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Speaker 1: This is the Mark Madden Show. Get calls in for

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Speaker 1: calls on the fifteens A three three four one two wxdx,

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Speaker 1: or use the super secret looped up back door number

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Speaker 1: four one two three three three wxdx. And you can

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Speaker 1: follow me on Twitter of course at Mark Madden X.

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Speaker 1: We had a big meeting today with all the talent

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Speaker 1: here at iHeartMedia, and I pointed out that our entire

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Speaker 1: social media promotion consists of me saying follow me on

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Speaker 1: Twitter at Mark Maddinx.

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Speaker 2: Which I do every day.

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Speaker 1: Faithfully, by the way, uh, and you should follow uh.

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Speaker 1: Whatever happened to Harrison and chad O Chosenko reporting that

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Speaker 1: the blue haired guy in Detroit used the racial slur

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Speaker 1: and insulted DK Metcf's mama.

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Speaker 2: When, uh, when that incident took place in Detroit? What

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Speaker 2: did they say?

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Speaker 1: They said they either talked to DK or got a

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Speaker 1: text from DK, and that sure went quiet because they're gonna.

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Speaker 2: Get sued too by mister blue hair.

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Speaker 1: And I bet we find out the DK Metcalf never

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Speaker 1: communicated with them at all.

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Speaker 2: Because you know, these guys, they think they're in my business.

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Speaker 1: They don't know the first thing about my business, and

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Speaker 1: they don't know the rules of my business. Even if

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Speaker 1: they do, they wouldn't follow them because well, in Harrison's case,

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Speaker 1: like I said, that guy can never stop being a bully.

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Speaker 1: I can think of very few less likable people in

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Speaker 1: the history of Pittsburgh sports, great football player that he

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Speaker 1: definitely was.

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Speaker 2: Okay, get your calls in because of.

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Speaker 1: Today's meeting, I am not nearly as prepared as I

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Speaker 1: might be, So get the calls in to help me out.

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Speaker 1: Got the course on today's ice on today, Bret Michaels

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Speaker 1: on today, I keep coming back to the Harbaughugh firing

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Speaker 1: and what's going to happen now with the Baltimorrons. The

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Speaker 1: citizens locally, they're like, I help Baltimore highs Stefanski. He's

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Speaker 1: just an offensive coordinator. Yeah, he won Coach of the

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Speaker 1: Year twice in Cleveland, not as a coordinator. Or they're like,

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Speaker 1: I hope Baltimore hires Kingsbury because he's just an offensive coordinator,

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Speaker 1: which is kind of true and has been proven. But

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Speaker 1: you know what they're saying in Baltimore. Here's what they're

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Speaker 1: saying in Baltimore. I hope the Steelers keep Tom Win forever.

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Speaker 1: That's what they're saying in Baltimore, the Steelers are not

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Speaker 1: serious people as long as Tom Win coaches. As the

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Speaker 1: record shows, Tomlin has the worst resume than Harbam. The

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Speaker 1: Steelers just never had a quarterback that could run Tom

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Speaker 1: Win out of tom never had that kind of power. Well,

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Speaker 1: Ben had that kind of power. He just didn't exercise it.

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Speaker 1: So that's on you, Ben. It's your fault.

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Speaker 3: Ben.

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Speaker 2: I get your calls in now. I enjoy taking calls.

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Speaker 1: I enjoy to convince myself, convince myself.

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Speaker 2: That's the tough part. Convincing you is easy.

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Speaker 1: I think the Steelers will probably win Monday Night, just

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Speaker 1: because they're due and the rock fight factor. Demiko Ryans

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Speaker 1: being like Tomlin, I don't think the Houston offense is great.

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Speaker 1: I do think the Houston defense is great, But I

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Speaker 1: think it's gonna be a close game. And Tomlin has

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Speaker 1: a great record in one score games. Then again, Demiko

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Speaker 1: Ryans is a pretty good record of one score games.

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Speaker 1: The point is Ryan's will let the game turn into

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Speaker 1: what Tomlin wants it to be, just like Harbass so

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Speaker 1: often does. So I think that favors the Steelers. Maybe

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Speaker 1: I'm grasping at Straws. Actually, I know, definitely I'm grasping

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Speaker 1: at Straws because Houston's a better team it is at

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Speaker 1: Akroshore though, and you got the Priest with the Holy Water.

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Speaker 2: If I had the Priest on, you know what song

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Speaker 2: I play.

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Speaker 4: Bound dump boum boun hold a Diver and then I

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Speaker 4: would introduce Bonnie Diver. You've been down too long in

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Speaker 4: the midnight. See what's the traffic like on seventy nine?

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Speaker 2: Look out? Okay, get your calls in now, Okay, what's this.

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Speaker 3: Awesome? Oh?

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Speaker 1: Brett Michaels. Pictures of Brett Michaels at the Steeler game.

