WEBVTT - HR 2 - Phil Bourque Joins the Show 0:00:00.350 --> 0:00:03.390 I've got the feeling that most of Pittsburgh is happy 0:00:03.930 --> 0:00:07.770 about the Steelers winning France, but not exactly thrilled. New 0:00:07.810 --> 0:00:11.290 Orleans isn't any good. The Steelers only scored 16 points. 0:00:11.930 --> 0:00:13.750 It was still a tight game in the fourth quarter. 0:00:13.770 --> 0:00:16.790 And these are two games in as many weeks when 0:00:16.810 --> 0:00:20.210 the Steelers didn't exactly dominate a lesser team from the 0:00:20.290 --> 0:00:21.610 bad NFC South. 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:23.340 Understood. 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:27.320 But if they win, they'll be 6-2 at the bye 0:00:27.500 --> 0:00:31.380 halfway through the season. They'll be 2-2 against teams over 500. 0:00:31.380 --> 0:00:35.979 They'll be in first place in the division. Will that 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:39.339 be enough for you to think that something is different 0:00:39.380 --> 0:00:44.110 around here? Will beating Cleveland Sunday make you believe? 0:00:44.130 --> 0:00:44.500 8-3-3, 4-1-2, 99-39. 0:00:44.490 --> 0:00:45.810 That's if they beat the Browns on Sunday. 0:00:53.050 --> 0:00:57.050 6-2 at the bye, halfway through the season, 2-2 against 0:00:57.090 --> 0:00:58.600 teams over. 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:00.020 500, first place in the division. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:03.600 Will that be enough to make you think that something 0:01:03.660 --> 0:01:07.259 is different with the new coaching staff? Because in theory, 0:01:08.140 --> 0:01:10.060 as big of a game as it is against the 0:01:10.110 --> 0:01:13.710 Browns on Sunday at Accresure Stadium, it's still Cleveland in 0:01:13.770 --> 0:01:18.130 Pittsburgh where they never win. This is yet another game 0:01:18.190 --> 0:01:21.910 against a team the Steelers should beat. Just was the 0:01:21.950 --> 0:01:26.370 case against the Indianapolis Colts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and 0:01:26.390 --> 0:01:29.770 the New Orleans Saints. And for a team that most 0:01:29.830 --> 0:01:33.510 of us in Pittsburgh apparently we don't think is all 0:01:33.550 --> 0:01:37.729 that good, the Steelers keep playing teams that we think 0:01:37.810 --> 0:01:41.280 they should beat. Maybe that's more of a commentary on 0:01:41.300 --> 0:01:43.559 their schedule. Maybe that's more of a commentary on the 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:45.919 state of the NFL across the board, but. 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.020 Who are the exceptions? New England on the road, Cincy 0:01:51.180 --> 0:01:51.640 at home. 0:01:51.700 --> 0:01:53.640 They split those two games, but those are the only 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:56.440 times I think most Pittsburghers thought, well, they're not going. 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:57.080 To win this one. 0:01:58.100 --> 0:02:02.560 So I'll ask again, will beating the Cleveland Browns change 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:07.440 your mind about things being different around here under Mike McCarthy? 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:11.040 And allow me to answer my own question. If the 0:02:11.080 --> 0:02:14.620 Steelers win another game, they should win here on Sunday. 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.120 which would be four in a row in such situations 0:02:18.340 --> 0:02:22.200 since losing in Cleveland, I will start to believe that 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:27.240 the Steelers are better prepared and better schooled going into 0:02:27.300 --> 0:02:31.120 such situations to not constantly step on the rake and 0:02:31.220 --> 0:02:34.560 trip up in games that they shouldn't lose away from home, 0:02:34.910 --> 0:02:37.790 which is a fatal flaw for Mike Tomlin over his 0:02:37.810 --> 0:02:40.250 last nine years where the team never won a playoff game. 0:02:41.310 --> 0:02:45.710 In that sense, in that specific sense... I will allow 0:02:45.750 --> 0:02:49.250 myself to start to think that things might be different 0:02:49.290 --> 0:02:54.030 under McCarthy. Do I think it will yield a significantly 0:02:54.130 --> 0:02:57.830 different result? No, I still think they're about a 10 0:02:57.830 --> 0:03:00.290 win team and they'll lose the first round of the playoffs, 0:03:00.500 --> 0:03:04.120 but the path getting there might feel more true and 0:03:04.139 --> 0:03:06.900 not a scramble drill because you lost a bunch of 0:03:06.940 --> 0:03:08.579 games that you shouldn't have lost. 