Indianapolis, IN
Trey Benson flashes potential in Cardinals' sloppy loss to Colts
INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson didn’t necessarily wow the crowd behind eight carries for 21 yards in his team’s preseason opener loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Seeing about the same number of touches in the Cardinals’ 21-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Benson flashed his big-play potential and vision.
In just over a quarter of work, Benson averaged 4.8 yards per carry on his way to 43 yards on nine rushing attempts.
And it could have been much more.
Recording his fourth carry of the night, Benson nearly had a house call. After shaking multiple Colts defenders, the third-round pick turned up the field for a 19-yard gain. Had it not been for safety Nick Cross, Benson had a clear path to pay dirt.
It wasn’t only the Colts defenders Benson had to worry about, though.
On Benson’s final carry of the evening, the running back again made Colts defenders miss as he shifted his way 20 yards to Indianapolis’ two-yard line.
Unfortunately for Benson and the offense, his efforts were for naught thanks to a Christian Jones holding penalty. It was a tough series for Jones, who picked up three straight holding calls.
Benson, who entered the game listed as Arizona’s RB2 behind James Conner, won’t see the lost yardage on the stat sheet. He and the coaching staff will, however, see improved tape.
Much to clean up
While Jones was dinged for numerous penalties, he wasn’t the only one caught having mental lapses.
As a team, Arizona committed 11 penalties for 82 yards.
The sloppiness on display simply cannot happen if the Cardinals hope to improve their win-loss record from a year ago.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on the team’s sloppiness throughout Saturday’s loss to the Colts:
“One of our modes of play is our brain and we didn’t use it tonight. … That falls on me and the coaches. We gotta get it cleaned up fast.” pic.twitter.com/Koz8eunD6Z
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 18, 2024
“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. One of our modes of play is our brain and we didn’t use it tonight,” Gannon said. “That falls strictly on me.
“I thought we were ready to play physically, violence was on display, good effort and finish, but I just told them we’re not going to beat anybody making those kinds of mistakes and you can’t self-destruct and we did on all three phases. That falls on me and the coaches. We gotta get it cleaned up fast.”
Tune takes Round 2
For a second consecutive week, Clayton Tune outperformed Desmond Ridder, further solidifying his case for QB2.
Completing 80% of his throws (8-of-10) for 79 yards, Tune again looked comfortable operating the offense after getting the starting nod on Saturday.
He capped off a strong first half with a 12-yard touchdown run.
“I feel like I’ve put in some good work,” Tune said postgame. “There’s still work to be done. That’s my mindset. Go in, watch the tape, learn from it, come back next week ready to work and build on it.”
“I feel like I’m playing more on time, playing quicker, getting through my reads, seeing the defense and just being decisive,” the QB added.
Ridder on the other hand completed 60% of his passes (6-of-10) for 71 yards, though saw the majority of his yardage (42) come in the final series of the game.
A false start on Dennis Daley ended the drive and the game, leaving Ridder without another chance at finding the end zone.
“He had some good balls in there. I thought he made some plays with his legs,” Gannon said. “Would have liked to see the last play get off, but we couldn’t get it done.”
The Thomas twins
Saturday night was another strong showing from 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas.
Recording his second sack of the preseason along with two QB hits and a tackle for loss, Thomas had good pressure on Indianapolis signal callers.
It’s sack city up in here 🎉
📺: #AZvsIND on CBS | @atxlete pic.twitter.com/EYDUmZydy4
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 18, 2024
For someone who said their legs were shaking on the first play of the preseason opener against the Saints, Thomas is looking more at home and appears to be trending up the depth chart.
“Today I pretty much knew what to expect and things like that. It’s always good to get more comfortable,” Thomas said postgame.
The rookie wasn’t the only Thomas who stood out on Saturday.
Third-year pro Cameron Thomas was also a factor in the backfield, getting to quarterback Sam Ehlinger for a sack and pressuring fellow signal callers Jason Bean and Valley native Kedon Slovis on multiple occasions.
The Cardinals still have question marks surrounding their pass rush after projected starter BJ Ojulari went down with a reported torn ACL during training camp, ending his season before it began.
Could either Thomas find a more prominent role in the rotation? A strong showing next week in Denver could press the issue.
Aside for the Thomas twins, Victor Dimukeje was another name getting added pressure against the Colts and narrowly missed out on a pair of sacks.
Give me that!
Kei’Trel Clark and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson provided an added boost in Arizona’s secondary on Saturday, each forcing a turnover and flipping the field in the Cardinals’ favor.
Clark put the hammer down on wide receiver Anthony Gould to force a fumble in the waning moments of the first quarter.
The second-year pro flew around the football field for most of the night, a positive development in a cornerbacks room where roles are still up for grabs.
“I thought he looked violent, physical. He had a couple good coverages in there, forced the fumble,” Gannon said. “He looked good in there and he played two spots today, so it was good to see.”
It was Taylor-Demerson, better known as Rabbit, who had the play of the evening.
BEWARE: RABBIT ON THE LOOSE 🐰
📺: #AZvsIND on CBS | @DadrionT pic.twitter.com/yosmhhLDD7
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 18, 2024
With 1:51 left in the first half, Taylor-Demerson snagged a pass near the sideline intended for wide receiver D.J. Montgomery and managed to keep his feet inbounds.