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Speaker 1: Brett loves the Steelers. Can't wait to have him on

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Speaker 1: at four o'clock. If you don't have optimism for Monday night,

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Speaker 1: be listening at four pm because Brett Michaels will provide

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Speaker 1: call now eight three three four one two WXDX or

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Speaker 1: four one two three three three wsdx because we got calls.

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Speaker 2: On the fifteens coming up right around the corner. It's

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Speaker 2: loving nothing, It's great. Pung baby the X at one

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Speaker 2: oh five nine. We got Mike the Course on at

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Speaker 2: the bottom of the hour.

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Speaker 1: I think the big story for the Steelers is the

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Speaker 1: return of DK Metcalf from suspension for this playoff game

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Speaker 1: Monday Night against Houston, and Metcalf has had a great

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Speaker 1: playoff resume in terms of individual performance, which Seattleie played

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Speaker 1: in four playoff games. That's not a ton, but it's

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Speaker 1: not an insignificant sample either. And he averaged one hundred

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Speaker 1: and twelve point eight receiving yards per game, which is

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Speaker 1: a ton, and scored four.

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Speaker 2: Touchdowns, no five touchdowns. And I don't think he's gonna

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Speaker 2: put up.

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Speaker 1: Big numbers in this game Monday because I don't think

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Speaker 1: the Steelers offense can free him up to put up

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Speaker 1: big numbers. But what Metcalf's presence will do, it will

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Speaker 1: pull people from other tasks to cover him. He gonna

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Speaker 1: get doubled and it opens up the rest of the

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Speaker 1: offense that much more. Now, is it an advantage to

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Speaker 1: throw more to Thielan and Mvs and Scotty Miller? Oh yeah,

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Speaker 1: if they're more open, and they will be more open

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Speaker 1: than they would be if Metcalf weren't playing. I still

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Speaker 1: want to see Friarmouth and John who utilized more. But

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Speaker 1: I could want in one hand to defecate in the other.

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Speaker 1: And I know for sure in this case which one

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Speaker 1: gonna fill up first. But what do you think the

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Speaker 1: impact of Metcalf's return will be? Will it be more

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Speaker 1: tangible or more intangible? What do you see happening A

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Speaker 1: three three four one two wsdx. Also the Post Gazette thing,

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Speaker 1: The Post Gazette shutting down as of May, as announced

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Speaker 1: today by the Blocks, the Block family that owns it,

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Speaker 1: and they didn't even notify the workers before they made

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Speaker 1: the public announcement. It looks like and that's not surprising.

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Speaker 1: They're just billionaire scumbags, always have been pieces of crap.

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Speaker 1: And what happened with the Post Casette it's unnerving as

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Speaker 1: a media member for me, and it's sad, but it's

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Speaker 1: not unexpected. That strike, even though the union one, maybe

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Speaker 1: because the union one, it was always going to kill

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Speaker 1: the Post Gazette and it absolutely did. And while the

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Speaker 1: Blocks of the primary villains in this, the union is

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Speaker 1: secondary because it was stupid, not that the Blocks would

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Speaker 1: have done this anyway, But I think that strike, dragging

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Speaker 1: it out and winning it guaranteed this day would come.

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Speaker 1: I'll take your thoughts on that. A three three four

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Speaker 1: one two wxdx let's go to Nick in the truck. Nick,

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Speaker 1: you're on with Mark.

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Speaker 5: Hey, Mark, here's why I like the Steelers' chances of

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Speaker 5: winning against Houston.

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Speaker 3: I don't.

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Speaker 5: In fact, I think it's like their opposite. The Steelers

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Speaker 5: to me, aren't the old Steelers team where it's where

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Speaker 5: the Steelers, this is what we're doing, stop us. They

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Speaker 5: are a lot more unpredictable in my opinion, And I'm

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Speaker 5: really how you feel about that.

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Speaker 2: I don't think they're unpredictable at all. How are they unpredictable?

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Speaker 5: I don't think Rogers allows them to be predictable. I

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Speaker 5: think he's making a lot of the changes that makes

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Speaker 5: it unpredictable.

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Speaker 1: YEA, throw the ball in the middle and barely throw

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Speaker 1: the ball down field, You're predictable. Now they have thrown

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Speaker 1: the ball a bit more in the middle and a

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Speaker 1: bit more downfield lately. And maybe Rogers was waiting for

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Speaker 1: the playoffs to cut loose in that regard. But I

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Speaker 1: think I'm absolutely accurate when I say they've been predictable

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Speaker 1: for the vast majority of this season. Predictable, vanilla, bland

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Speaker 1: and boring.

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Speaker 2: Do you well?

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Speaker 5: Actually, I do disagree with you, obviously, but you know

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Speaker 5: you're a lot smarter.

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Speaker 3: Than I am.

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Speaker 2: That's true, Yes, very true.

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Speaker 5: I think when you're talking about passing in the middle,

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Speaker 5: I don't think he has a lot of the time

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Speaker 5: to pass the middle.

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Speaker 2: But he did well. Well, he better.