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:09.620 833-412-WXDX. 0:03:13.910 --> 0:03:17.780 The things that I have greater doubt about, things I'm 0:03:17.820 --> 0:03:21.420 not quite as sure about, well, going into this week, 0:03:22.060 --> 0:03:25.680 I'm less sure about who the Browns are. Like, the 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.720 Browns are clearly better. Let's not kid ourselves. The Browns 0:03:28.860 --> 0:03:31.739 are better. And in one sense, you can pat the 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.160 Steelers on the back and at least say, okay, maybe 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:37.030 this year the loss in Cleveland is somewhat more justified. 0:03:37.810 --> 0:03:39.810 But in the same sense, you also have to admit 0:03:40.330 --> 0:03:44.040 they're more of a threat. Watson is closer to himself, 0:03:44.150 --> 0:03:47.590 further away from injury. The two rookie receivers have given 0:03:47.610 --> 0:03:51.430 the team life. Judkins is healthy and figuring out the NFL. 0:03:51.910 --> 0:03:54.330 They've figured out how to use fanning with intent as 0:03:54.390 --> 0:03:57.690 opposed to just being an occasional happy accident. 0:03:58.390 --> 0:04:01.790 The Browns are better. They also almost blew. 0:04:01.550 --> 0:04:04.870 It in Tennessee yesterday, and they lost to the Jets. 0:04:05.610 --> 0:04:07.830 So in that regard, you can still go with the 0:04:07.870 --> 0:04:09.810 juju line of the Browns is the Browns. 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:11.740 They are better. 0:04:12.420 --> 0:04:15.320 But the Steelers should win and beat them in Pittsburgh. 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.850 They should go 4-0 since that loss up in Cleveland. 0:04:19.670 --> 0:04:21.350 And that's not just me saying that. 0:04:22.310 --> 0:04:24.550 It's not just me reiterating a drum that I've been 0:04:24.610 --> 0:04:26.970 pounding since they lost to the Browns in Cleveland on 0:04:26.990 --> 0:04:30.570 that Thursday night. That's the head coach saying the same thing. 0:04:30.870 --> 0:04:33.630 Take a listen to Mike McCarthy after the game in 0:04:33.650 --> 0:04:35.380 Paris yesterday when they beat the Saints. 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.800 We talked about it last night in the team meeting. 0:04:38.460 --> 0:04:42.050 I don't really like to look ahead, um, when you 0:04:42.070 --> 0:04:45.450 talk about planning, but this is a four-game series that 0:04:46.150 --> 0:04:49.570 we addressed after losing the game early. It was important 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.360 for us to go 4-0, and so we have that opportunity. 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:54.940 And this is a big win. It'll be a very 0:04:54.980 --> 0:04:55.839 enjoyable flight home. 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:58.940 Man, you talk about saying the quiet part out loud. 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:04.080 That's what McCarthy did right there. A coach saying he 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:07.180 was talking about a month's worth of games as one 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:08.960 collective bunch in October? 