roll into Indianapolis this weekend and the Colts somehow lose to the Titans at Lucasol Stadium, does Ballard and or Steichen make it to Monday? Or

speaker-1: Maybe two. I'm afraid so. I'm afraid so.

speaker-0: You think they stay regardless?

speaker-1: Well, I'll turn around with another question. What's the point of firing someone in season? You're not gonna make a difference anyway, because you can't fire the GM and then an assistant GM like Dodds comes in and does something during the season to make it better. Right. And if you just fire the coach, what's the new coach gonna do?

speaker-0: It it's funny you say that because I've tossed around the idea that Ballard gets rid of Steichen and makes Reggie Wayne the head coach just to kind of try to rally the fan base.

speaker-1: That sounds like an Ursay move.

speaker-0: You know, what what more could get this fan base excited than having old eighty seven Reggie Wayne as the head coach? If if the

speaker-1: I'll tell you what's gonna piss this fan base off.

speaker-0: No perfect.

speaker-1: Somehow the Jets end up with Arch Manning next year.

speaker-0: my gosh. Yeah. Well, and and then that that brings us to another point here. I the trade deadline's coming up in a few weeks. I'm hearing that Quentin Nelson's name's being thrown around, DeForest Buckner's name's being thrown around. As far as I'm concerned, I know you want to have Nelson for life, but if the Colts can get a first round pick for Quentin Nelson and we're sitting here currently on this day with no first round picks, and he's a free agent next year. I think you gotta do it. I do. it would kill me, but I think you gotta do it.

speaker-1: Fair enough, but who's who's making that decision?

speaker-0: Chris Ballock.

speaker-1: Is he gonna be here next year? What's

speaker-0: No.

speaker-1: he care about the draft capital for next year?

speaker-0: That's true. That's true. You you gotta really wonder where hit his head's at in this whole

speaker-1: If he really wants to help the team, that's the best thing he could do is get as much draft capital as he can for a total rebuild. Even if that makes some fans mad, and it would make me mad to be honest. if if they trade Q, I I will be legitimately pissed.

speaker-0: Yeah, no I get that.

speaker-1: Came from a different organization, a winning organization in the Niners. Let him go prosper somewhere else. He's having a Pro Bowl type year. He can be a real contributor. to a playoff team and I know Q can too. I'm just selfish liking to stay a Colts. Other than that, we don't have assets. We're not giving up J T. He just re signed. And we're certainly not giving up Warren

speaker-0: Yeah, and that's another point, you know, they were making on J B, like who are the Col he said, Who are the Colts dudes? And the guys they came up with were JT and Tyler Warren. And as far as I'm concerned, those are the only two guys in my opinion that are untouchable on this team.

speaker-1: You're not moving Pierce in that contract. Right.

speaker-0: Ballard went from one horrible contract in Michael Pittman, giving him a number one wide receiver contract to giving Alec Pierce a number one wide receiver contract. And while Pierce might be able to do it, we we just haven't seen it. And who knows if the guy's even gonna play this year now.

speaker-1: I hope he doesn't. Get get him healthy. We need him down the road for as many years as we get him for.

speaker-0: Yeah. So folks we got a big weekend. We got Friday night with the Boilers. We got Saturday afternoon with the Hoosiers and Buckeyes. And then we got Sunday afternoon with the Colts and Titans. That's gonna be such a barn burner.

speaker-1: Pod may come out a little late. I may have tickets to see Dave Chappelle Sunday night.

speaker-0: yeah. Powell show.

speaker-1: I'm Rick James, Mitch.

speaker-0: Well folks, we thank you for having a listen to a special midweek edition of Hoosier Beef. go boilers, go Hoosiers, and