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Speaker 1: That's gonna be something I talk about at length later

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Speaker 1: that he hed better be willing to take risks now

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Speaker 1: that the playoffs are here. And there's a sound bite

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Speaker 1: who's that from SoundBite from from uh Pete Prisco on

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Speaker 1: CBS saying that that's gonna have to happen. He's gonna

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Speaker 1: have to be willing to get hit to succeed in

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Speaker 1: the playoffs. And if he saved that till the playoffs

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Speaker 1: to take that risk, that's okay, that's common sense.

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Speaker 2: He's forty two.

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Speaker 3: Like you.

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Speaker 5: I also agree. I would love to see the tight

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Speaker 5: ends utilize more. But I am pleased with the fact

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Speaker 5: that we are utilizing the tight ends a lot more

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Speaker 5: than we have in the past. They're not look.

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Speaker 1: At farms numbers, No, they're not. Goodbye, you lost me there.

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Speaker 1: I mean the tight end. Oppenheimer is supposed to revolutionize

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Speaker 1: the Steelers' offense with all these tight ends, and mostly

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Speaker 1: they used the fat kid to block until he got hurt.

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Speaker 1: Not exactly revolutiontionary. Let's go to Theodore Theodore.

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Speaker 2: What's up, hey, bro? Quick question.

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna hang up for the answer now.

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Speaker 1: We'll just let you hang up now. Thanks for the call.

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Speaker 1: Hate when people do that, and don't brow me unless

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Speaker 1: you know me. Laison line open eight three to three

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Speaker 1: four one two WXX. You know what's weird about right

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Speaker 1: now with the Steelers as we face this home playoff

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Speaker 1: game on the Monday night against Houston. Don't forget you

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Speaker 1: can watch the game with me at Pittsburgh Brewing Company.

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Speaker 1: That's the Iron City and Icy Light Brewery just off

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Speaker 1: through twenty eight and Creighton Huge, big screen TV, huge

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Speaker 1: room to sit down, have an Icy Light and watch

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Speaker 1: gonna be great. That's Monday night for the Steelers and

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Speaker 1: Sunday night same place for the Penguins as well. But

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Speaker 1: here's the weird thing with the Penguins, I mean the Steelers.

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Speaker 1: You gotta worry about Chris Boswell. When's the last time

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Speaker 1: we had to worry about a kicker? Had to worry

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Speaker 1: about Chris Boswell? But he missed against Detroit, missed against Cleveland,

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Speaker 1: missed against Baltimore. He is not a sure thing. It's

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Speaker 1: like he's got the hips and yeah, that's definitely a worry.

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Speaker 1: Up next, I'm gonna talk to Mike the course. You

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Speaker 1: have the Sporting News here on one o five to nine.

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Speaker 6: It's The Woody Show tomorrow morning from six till ten.

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Speaker 4: WHOA, You'll got a day Wednesday.

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Speaker 3: Maybe on one oh five nights is former.

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Speaker 2: Lier day in quarterback Brady Quinn. Here's what's trending from

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Speaker 2: the Iheartsports Network, presented by Austin.

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Speaker 7: Reports in sports business journals say that NFL attendants dropped

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Speaker 7: nearly one percent this season. At the league's first loss

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Speaker 7: since the pandemic ash For the Steelers, they'll have an

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Speaker 7: extra day arrest before preparing the host protections on Monday night.

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Speaker 7: Pittsburgh hasn't won a postseason game since twenty sixteen, and

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Speaker 7: college basketball rolls on tonight with Ducaine visiting Saint Joseph's.

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Speaker 3: The Duke's coming off a loss to BCU last time out.

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Speaker 7: I'm Scott David said, wish you could save on home

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Speaker 7: insurance with all time.

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Speaker 5: I'd love to get the balls.

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Speaker 2: Today was a very good point.

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Speaker 3: The exit one oh five nine Steeler.

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Speaker 1: Is hosting euston Monday Night, used in a slight favorite,

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Speaker 1: joining me, no, how to discuss it Pittsburgh's own.

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Speaker 2: He's from the Sporting News. He's Mike de Coursey.

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Speaker 1: Mike, here's an odd thing that we haven't talked about

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Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh for years. Should we be worried about Chris Boswell?

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Speaker 1: He's been so reliable, but he's missed the kick in

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Speaker 1: each of the last three weeks.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, one of them was blocked the extra point apparently.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but I thought he kicked it into a block.

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Speaker 1: I don't think it was going to be good either way,

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Speaker 1: but at any rate, Well.

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Speaker 3: I mean, if you look at it, it was going directly.

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Speaker 3: You know, it was flying directly.

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Speaker 6: And then it took this hard twist to the right

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Speaker 6: and that caused it to miss. So I have to

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Speaker 6: think that it was that it was caused by the deflection.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean I think, well, I think that he.

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Speaker 6: Is so reliable and has been so reliable, and sometimes.

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Speaker 3: You just expect it all work.