0:05:10.060 --> 0:05:11.909 I mean, that's like a cardinal sin, isn't it? 0:05:12.529 --> 0:05:13.090 You're supposed to. 0:05:13.070 --> 0:05:15.910 Say week to week, one week at a time league, 0:05:16.010 --> 0:05:16.970 one game at a time. 0:05:17.370 --> 0:05:18.990 That's who we are. That's what we do. We don't 0:05:19.029 --> 0:05:20.849 look ahead. We don't look in chunks. We don't look 0:05:20.910 --> 0:05:24.100 in long segments of time. The only time you're allowed 0:05:24.130 --> 0:05:26.700 to say that as a coach is, for instance, when 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:28.500 they needed to win all three to get into the 0:05:28.540 --> 0:05:31.760 playoffs when they started Mason Rudolph. When they knew the 0:05:31.800 --> 0:05:34.100 next win was going to knock them out of the playoffs, 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:36.950 that was pretty much the only time they were allowed 0:05:36.990 --> 0:05:39.369 to look at it as one big chunk. Or I'll 0:05:39.390 --> 0:05:42.779 give you another example. When they were 7-5 back in 2005, 0:05:42.770 --> 0:05:45.030 they knew they probably had to win out to get in, 0:05:45.050 --> 0:05:47.310 and they did, and then they eventually went to the 0:05:47.370 --> 0:05:53.060 Super Bowl. But that was December in both cases. Not October. 0:05:53.900 --> 0:05:57.820 Not before Halloween. Not three games in a row to 0:05:57.860 --> 0:06:00.460 get in the playoffs we're talking about with Rudolph. Not 0:06:00.580 --> 0:06:02.479 four games in a row to get in the playoffs 0:06:02.500 --> 0:06:05.520 with Big Ben in his second season. I'm talking about 0:06:05.580 --> 0:06:07.680 right now where they've had a month's worth of games 0:06:07.740 --> 0:06:11.640 this early in the season. And we're looking at, admittedly, 0:06:11.690 --> 0:06:13.950 from the coach's point of view, something I've been using 0:06:13.990 --> 0:06:16.370 as talk show fodder. But that was in his head. 0:06:16.390 --> 0:06:19.110 And it came out yesterday. I don't even think it 0:06:19.130 --> 0:06:21.450 was really prompted. I think Mike McCarthy just said that 0:06:21.490 --> 0:06:25.930 as stream of consciousness. That was an NFL coach right 0:06:25.950 --> 0:06:28.990 there breaking the one game at a time rule and saying, yeah, 0:06:30.450 --> 0:06:33.010 Ben's was right. We got to be 4-0 heading into 0:06:33.029 --> 0:06:34.130 the bye from this point on. 0:06:35.210 --> 0:06:36.800 But I'm not alone. A lot of other people looked 0:06:36.820 --> 0:06:38.260 that way. A lot of other fans looked at it 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:38.740 that way. 0:06:39.620 --> 0:06:43.060 That even though they lost to Cleveland, things weren't bleak 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.690 because they had four winnable games, including one more against 0:06:46.730 --> 0:06:49.810 the Browns to get themselves even. They already had the 0:06:49.830 --> 0:06:52.229 win in their back pocket against the Bengals. Then you 0:06:52.250 --> 0:06:54.789 get a week off to rest up between divisional games 0:06:55.150 --> 0:06:56.790 to take on the Bengals. I still would have preferred 0:06:56.810 --> 0:06:58.610 that they take this week off after the trip back 0:06:58.630 --> 0:07:00.690 and then play the two divisional games back to back, 0:07:00.730 --> 0:07:03.410 but whatever. It is what it is now, and they 0:07:04.230 --> 0:07:07.630 have the opportunity to put themselves in fantastic position. Then 0:07:07.650 --> 0:07:11.140 the second thing that is different, kind of along those lines, 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:13.200 is I don't really know what to make of the 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:16.000 schedule on the back half. A lot of people keep 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:20.780 saying this, that the schedule at this point is shaping 0:07:20.860 --> 0:07:23.480 up to be a lot softer in the second half 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:25.790 than what we thought it would be. And there are 0:07:25.820 --> 0:07:29.490 reasons for that to be sure. The Ravens don't look 0:07:29.550 --> 0:07:31.810 as daunting as they did to start the year, but 0:07:32.530 --> 0:07:36.510 Lamar may be back by then. The Eagles certainly don't 0:07:36.550 --> 0:07:39.750 look as good because Hertz is out, but the Steelers 0:07:39.790 --> 0:07:45.270 never win there. I'm not all, my opinion hasn't changed 0:07:45.350 --> 0:07:47.450 all that much on the Broncos. I said that there 0:07:47.470 --> 0:07:49.320 would be a team that would step back this year. So, 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.380 you know, the fact that they've been a little bit 0:07:52.420 --> 0:07:54.700 more dicey this year, especially in offense like that to 0:07:54.740 --> 0:07:56.460 me is not that much of a surprise. I still 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:58.300 think the Jacksonville game is going to be tricky on 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:01.180 the road. The Texans have lesser of a record than 0:08:01.220 --> 0:08:06.410 we all anticipated, but I think that they've maybe cauterized 0:08:06.450 --> 0:08:09.190 the wound to a certain degree there, but two and 0:08:09.230 --> 0:08:10.429 five is still two and five. 0:08:10.490 --> 0:08:10.880 I get it. 0:08:10.930 --> 0:08:15.820 They, lost to the Giants, and that's certainly momentum derailing. 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:18.700 So I understand where a lot of people are coming 0:08:18.740 --> 0:08:20.680 from looking at that. The Titans stink. We all knew 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.980 that coming in. That's not a surprise there. And just 0:08:24.020 --> 0:08:25.560 as we're ready to say, well, at least the Panthers, 0:08:25.620 --> 0:08:27.500 the best team in that bad division that they're playing 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:30.120 across the border in the NFC, they go out and 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.920 get thumped and give up rushing yards like they were 0:08:33.980 --> 0:08:36.680 hemorrhaging on the ground against Tampa Bay. Well, that's what 0:08:36.700 --> 0:08:41.680 the Steelers do best. So the back half of the 0:08:41.740 --> 0:08:45.740 schedule has changed quite a bit from how we forecasted it. 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:48.470 To be way back when it came out. 0:08:49.330 --> 0:08:52.270 But then again, it could flip during the season just 0:08:52.309 --> 0:08:54.309 like it has flipped during the season so far. 0:08:54.390 --> 0:08:56.450 Don't be surprised if that's the case. 0:08:58.350 --> 0:09:00.770 So I'm just trying to get a gauge here as 0:09:00.809 --> 0:09:04.330 to whether or not if you were pessimistic, if you 0:09:04.370 --> 0:09:07.140 were guarded in your optimism as I was when the 0:09:07.179 --> 0:09:11.040 coaching change was made, when the season started, you saw 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:14.000 Rodgers come back, you saw them make every effort to 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:17.080 maintain the same roster going forward under McCarthy with all 0:09:17.100 --> 0:09:19.319 the extensions. If you were like me and you said, yep, 0:09:19.870 --> 0:09:23.470 nine wins, ten wins, playoff ouster in the first round, 0:09:23.750 --> 0:09:27.710 are you changing your mind? Has anything that has happened 0:09:27.790 --> 0:09:31.239 so far allowed you to have a different, more optimistic 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:35.339 view on where they are? Do you need the Browns 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.420 game to make that happen, or is it still under 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:39.780 the same tent of, yeah, wake me up in January? 0:09:40.420 --> 0:09:43.240 Because I've seen a lot of, let's stay in our lane, 0:09:43.420 --> 0:09:46.000 let's not get out of control. It was a 16-10 0:09:46.070 --> 0:09:48.590 win over a bad NFC South team again. They needed 0:09:48.630 --> 0:09:50.970 an overtime win to beat a bad NFC South team 0:09:51.010 --> 0:09:51.550 last week. 0:09:51.990 --> 0:09:52.910 That's not saying much. 0:09:53.470 --> 0:09:56.080 It isn't, except that I'm damn sure that they would 0:09:56.100 --> 0:09:56.620 have lost. 