Had it not been for the duo’s takeaways, the score would have looked a lot different in Gannon’s eyes behind the mountain of penalties.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon dives into Rabbit’s interception and how that and Kei’Trel Clark’s forced fumble kept his team in it despite the sloppiness on display: pic.twitter.com/KTkONtIi6H
— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) August 18, 2024
“The takeaways were good. That’s the reason we stayed in the game,” Gannon said. “Without those takeaways, I think we get the brakes beat off of us, truthfully. I gotta watch the tape, but I know the interception was a phenomenal play. I thought he had a couple tackles in there. He looked good.”
Trump repeals landmark EPA climate endangerment finding
President Trump’s repeal of the endangerment finding eliminates the legal basis for regulations that target air pollution from greenhouse gases.
Indianapolis and the surrounding metropolitan area failed a number of critical air pollution measures in the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report.
The ALA’s annual nationwide report published each spring gives the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie metro area an “F” in smog and soot pollution. The report analyzes emissions data over a three-year period from 2022 to 2024.
Smog is ground-level ozone pollution and soot is particulate matter. The two comprise two of the six commonly found air pollutants in the United States according to the EPA.
Both pollutants form in part when coal-fired power plants and diesel engines burn fossil fuels. Smog and soot can cause premature death and other serious health hazards such as heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, asthma and cognitive decline, according to the ALA.
The lung health report ranks the central Indiana metro area in a number of categories with the region performing poorly in most. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie ranked the 11th most polluted area for year-round particle pollution and 14th for short-term particle pollution.
Indiana children at risk from air pollution
And the rest of the state fares little better.
More than 670,000 Hoosier children breath unhealthy levels of air pollution, the report says.
This year’s report focus on the risk to youth that polluted air can pose. Small lungs are particularly vulnerable, said Tiffany Nichols, ALA director of advocacy.
“Infants, children and teens have lungs that are still developing, which makes them more susceptible to the impacts of unhealthy air,” Nichols said.
To prevent today’s youth from developing diseases related to polluted air, the American Lung Association has been asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop rolling back clean air rules put in place by previous administrations. The Indiana chapter has also asked state lawmakers to take steps to protect air quality.
Nichols grew up on the northwest side of Indy where the neighborhoods had been demolished to build I-65. Nearby trees were torn down to make way for the highway that would bring cars and trucks emitting harmful exhaust.
“So, then you have these areas that are essentially like a pocket of unhealthy air, and then those neighborhoods also had a lot of factories,” Nichols said. “That exacerbated health conditions in many of those communities that are oftentimes less fortunate already.”
Data centers and rollbacks
While air pollutants have existed for centuries, the rise of data centers poses a new threat. State and local lawmakers, Nichols said, should also pay attention to these new potential sources of pollution both in Indiana and across the country.
“We’re asking that those companies that are interested in putting data centers in communities work with the local community,” Nichols said. “Since data centers have the potential to be another source of pollution we also ask that they use renewable, zero-ignition energy sources.”
The ALA report also urges the U.S. EPA to recommit to protecting people’s health from harmful air pollution.
This year, the EPA has gone on what Administrator Lee Zeldin has characterized as a deregulation campaign that environmental advocates in Indiana have charged will lead to “death by 1,000 cuts.”
The current EPA, the American Lung Association report says, has “retreated from its public health foundation by rolling back clean air protections.”
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Eagle Food & Beer Hall, a Southern-inspired restaurant at 310 Massachusetts Ave. in Indianapolis, is preparing for a Kentucky Derby party on May 2 and promoting a catering deal alongside its signature menu items.
The restaurant is known for its all-natural, brined and hand-dredged fried chicken, comfort-food sides, craft beer selection, scratch-made cocktails, and a blues-inspired atmosphere. It is part of Cincinnati-based Thunderdome Restaurant Group, which operates nine concepts across more than 50 locations nationwide.
Ricky Tindell, regional managing partner for Thunderdome Restaurant Group, highlighted the restaurant’s catering services and upcoming events. He said catering orders range from small gatherings to large events.
“We do a lot of catering. We do it anywhere from six people all the way up to 400,” Tindell said. He added that customers can take advantage of a promotion offering a $25 rebate on orders of $250 or more through July 4, 2026.
Tindell also described the preparation of The Eagle’s fried chicken, which is brined in-house for 24 to 36 hours, double-dredged, and pressure-fried. He said the restaurant uses a proprietary seasoning blend.
He also discussed the Mac and Cheese Burnt Ends Bowl, a popular menu item made with a five-cheese sauce, cavatappi pasta, pork burnt ends, lemon thyme ranch, crispy onions, and chives. Tindell said the dish developed from customer preferences and repeated add-ons to the restaurant’s mac and cheese.
He said the burnt ends are slow-roasted for two hours, deep-fried, and tossed in a Texas-style barbecue sauce. Portions are designed to be shareable for two to three people.
Tindell said the restaurant’s appeal in Indianapolis comes from its Southern comfort food offerings.
“It’s Southern comfort food. So people get that feeling,” Tindell said. “That’s why The Eagle is one of the top four or five reasons people recommend when asked where to eat in Indianapolis.”
He added that he personally craves the chicken if he goes a week without it.
The Kentucky Derby party is scheduled for May 2 from 11 a.m. to midnight and will feature contests, prizes, and giveaways, including a “Win the Eagle for a Year” promotion offering a $50 monthly gift card for 12 months.
The catering promotion, offering a $25 rebate on orders of $250 or more, is available through July 4, 2026.. For more information, visit eaglerestaurant.com/locations.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.
Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.
Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.
“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.
City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.
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