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Speaker 6: I mean, let's not forget he also kicked the fifty

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Speaker 6: seven yarder in Well. I mean, it's not like it

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Speaker 6: was an indoor game or anything. It wasn't awful. It

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Speaker 6: wasn't awful weather conditions, but it's still cold and the

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Speaker 6: ball doesn't fly usually as far, and he did still

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Speaker 6: kick that. But yeah, I mean, I think that that

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Speaker 6: there there might be some concern about why he would

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Speaker 6: miss two kicks that were easily makeable for him. Plus

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Speaker 6: the you know, if he kicked it low and that

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Speaker 6: contributed to the block on that on that extra point,

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Speaker 6: All of that is a factor. And sure, I mean,

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Speaker 6: I don't I don't think that it can be dismissed

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Speaker 6: as an issue, but there are so many bigger ones

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Speaker 6: in trying to defeat a team with Houston's defense, and

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Speaker 6: that being the one thing that has been problematic on

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Speaker 6: that side of the ball when the Steelers have had

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Speaker 6: When when the oppositions had the ball, there are certain

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Speaker 6: things that have really bothered the steel but when the

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Speaker 6: Steelers have had the ball, there's been basically one thing

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Speaker 6: that's bothered the Steelers, and that is a significant pass rush.

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Speaker 1: Well, right, and Houston certainly has that, which we'll get

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Speaker 1: to in a second. But DK Metcalf's coming back from

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Speaker 1: a suspension and he has a pretty good playoff resume,

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Speaker 1: But I'm not sure this offense with the Steelers will

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Speaker 1: facilitate those kind of numbers Monday night.

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Speaker 2: So will his.

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Speaker 1: Impact be tangible or will his presence more be a

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Speaker 1: trickle down getting other guys open, getting other things to

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Speaker 1: work in that offense.

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Speaker 6: That's somewhat up to Houston how they decide to defend him.

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Speaker 6: If they decide to play him basic, maybe a little

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Speaker 6: hell from a safety just you know, basic, Do you

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Speaker 6: cover him the other guy covers Calvin Austin, et cetera,

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Speaker 6: third guy covers Feeling in the slaughter or whatever it

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Speaker 6: might be. Then I think that he can absolutely impact

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Speaker 6: the game. If Houston decides they don't want to be

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Speaker 6: beaten by DK, and they think they can deal with

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Speaker 6: the threat that Austin might present, or Feelin or Valdis

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Speaker 6: Scantling or whoever it might be. That the main objective

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Speaker 6: in the past game is to take away DK. That

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Speaker 6: they can probably do that, But a lot of that

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Speaker 6: as well comes down to again the how the pass

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Speaker 6: rush is protected uh and protected against. And it may

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Speaker 6: not matter at all if if DK is running great

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Speaker 6: routes and getting opened against single coverage or double teams,

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Speaker 6: if Aaron Rodgers doesn't have time to throw the football.

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Speaker 1: Well, there you go. Let's let's address that directly. Houston

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Speaker 1: has a ferocious pass rush. How will the Steelers cope

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Speaker 1: with that? Because the O line's been good, but this

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Speaker 1: is certainly a heightened circumstance.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, they haven't faced a lot of teams with two

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Speaker 6: ends as good as what Houston will bring to town.

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Speaker 6: That's that's the question that they have to deal with.

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Speaker 6: Anderson is phenomenal, just a tremendous player. Twenty tackles for

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Speaker 6: loss is ridiculous. Twelve sacks to go with that. Hunter

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Speaker 6: fifteen sacks and fifteen TfL. So those guys get past

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Speaker 6: your line and they cause havoc. And they've been doing

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Speaker 6: it against very good opposition. They destroyed Buffalo and I

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Speaker 6: think it was a Thursday night game.

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Speaker 3: They destroyed their offensive line in that game.

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Speaker 6: I think Allen went down eight times or something like

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Speaker 6: that if I'm remembering correctly. It's a really difficult thing.

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Speaker 3: The Steelers have.

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Speaker 6: Gotten really good tackle play over the last four or

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Speaker 6: five games. It's gone very well. They of course, you

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Speaker 6: did a lot of extra help to deal in Cleveland

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Speaker 6: with what they faced there. But I think that the

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Speaker 6: question here is can you sort of replicate what you

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Speaker 6: did against Detroit because obviously with Hutchinson, Detroit had a

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Speaker 6: phenomenal pass rusher as well, and they didn't have to

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Speaker 6: do as much of scheming as they did in Cleveland.

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Speaker 6: They were able to play it a little bit more

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Speaker 6: straight up. Some of that as Darnell Washington being around

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Speaker 6: to help. They don't have that now. You can use

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Speaker 6: friar Mouth to chip if you want, or you can

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Speaker 6: use one of the backs, or you can use John who,

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Speaker 6: but Washington was as good at that as anybody in

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Speaker 6: the league, and having that be unavailable as an option

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Speaker 6: certainly is a factor in this one.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, as far as the matchups go, Like you mentioned,

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Speaker 1: Washington's not there to help out, and I think sometimes

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Speaker 1: when they have the running back chip, they've they've done

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Speaker 1: that to excess, like they did against Cleveland.