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:58.500 One of these two last year. I really am. 0:09:58.490 --> 0:09:58.530 833. 0:10:01.179 --> 0:10:02.579 Harry in Westview. 0:10:02.620 --> 0:10:02.920 Go ahead. 0:10:02.940 --> 0:10:04.100 You're on 105.9 The X. 0:10:05.300 --> 0:10:08.230 Hey, Tim, not that it's really relevant after the situation, 0:10:08.750 --> 0:10:12.990 but why did McCarthy not accept the field goal and 0:10:13.030 --> 0:10:16.350 decline the penalty and they would have been up by nine? 0:10:16.370 --> 0:10:19.150 Because he had the opportunity to run out the clock. 0:10:20.730 --> 0:10:22.790 Yeah, but you're up by nine. The game's over then. 0:10:23.110 --> 0:10:24.250 What if they would have fumbled the ball? 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.520 Well, they could have fumbled. Yeah, I get it, but 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.900 I thought that was the right move, personally. I prefer 0:10:30.940 --> 0:10:32.359 that they do it the way that they did it. 0:10:32.380 --> 0:10:34.400 They take the points off the board, and then they just... 0:10:34.820 --> 0:10:37.060 wind down the clock. I didn't have a problem with that. 0:10:37.100 --> 0:10:40.300 You were worried about them fumbling and having the Saints. Sylvia, 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:41.580 the Saints going the other way. 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.319 No, but re-watching the game, I just saw that and 0:10:44.340 --> 0:10:46.520 I just thought that could have been an error. You 0:10:46.540 --> 0:10:48.200 know what I'm saying? It's not a big thing. 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:49.780 No, I don't think it's a big thing at all. 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:50.900 I appreciate the call, Harry. 0:10:51.350 --> 0:10:54.650 There were plenty of opportunities to pick apart McCarthy's coaching. 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.800 After a win last week. In fact, that's all we did. 0:10:57.820 --> 0:11:00.650 They beat the Bucs, and we spent more time complaining 0:11:00.690 --> 0:11:04.450 about McCarthy's decision-making and clock management last week than the 0:11:04.490 --> 0:11:06.330 fact that they actually won. I don't think there's as 0:11:06.370 --> 0:11:09.210 much room for blurred lines here. I would have done 0:11:09.230 --> 0:11:11.260 the same thing that McCarthy did. I expected him to 0:11:11.300 --> 0:11:14.000 do that, and I'm not going to second-guess him there. 0:11:14.540 --> 0:11:17.570 So I was fine with that decision. I don't know 0:11:17.590 --> 0:11:19.190 if he got asked about it today in the press conference. 0:11:19.210 --> 0:11:20.620 I haven't had a chance yet to go through many 0:11:20.700 --> 0:11:23.840 notes from what was said. But I'll follow those up 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:25.980 and see if he was asked about it. To me, 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:28.319 it was a no-brainer. I was fine with that. 0:11:28.340 --> 0:11:28.410 412-833-412-9939. 0:11:28.460 --> 0:11:35.270 You can also tweet me at Tim Benz. P-G-H. 0:11:35.350 --> 0:11:37.400 Okay, when we come back, I will give you a 0:11:37.410 --> 0:11:40.380 couple things I didn't like from the game. I've dwelled 0:11:40.420 --> 0:11:42.459 a lot on the positives, but I'll give you some negatives. 0:11:42.540 --> 0:11:44.020 Maybe you want to pile on there. Sure, one of 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.000 them is the officiating. I've talked about that a bunch. 0:11:46.540 --> 0:11:48.460 But I'll give you some things the Steelers didn't do great. 0:11:48.500 --> 0:11:50.300 That's coming up next. 105.9 The X. 0:11:51.260 --> 0:11:53.840 WXDX FM is here. 0:11:54.820 --> 0:11:57.440 The X at 105.9. 