1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: Let's talk Steelers with a guy we get on the 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,519 Speaker 1: show every time the Bengals play the Steelers, Andrew Philipponi, 3 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: ninety three seven fan in Pittsburgh. Let's start with this, 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: how would you encapsulate the Aaron Rodgers experience? 5 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 2: So far, way better than I thought it would go. 6 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 2: I have enjoyed it almost from the second, actually from 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 2: the very beginning mo his first game against the Jets' 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 2: old team, four touchdowns in that game, Steelers put up 9 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 2: more than thirty points. It was like we rediscovered what 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 2: watching competent quarterback play was like in that game after 11 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 2: being in the wilderness for about a half decade post 12 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 2: Ben and really, look, they've not been stay a dynamic, 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 2: high octane offense or anything like that, but we do 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 2: see in almost every game, whether it's with his arm talent, 15 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: with his mind, his football brain, some combination of both, 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: we still see hints and clues that he's got that 17 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 2: old Aaron Rodgers four time MVP in him. And it 18 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 2: doesn't come out consistently over fifty offensive plays per se, 19 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 2: but he has been a breath of fresh air for 20 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,199 Speaker 2: the Steelers moment. If I had to choose right now, 21 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 2: I would say bring him back next year and run 22 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:33,279 Speaker 2: it back with him. At forty two years old. 23 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: He's completed a ton of his passes. They don't go 24 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: very far. Is that going to be the Moll season longer? 25 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 2: Do they do? 26 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: They hope to build upon that, Well, they. 27 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 2: Definitely hope to build upon that. I think there's a 28 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 2: few things in play here. The offensive line was wretched 29 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: at the beginning of the year. It was terrible. It 30 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: looked like the Bengals offensive line for the first few weeks. 31 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 2: And he was getting hit a lot, not a ton 32 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 2: of sacks, was getting hit a lot. I had to 33 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 2: get the fall out quickly to survive. And the offense 34 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 2: was I think schemed and designed to cover up for 35 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: their offensive line deficiencies. They couldn't run the ball in 36 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: those first few games either. 37 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: Now. 38 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: I do think talking about his arm, we saw it 39 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 2: a couple times against the Browns on Sunday. He's just 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 2: not as accurate on the deep ball as he used 41 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 2: to be. I mean, there are a few deep ball 42 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 2: throwers that have been better than him historically. I don't 43 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: think we see that. I think that's probably one area 44 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 2: where his game has regressed at this age. And you know, 45 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: they needed to make a decision. They decided because their 46 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 2: run game, like I said, was so lacking that the 47 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 2: last two games here against the Vikings and against the Browns, 48 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: they have gone with this jumbo package, big package of 49 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: a sixth offensive lineman in Darnelle Wantington, who's the biggest 50 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: guy on the team. They're tight end, and they have 51 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: installed both of those guys into their offense. And they've 52 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 2: run for over one hundred yards in the last two games, 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 2: and their offenses function much better in general. So they 54 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 2: have for now they have put kind of Aaron Rodgers downfield, 55 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 2: Aaron Rodgers gunslinger that's on the back burner, and their 56 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 2: biggest point of emphasis is running the ball with those 57 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 2: big guys. 58 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,399 Speaker 1: Andel Philipponi with us from Pittsburgh ninety three to seven 59 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: The Fan. You ran a Twitter poll it just expired, 60 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: asking Steelers fans are you worried about Joe Flacco? Twitter 61 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: polls are never fifty to fifty. This is literally fifty 62 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: to fifty. Half the Steelers fans, over twenty three hundred 63 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: votes say they're worried about Joe Flacco. Should they be? 64 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: I don't think so, because it's not Joe Flacco in 65 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: a vacuum. It's not Joe Flacco last year off the 66 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 2: bench against the Steelers in Indianapolis, when they had prepped 67 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 2: all week for Anthony Richardson, a mobile quarterback with a 68 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 2: good offensive line, Jonathan Taylor and wide receivers that could 69 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 2: beat you. Not anywhere close to as good as Cincinnati, 70 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: but still decent players. This is Joe Flacco with probably 71 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 2: the worst rushing attack in NFL history and an offensive 72 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 2: line that is very subpar, and I think those ingredients 73 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: make the matchup much different. I also think that Steelers 74 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: defense in the year plus, in the thirteen months since 75 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 2: they last saw Joe Flacco, has actually gotten substantially better. 76 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 2: You've got Derek Harmon up front, a rookie who since 77 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 2: he returned from a knee injury, has been outstanding. Nick Herbig, 78 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 2: their third edge rusher from Wisconsin, has been a star, 79 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 2: really a guy that's gotten to a level now where 80 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 2: I don't think they can keep him off the field anymore. 81 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 2: He's just been that much of a disruptive player. And 82 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: Jalen Ramsey from Miami in that trade they made sende Minka, 83 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 2: there has been I would say the rams version of 84 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 2: Jalen Ramsey, the guy that helped them win a Super Bowl, 85 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 2: playing safety, playing flat corner, outside corner, had two sacks 86 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: in the game against Cleveland, more than Miles Garrett and TJ. 87 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: Watt combined. So their defense right now looks like the 88 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 2: real deal, and I think that that's going to present 89 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 2: problems for Joe Flacco.