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Speaker 2: The kind of the threat of Miles Garrett.

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Speaker 1: I do feel like Tan who can contain Anderson, I mean,

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Speaker 1: not shut him down, but contain them. I'm worried about

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Speaker 1: Cooking against Tyner. That could be a grotesque mismatch.

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Speaker 6: Mike Well, but Cookson really good. I mean he hasn't

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Speaker 6: he hasn't let them down yet. And he's playing for

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Speaker 6: a lot because if he does this again against these guys,

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Speaker 6: he gets a significant offer from here, there or everywhere

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Speaker 6: if he does a good job in this game, even

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Speaker 6: if he.

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Speaker 3: Has a little help.

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Speaker 6: I think the difference being that when they played against

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Speaker 6: Garrett and they used their backs to do a lot

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Speaker 6: of chipping, it did work, but it did negate a

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Speaker 6: lot of what is the best element of the Steelers packet.

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Speaker 2: It kind of took Gainwell out of the game to

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Speaker 2: be succinct.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, and whether it's Gainwell or Warren, obviously,

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Speaker 6: gain Well's probably got the best hands on the team,

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Speaker 6: and he's really excels at accelerating after the catch on

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Speaker 6: those swing passes. You know, I am not a fan

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Speaker 6: of the sideline passes to wide outs with one block

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Speaker 6: and see what you can make may be my least

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Speaker 6: favorite play in all of football, But the swing pass

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Speaker 6: to one of the Steelers terrific backs after the defense

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Speaker 6: has retreated a little bit and coverage, et cetera. That's

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Speaker 6: been really successful for this team. The players usually relatively uncovered,

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Speaker 6: so you don't have to worry as much about the

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Speaker 6: pick six going the other way. He usually is able

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Speaker 6: to at least get a little bit of yardage, and

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Speaker 6: then on the occasions when they get a good angle

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Speaker 6: and not a lot of traffic, they've turned it often

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Speaker 6: into big plays. So you don't want to mess with

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Speaker 6: that too much. And obviously in Cleveland they basically threw

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Speaker 6: that page out of the playbook to have the backs

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Speaker 6: help out on Garrett.

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Speaker 1: Ryan's and Tomlin are both defensive minded head coaches, and

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Speaker 1: neither one minds the one score rock fight. Is that

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Speaker 1: kind of play in to Tomlin's hands, given that you

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Speaker 1: know they're the underdogs and he's an expert at that

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Speaker 1: kind of game.

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Speaker 6: If they can keep it to that it does He's

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Speaker 6: got a phenomenal record. I think it was Brian Baco

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Speaker 6: that posted a chart today that show how many, I

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Speaker 6: think it was over the last five years, how many

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Speaker 6: games one score games that the Steelers have played in,

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Speaker 6: and their winning percentage is massively better than the second

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Speaker 6: place team in those games. It some you know, sometimes

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Speaker 6: you get a little lucky like Sunday night and the

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Speaker 6: opposition misses a kick, but you don't win as often

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Speaker 6: as they do in close games without some expertise in this.

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Speaker 3: I know.

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Speaker 1: I've argued at the very least the knack, which sounds

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Speaker 1: kind of intangible, but it does exist.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean I think that if you look at it,

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Speaker 6: you have the experience in this kind of game.

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Speaker 3: When I cover college basketball, I often talk.

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Speaker 6: About teams that win a ton of games by a

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Speaker 6: ton of points. To Duke last year had almost no

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Speaker 6: challenge in the ACC It was such a down year

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Speaker 6: for the league that they didn't face much of that.

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Speaker 6: So they get into the NCAA Tournament Vegas in nineteen

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Speaker 6: ninety one, when they lost maybe everybody by thirty. Then

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Speaker 6: they get into a tough game against Duke in the

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Speaker 6: semi finals and they don't really know how to do that.

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Speaker 6: They don't know how to navigate that sort of thing,

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Speaker 6: and the Steelers are experts at it. That's pretty much

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Speaker 6: every win they've gotten this year. I mean a year ago,

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Speaker 6: you could point to the Oakland game, or excuse me,

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Speaker 6: the Vegas game where they got over thirty and one easily.

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Speaker 3: But I mean how many times this year?

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Speaker 6: I guess the Cleveland one game where they were I

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Speaker 6: think the final.

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Speaker 3: Score was like twenty three to seven or twenty three

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Speaker 3: to nine.

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Speaker 6: That's about as close as they had to a blowout

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Speaker 6: this season all year.

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Speaker 1: We're talking to Mike the course of the Sporting News

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Speaker 1: brought to ust by South Hilds Kia. South Fields Kia

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Speaker 1: has the ride in a Price show Love Mike. Another

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Speaker 1: matchups that's kind of flying under the radar. I don't

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Speaker 1: think Houston has a slew of dynamic weapons offensively Joey

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Speaker 1: Porter Junior covering Nico Collins when Porter's had a real

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Speaker 1: good year, Mono Imano, that could be a key to

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Speaker 1: this game.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, if that remember up.