0:12:00.790 --> 0:12:02.330 Phil Bork coming up in a few minutes to talk 0:12:02.370 --> 0:12:05.090 Penguins hockey. My first question will be about Eric Carlson's 0:12:05.130 --> 0:12:10.209 Halloween costume. If you haven't seen it, his wife dressed 0:12:10.290 --> 0:12:13.210 up as Austin Powers, and he is dressed up as 0:12:13.250 --> 0:12:17.589 a fembot. I'm just going to let that one sit 0:12:17.630 --> 0:12:22.230 out there. Tim Benson for Mark Madden here on 105.9 0:12:22.230 --> 0:12:24.670 The X. We are going all the way up until 0:12:24.670 --> 0:12:28.450 6 o'clock tonight. Hockey Night show in advance of the 0:12:28.490 --> 0:12:30.690 game on Thursday when the Penguins are back on the 0:12:30.770 --> 0:12:32.929 ice again for the third of three in a row 0:12:33.130 --> 0:12:36.059 at home before a quick trip up on Halloween to 0:12:36.100 --> 0:12:36.900 play Montreal. 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.260 They got Utah at home on. 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.860 Thursday, 2-6 for the Mark Madden show, and then Hockey 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:45.160 Night in Pittsburgh all the way up until the, I 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.380 should say until 5-30, then Hockey Night until 6, pregame 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:51.650 show on the network side from 6 until 7. All right, 0:12:51.690 --> 0:12:54.140 before we get too borky, though, I wanted to talk 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:56.660 about a few things that I actually didn't like from 0:12:56.700 --> 0:13:00.760 the game against the Saints up in Paris. Number one, 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:02.680 not a big fan of the uniforms. Didn't like the 0:13:02.740 --> 0:13:05.570 white with the black pants, the stripes. Especially if I'm 0:13:05.620 --> 0:13:07.369 a fan that I've never seen the Steelers before, and 0:13:07.390 --> 0:13:08.929 I'm a big Steeler fan in Europe, I want to 0:13:08.950 --> 0:13:13.370 see the traditional outfits, traditional unis. But, I don't know, 0:13:13.450 --> 0:13:14.910 they don't have to bust those ones out again as 0:13:14.950 --> 0:13:15.829 far as I'm concerned. 0:13:16.809 --> 0:13:17.360 Leave that one. 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:20.140 As it is go to more football stuff now. And 0:13:20.179 --> 0:13:22.590 I'll tell you one thing that I despised was that 0:13:22.660 --> 0:13:23.990 Mason McCormick penalty. 0:13:24.470 --> 0:13:25.610 God, what was he thinking? 0:13:26.090 --> 0:13:29.250 He took an awful penalty late in the second quarter, 0:13:29.250 --> 0:13:33.230 54 seconds left. Rogers converts a third and 10 on 0:13:33.250 --> 0:13:36.330 a 20 yard completion to Jeremy Bernard. He gets some 0:13:36.350 --> 0:13:38.829 tough yards after the catch. Bernard dragged a host of 0:13:38.870 --> 0:13:41.420 tacklers all the way to the New Orleans 14. It 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.839 would have been first and 10 there with 43 seconds left. 0:13:43.900 --> 0:13:45.599 The Steelers could have taken a stab or two at 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.550 the end zone. Instead, McCormick tries to clean off a 0:13:48.610 --> 0:13:53.569 pile that didn't need cleaning. to go pittsburghese there's nobody 0:13:53.590 --> 0:13:55.880 to clean off no one was really messing with bernard 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:59.660 after the tackle anyway mccormick comes flying in hits him 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.040 more than he hits anybody else from new orleans jumps 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.900 in the pile 15 yard on sportsman like conduct penalty 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.560 so the sealers got the first down but the ball 0:14:07.580 --> 0:14:09.440 came all the way back to the saints 29 yard 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:12.460 line and pittsburgh had to burn a timeout plus the 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.420 team had to settle for a field goal to make 0:14:14.460 --> 0:14:16.920 it 13 to 10 at halftime That was just dumb 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:18.140 in every. 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:21.910 Way, shape, and form. Dumb, dumb, dumb, D-U-M, dumb. No 0:14:21.990 --> 0:14:23.730 idea what he was thinking there. Stupid. 0:14:26.330 --> 0:14:29.930 Also, lousy job by the special teams in the defense 0:14:30.530 --> 0:14:31.610 after the Darnell. 0:14:31.270 --> 0:14:32.810 Washington second quarter touchdown. 0:14:33.530 --> 0:14:36.910 New Orleans pops a 49-yard return on the ensuing kick 0:14:36.950 --> 0:14:37.910 by Barry and Brown. 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:39.450 Then they go on. 0:14:39.390 --> 0:14:44.710 A 12-play, 52-yard drive that lasts five minutes. That's when 0:14:44.770 --> 0:14:47.110 Shuck hit Vele for the touchdown, the fourth and goal, 0:14:47.490 --> 0:14:50.810 and it tied the score 10-10. That was one of 0:14:50.910 --> 0:14:53.410 two fourth down conversions on the drive, and the defense 0:14:53.490 --> 0:14:56.880 also allowed a third and five. So any momentum seized 0:14:56.930 --> 0:15:01.100 by the Steelers after the Washington score was instantly negated. 0:15:01.220 --> 0:15:03.460 So while I'm giving a lot of credit to the 0:15:03.500 --> 0:15:06.530 defense for stopping the run and keeping a lot in 0:15:06.570 --> 0:15:09.160 front of them and getting the big sack from Queen 0:15:09.180 --> 0:15:11.560 and getting the big interception from Wilson. That was a 0:15:11.620 --> 0:15:14.660 low point because they just let New Orleans stay on 0:15:14.700 --> 0:15:18.220 the field and march all the way down after Washington's score, 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:23.110 and they held momentum for very little time. You can 0:15:23.130 --> 0:15:24.710 also chime in on that. 0:15:24.730 --> 0:15:25.869 Again, 833-412-9939. 0:15:25.870 --> 0:15:27.330 And Rodgers was sacked three times. That's the other one 0:15:27.350 --> 0:15:35.980 I'll bring up. All three ended drives on third down. 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:40.930 His gutsy fourth quarter scramble, that was a risk too 0:15:40.950 --> 0:15:45.190 because he dropped back to the 45-yard line. A fourth 0:15:45.230 --> 0:15:47.750 sack there would have resulted in a punt or a 0:15:47.790 --> 0:15:52.170 field goal attempt of roughly 60 yards. Rodgers' protection wasn't 0:15:52.290 --> 0:15:55.660 bad for the most part. He was hit only two 0:15:55.720 --> 0:16:00.240 more times beyond the sacks and the dropbacks, which was 34. 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.440 But the sacks happened. They were really ill-timed. Bad placement, 0:16:03.700 --> 0:16:07.710 bad timing on those sacks for Rodgers, and that's become 0:16:08.250 --> 0:16:12.730 way too continuous of a problem. And I will hearken 0:16:12.770 --> 0:16:14.990 back to what Matt Williamson said about how this has 0:16:15.010 --> 0:16:19.150 been a season-long thing with Rodgers. So we can get 0:16:19.170 --> 0:16:22.150 a call-in or two, perhaps, before we get to Phil Bork. 0:16:22.190 --> 0:16:23.610 If you want to call in on hockey, you can 0:16:23.650 --> 0:16:25.750 do that as well, or the World Series or anything else. 0:16:25.770 --> 0:16:30.080 Let me get some tweets in the meanwhile. This guy 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:31.760 calls in and says that the last guy who called 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:34.520 in and said that the Steelers should have stuck with 0:16:34.540 --> 0:16:36.260 the field goal and not taken the points off the board, 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:37.760 that guy was dumb and should never be allowed to 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:38.580 call the show again. 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:42.540 I agree with that. Look, Harry, you can call back. 0:16:42.580 --> 0:16:43.120 I'm teasing. 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:46.440 But they did the right thing there. Given the option, 0:16:46.740 --> 0:16:50.340 run down the clock. This guy wants to know, Shady says, 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:51.880 are you going to talk Penguins? I just said we're 0:16:51.900 --> 0:16:53.960 going to talk Pens. And I will give credit for 0:16:53.980 --> 0:16:57.090 their comeback against Nashville the other night. 