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Speaker 6: It surprised me, honestly, especially in the situations they were

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Speaker 6: in that they didn't have Porter trail Flowers and how

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Speaker 6: many different times they got caught with a linebacker covering

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Speaker 6: Flowers or a safety covering Flowers. I was surprised that

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Speaker 6: he wasn't basically assigned go chase him, don't let him play.

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Speaker 3: And because he has.

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Speaker 6: Been really good for a lot of this year, I

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Speaker 6: think it's time for Pittsburgh to acknowledge that they overreacted

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Speaker 6: a little bit about Joey relative.

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Speaker 3: To his penalties and that sort of thing.

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Speaker 6: And he's developed into a really fine NFL corner and

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Speaker 6: this is a big challenge for him. If it's presented

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Speaker 6: to him. If they just stick to sides and play

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Speaker 6: it that way, then he'll get Collins some of the

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Speaker 6: time and may not at others. And he just has

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Speaker 6: to do his job both in terms of shutting down

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Speaker 6: run plays, which he's gotten better at. He's not been

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Speaker 6: beaten as easily he was on the He was one

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Speaker 6: of the many that were beaten in the on the

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Speaker 6: first play of Sunday Nights game against Ravens where Henry

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Speaker 6: went for that huge game that was pulled back a

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Speaker 6: little bit because of the penalty.

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Speaker 3: But for the most.

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Speaker 6: Part, he's been much better when when the defense strings

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Speaker 6: it out and he's involved in having to make a

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Speaker 6: tackle on the run play, he's been much better there

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Speaker 6: as well.

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Speaker 1: Rogers was great against Baltimore, but Baltimore got very little pressure.

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Speaker 1: Rogers has avoided being hitt and I don't blame him,

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Speaker 1: he's forty two. But then Cleveland had a lot of

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Speaker 1: pressure and Cleveland won. That's why this game worries me

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Speaker 1: most of all. Rodgers hasn't dealt with pressure, hasn't won

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Speaker 1: to get hit. But it's been pointed out to me Mike.

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Speaker 1: Maybe in a playoff game he takes more risk.

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Speaker 6: What do you think, Yeah, that's a great question. But

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Speaker 6: Cleveland was kind of a playoff game. You did, like,

438
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:47,879
Speaker 6: you didn't know if you If you lost that game,

439
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:52,439
Speaker 6: then it was Baltimore or go home. And so you

440
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,800
Speaker 6: could look at that as kind of a playoff game.

441
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:58,480
Speaker 6: And he didn't still respond well to being pressured. And

442
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,879
Speaker 6: remember he didn't he didn't get sacked a ton in

443
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:05,600
Speaker 6: that game, and Garrett was what was fairly well contained.

444
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,240
Speaker 3: He didn't get sacked by Garrett at all.

445
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,680
Speaker 6: I can't remember if the Browns got any in that game,

446
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:14,080
Speaker 6: but he was not successful in that game. And again

447
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:18,920
Speaker 6: it went to the pressure, similar to the results out

448
00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,080
Speaker 6: in LA against the Chargers. When he's been relatively pressured,

449
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,040
Speaker 6: he has not responded great. And that's the biggest concern

450
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:33,120
Speaker 6: for this game is do the Steelers contain at least

451
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,479
Speaker 6: to an extent. I mean, look, guys get sacked and

452
00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,080
Speaker 6: still win games even relatively immobile.

453
00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,119
Speaker 1: Well, right, right, But when a guy's forty two, he

454
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,080
Speaker 1: might get sacked and not get up well, I mean.

455
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:44,920
Speaker 3: That's always possible.

456
00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,560
Speaker 6: It happened in the Buffalo game. He got blindsided. The

457
00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,960
Speaker 6: risk thing happened, and all that I mean, that's certainly possible,

458
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,200
Speaker 6: but that could happen in any game. But the point

459
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,159
Speaker 6: I'm trying to make is you can get sacked and

460
00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,159
Speaker 6: still win. You just don't want to constantly be under pressure,

461
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,520
Speaker 6: always thinking, look, if I don't get rid of this ball,

462
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,600
Speaker 6: we're losing this series and then we you know, then

463
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,880
Speaker 6: we gotta go turn it over the defense and all that.

464
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,479
Speaker 6: You don't want that to be the constant thought you

465
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,880
Speaker 6: want him to have. Even if on occasion, which happened

466
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,679
Speaker 6: Sunday night, I think he went down twice.

467
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,320
Speaker 3: On occasion, you might go down, but for.

468
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,960
Speaker 6: The most part, he had relatively clean pockets, was able

469
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,200
Speaker 6: to throw the football the way he wanted. Yet all

470
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 6: the time in the world on the Austin touchdown, that's

471
00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,200
Speaker 6: that's the way you want it to be. You're going

472
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,280
Speaker 6: against the great defense. In terms of the pass rush.