0:16:58.000 --> 0:16:59.980 Koivunen maybe finding himself, Raquel. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.620 Speaking of those Halloween photos they went out, my God, 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.560 the dedication to the makeup from Raquel and his. 0:17:05.500 --> 0:17:08.480 Wife, that was something else. Let's get to Chuck calling 0:17:08.500 --> 0:17:13.290 from Pompano Beach. You're on 105.9 The X. Chuck, you're on. Hey, Tom, 0:17:13.570 --> 0:17:16.130 how you doing? No, this is Tim. 0:17:16.170 --> 0:17:17.170 Go ahead. Oh, Tim. 0:17:17.190 --> 0:17:19.490 Sorry, I'm sorry. I got him. Sorry. Appreciate it. Yeah, 0:17:19.510 --> 0:17:21.790 you know what? I lived in Florida for 39 years. 0:17:21.810 --> 0:17:22.770 I'm from the. 0:17:22.710 --> 0:17:26.190 North side of Pittsburgh, and I'm still. 0:17:25.930 --> 0:17:27.169 A fan, but I mean, thank you. 0:17:27.670 --> 0:17:30.109 They're just a mediocre team beating mediocre teams. 0:17:31.070 --> 0:17:33.890 They are, but I will underscore the point that they 0:17:33.930 --> 0:17:35.630 have not done that in the past. 0:17:35.710 --> 0:17:38.530 Part of what has made them a mediocre team in the. 0:17:38.490 --> 0:17:41.930 Past were these frequent losses in games like this where 0:17:41.950 --> 0:17:45.869 you walk away saying, how did they lose to Jalen Daniels? 0:17:46.310 --> 0:17:48.469 Or how did they lose to a Saints team that 0:17:48.510 --> 0:17:50.470 can't stop the run and wasn't even trying to run? 0:17:50.650 --> 0:17:53.070 They have lost this game in the past many times. 0:17:53.530 --> 0:17:55.940 which at least gives me hope that if they do 0:17:55.980 --> 0:17:59.080 get to 10 and seven, 11 and six, something like that, 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.740 it will be an earned record and they might be 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.320 in a better position to win a playoff game against 0:18:05.420 --> 0:18:08.610 a lesser team hosting it as maybe a three seed 0:18:08.650 --> 0:18:10.910 as opposed to a four seed and getting their doors 0:18:10.950 --> 0:18:12.790 blown off like they did last year by Houston. 0:18:13.930 --> 0:18:14.290 Yeah. 0:18:14.350 --> 0:18:16.189 But I mean, it's just like, I've seen it. It's 0:18:16.270 --> 0:18:20.160 like a rinse repeat. I've seen them do this every year. 0:18:20.180 --> 0:18:25.240 And again, I'm not really buying McCarthy. 0:18:25.260 --> 0:18:26.220 I'm not buying Rodgers. 0:18:26.270 --> 0:18:29.030 I didn't like them bringing him back. But I'm not 0:18:29.070 --> 0:18:32.460 buying McCarthy. I think his time is almost like... When 0:18:32.510 --> 0:18:35.250 Bill Cowher was done, I think his time is not. 0:18:35.770 --> 0:18:37.430 It was a 62-year-old coach. 0:18:37.470 --> 0:18:40.689 Yeah, they hired a 62-year-old coach to continue doing what 0:18:40.710 --> 0:18:41.750 you're complaining about. 0:18:41.890 --> 0:18:44.530 I get it. But at some point. 0:18:44.570 --> 0:18:46.770 It's got to be about how do you feel about 0:18:46.790 --> 0:18:49.570 the year 2026, not how do you feel about the 0:18:49.609 --> 0:18:51.600 big picture of where they are, because you can't change 0:18:51.630 --> 0:18:52.060 that now. 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:53.320 They set that course. 0:18:53.900 --> 0:18:56.520 So I guess what I'm saying is for 2026, I 0:18:56.660 --> 0:18:58.659 feel better right now than I thought I would at 0:18:58.700 --> 0:19:01.060 this point, because I figured they would have stepped on a, 0:19:01.540 --> 0:19:03.560 in a pothole at some point along the way here 0:19:03.900 --> 0:19:06.379 during this four game stretch between three game stretch between 0:19:06.420 --> 0:19:09.450 ground games and four games before the buy. So I'll 0:19:09.490 --> 0:19:11.129 ask you if they beat the Browns, do you have 0:19:11.150 --> 0:19:13.190 a different story? Is it just beating the Browns again? 0:19:13.230 --> 0:19:14.790 Because the Browns never went in Pittsburgh. 0:19:16.609 --> 0:19:17.350