473
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:37,640
Speaker 6: You want him to be relatively clean. Not he never

474
00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,600
Speaker 6: gets hit and he never goes down, but you want

475
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:45,040
Speaker 6: him to be relatively unpressured. That that's the assignment for

476
00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,080
Speaker 6: the O line. It's not never let anybody it near him.

477
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:49,720
Speaker 2: I feel like TJ.

478
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:51,760
Speaker 1: Watt gotta have a huge game, and I've been a

479
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 1: big critic of his I wouldn't have given him that deal,

480
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,200
Speaker 1: but he did get the deal, Mike. And he's never

481
00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 1: won a playoff game, and I know he just got

482
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,760
Speaker 1: back from the lung problem, but he's gotta come through.

483
00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,159
Speaker 1: He's gotta have a TJ. Watt type of game, and

484
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:04,760
Speaker 1: there ain't been many of those this year.

485
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:05,960
Speaker 3: Yeah.

486
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,600
Speaker 6: The nice thing about this game from that standpoint is

487
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,600
Speaker 6: that although CJ. Stroud could certainly run past somebody if

488
00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 6: you weren't paying any attention, but he doesn't do it

489
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,119
Speaker 6: a ton. He only had two hundred and nine yards

490
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,440
Speaker 6: this year. We're not talking about Lamar Jackson. It's not

491
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,560
Speaker 6: really what he does. They're not gonna do design runs

492
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:28,560
Speaker 6: for him like Buffalo does with Josh Allen. He's gonna

493
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,400
Speaker 6: scramble away if he needs to, and he's mobile enough that.

494
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:33,280
Speaker 3: He can create more time for himself.

495
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,479
Speaker 6: But they don't have to worry about whether or not

496
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:38,960
Speaker 6: he's gonna go out and rush for one hundred yards.

497
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:40,719
Speaker 3: So that helps.

498
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,399
Speaker 6: And if you remember, there was a play early in

499
00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:49,280
Speaker 6: the game first half, when has happened often in the

500
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 6: playoff game against Baltimore last year, the Ravens ran what

501
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:58,879
Speaker 6: would probably be described as an option play, and TJ

502
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,480
Speaker 6: came crashing down and took out Henry and Lamar went

503
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,480
Speaker 6: around right side for a bunch of yards. I don't

504
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,960
Speaker 6: remember exactly how many, but it was enough. And that

505
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:10,360
Speaker 6: happened so much a year ago. I don't think you're

506
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:12,720
Speaker 6: going to see that at all in this playoff game.

507
00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:15,200
Speaker 6: They're not going to run that kind of play with him.

508
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,280
Speaker 6: His job will be to set the edge on the

509
00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:20,760
Speaker 6: run and to rush the passer when it's an obvious

510
00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,280
Speaker 6: passing down and that I think that will help him

511
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,600
Speaker 6: to perform, especially in these circumstances at a higher level.

512
00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,960
Speaker 1: Now, you mentioned CJ. Strad, the third year quarterback for Houston.

513
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,240
Speaker 1: He's won a playoff game in each of his first

514
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,960
Speaker 1: two game years. His numbers haven't been overwhelming, but I

515
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,000
Speaker 1: think he's pretty good and I think he's a timely

516
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:41,880
Speaker 1: type of quarterback.

517
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 3: What say you, Oh, I've always liked him.

518
00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,320
Speaker 6: I mean I followed him a lot when he was

519
00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:50,200
Speaker 6: in Ohio State. I liked him as a prospect. I

520
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,760
Speaker 6: think he's had a really nice start to his NFL career.

521
00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:58,840
Speaker 6: He's not super prolific in terms of scoring passes that

522
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,399
Speaker 6: sort of thing. Only had nine team touchdowns this year,

523
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,040
Speaker 6: obviously not a ton, especially for a team that won

524
00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 6: as many games as they did. But he doesn't make

525
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,160
Speaker 6: a lot of mistakes either. He only had eight interceptions.

526
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,760
Speaker 6: This is a guy who really understands the game.

527
00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,920
Speaker 3: He takes. He takes what the defense gives him really well.

528
00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,359
Speaker 6: If you remember when the Steelers played them a couple

529
00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,720
Speaker 6: of years ago, he took everything the Steelers had. Every

530
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,240
Speaker 6: time the Steelers made a decision one way, he took

531
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 6: the other and beat them with it.

532
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 3: So they have to be really sharp.

533
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 6: But I think that the primary element of that will

534
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,040
Speaker 6: be making sure that they get pressure on him and

535
00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,200
Speaker 6: keep him in the pocket and make sure that he

536
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:43,880
Speaker 6: doesn't that his decisions are more out of sort of

537
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,760
Speaker 6: the same thing we were just talking about with Rogers,

538
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:48,640
Speaker 6: more out of I've got to do this or we

539
00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,400
Speaker 6: lose this series than okay, what's the best of my

540
00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:53,360
Speaker 6: many options.

541
00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:56,800
Speaker 1: Finally, Mike, if the Steelers lose, should that be a

542
00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:00,280
Speaker 1: referendum for major change, like a new coach, new quarter back,

543
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:02,400
Speaker 1: any of the above, Well.

544
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:06,040
Speaker 6: I think you're probably a relative to new quarterbacks. Some

545
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 6: of that is Aaron Rodgers situation. What he wants to do. Obviously,

546
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,440
Speaker 6: you need a new quarterback, but we expect that to

547
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,960
Speaker 6: come in the draft if if, if.

548
00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:18,680
Speaker 3: Such a player is available.

549
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,720
Speaker 1: Well, right, but he would not start as a rookie

550
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,040
Speaker 1: because the Steelers just out, don't that point?

551
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,400
Speaker 6: Yes, and and and honestly, I'm not a believer in that.

552
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,120
Speaker 6: I don't believe that it's been good for those who

553
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,880
Speaker 6: have thrown out there immediately.

554
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,200
Speaker 3: We had been here and yet it worked out great.

555
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,280
Speaker 6: But we also had Brad here and it took him

556
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,320
Speaker 6: five six years to get to be serviceable will where

557
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 6: he eventually became great.

558
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,479
Speaker 3: Yeah, and and and then Pickett. No, Pickett didn't start

559
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:45,880
Speaker 3: as early in his career.

560
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 6: Uh, and he was a little older as well, But

561
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,320
Speaker 6: it didn't work out. I don't think that was gonna

562
00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,360
Speaker 6: work out no matter how they handled it, Mark, I mean.

563
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 3: That you know that. That's how I felt about the

564
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:57,960
Speaker 3: draft pick in the first place. But if you get

565
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,600
Speaker 3: the right player, I think it's always better to let

566
00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:01,880
Speaker 3: him come around.

567
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,680
Speaker 6: And if Aaron Rodgers, after having made these playoffs, wanted

568
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,080
Speaker 6: to go again, if he felt like he did, and

569
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 6: you got that pick in the draft, I would be

570
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 6: amenable to that.

571
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,880
Speaker 3: I think that he is.

572
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,200
Speaker 6: He has shown himself to be really invested in this

573
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,360
Speaker 6: team and his teammates. Two things that we did, I

574
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,600
Speaker 6: shouldn't say we I did not expect on the day

575
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,239
Speaker 6: they signed him, and I wrote that, and and I

576
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:28,400
Speaker 6: owned that I was wrong.

577
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 3: He did everything I said he wouldn't do. And so

578
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:32,080
Speaker 3: if he wanted to.

579
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:36,360
Speaker 6: Go again, I again, especially if he were offered the

580
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,520
Speaker 6: opportunity to mentor a younger quarterback a first round pick,

581
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 6: I think that that.

582
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:43,560
Speaker 3: Would not be a bad decision at all.

583
00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:45,960
Speaker 2: Who do you got, Mike, Who's gonna win?

584
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:48,680
Speaker 3: Well, if you follow.

585
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:52,000
Speaker 6: The Friday Football Show with Tim Benz and I, I

586
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,160
Speaker 6: have picked the Steelers to win, excuse me, to lose,

587
00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:58,240
Speaker 6: I think the last five or six weeks in a row,

588
00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,320
Speaker 6: and so I'm picking them to lose now every week

589
00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,479
Speaker 6: because I've been wrong I think five out four out

590
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,600
Speaker 6: of the last five weeks or five out whatever it is.

591
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,560
Speaker 6: So I'm picking them to lose this one as well

592
00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:14,720
Speaker 6: and looking forward to being wrong again.

593
00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,040
Speaker 2: Mike is always a pleasure of great stuff. We'll talk

594
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 2: again next week.

595
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:20,720
Speaker 3: I was a lightmark. Thank you.

596
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,080
Speaker 1: That's Mike the course, Liverpool fan, Pittsburgh guy, Sporting News

597
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 1: does a podcast with Tim Bens every Friday, the Friday

598
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 1: Football Show, so be sure to check that out. We

599
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,920
Speaker 1: got Bret Michael's a Poison at the top of the hour.

600
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,560
Speaker 1: Brett's gonna be in town for the game on Monday,

601
00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,600
Speaker 1: and just the moment, we're gonna hear Nick Wright talking

602
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,160
Speaker 1: about Aaron Rodgers and how he thinks he's gonna do

603
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:48,760
Speaker 1: things just a little different, maybe a little more bravely

604
00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:51,480
Speaker 1: in Monday night's playoff game one oh five nine.

605
00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 8: Tomorrow nights, the Pens take on the Devils. Game time

606
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,040
Speaker 8: is seven. Our coverage starts at six here every game

607
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,360
Speaker 8: and the best coverage right here on your Home with

608
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,600
Speaker 8: the Pens on L five nine d X