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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale Alli. He is Matt Williamson.

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Speaker 1: It is a Wednesday, which is actually a Friday for us.

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Speaker 1: As it is, We've got a lot to cram in today.

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Speaker 2: Right we do. None of the pleasantries are talking about

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Speaker 2: stomping bugs or soup or any of that nonsense. We've

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Speaker 2: got to dig in for two.

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Speaker 1: Hours, we really do. And Matt, we were just talking

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Speaker 1: off the air about this upcoming game against the Cincinnati

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Speaker 1: Bengals and was good to do, soup was good. We

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Speaker 1: both come down to the conclusion that this game will

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Speaker 1: be won and lost at the line of scrimmage.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. So I bring things back to numbers a lot,

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Speaker 2: but mine Tim Bens, and I I think you do

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Speaker 2: this too with Tim Bens on the pregame show. You

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Speaker 2: have to pick a number, you know, stat section. Mine's

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Speaker 2: going to be fifty seven point four. And what that

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Speaker 2: is is the rushing discrepancy for the Bengals. Like I

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Speaker 2: think everyone listening knows, the Steelers allow a lot more

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Speaker 2: passing yards than they create, you know, so, but the

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Speaker 2: Bengals are the opposite. They allow fifty seven point four

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Speaker 2: more rushing yards per game than they create. That's like

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Speaker 2: all I need to know for this game.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, if you did that over the course

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Speaker 1: of the season, with seventeen he'd be doing you'd be

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Speaker 1: darn close with one thousand yards.

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Speaker 2: Well, they're five to seventy four now through ten games,

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Speaker 2: so yeah, you're right around there. And with Burrow, okay,

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Speaker 2: with this guy not okay? Right?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Jake Browning. Jake Browning is the all time leader

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Speaker 1: in high school in touchdown passes.

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Speaker 2: Oh is you really?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? He had like to do a little more homework

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Speaker 1: on him, a ridiculous amount of touchdown passes in high school.

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Speaker 1: He's not playing high school anymore.

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Speaker 2: No times at different These are a.

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Speaker 1: Little different here. You know, he had two hundred and

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Speaker 1: twenty nine career touchdown passes in high school.

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Speaker 2: That's pretty good, no matter what you do.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Wow, I think he had like ninety something in

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Speaker 1: his in his senior year.

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Speaker 2: Okay, but that's impressive none the last thingame wow.

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Speaker 1: But at the same time, he's throung fifteen NFL passes

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Speaker 1: and he's been in the league since twenty nineteen.

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Speaker 2: He's been around, and nobody wants put him in the game. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: I mean it's by default and a lot of this

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Speaker 2: goes back to what we said, and we've just said

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Speaker 2: this four months ago. You know that when Burlow got

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Speaker 2: hurt the first day or second day of camp, and

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Speaker 2: you knew it was going to be Is he gonna

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Speaker 2: be there for the first of the season. Who knows?

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Speaker 2: If so, he's gonna be compromised, Like we knew that

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Speaker 2: then you didn't get anybody. Yeah. Coaching malpractice yeah, and

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Speaker 2: front office malice yeah, I mean, go get somebody.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. So you know, to make things easier on your

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Speaker 1: young quarterback, he's twenty seven, he's not young young, but

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Speaker 1: he's in experience. To make things easier on your inexperienced quarterback,

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Speaker 1: you'd like to be able to lean on your running

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Speaker 1: game a little bit.

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Speaker 2: And I'm sure they'll try. I just don't know if

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Speaker 2: they can, right, I mean the Browns tried. I mean,

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Speaker 2: it's that's why that's my number. I mean, like in

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Speaker 2: the Steelers, I think will run really well against a

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Speaker 2: bad run defense. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Five bad run. They're one of two teams in the

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Speaker 1: league this year right now allowing more than five yards

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Speaker 1: per carry.

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Speaker 2: It's terrible, and it's been bad lately. It's not like,

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Speaker 2: oh it's all early in the year and they're getting

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Speaker 2: through it. No, they're bad all the time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, they're kind of Their defense right now is kind

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Speaker 1: of the exact opposite of where the Steelers were early

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Speaker 1: in the year, where the Steelers were giving up a

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Speaker 1: bunch of yards early in the year, but they're forcing turnovers.

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Speaker 1: The Bengals are forcing the turnovers.

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Speaker 2: That's the only thing this team does really well.

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Speaker 1: Right, yeah, right, But the Steelers defense has gotten consistently

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Speaker 1: better over the course of the season. The Bengals defense

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Speaker 1: hasn't gotten any better over the course of the season.

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Speaker 1: They're still giving up the yardage totals, they're getting the turnovers,

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Speaker 1: but they're not stopping the run. They're not stopping anybody

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Speaker 1: from throwing the ball all over them.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: It's a bad combination, it really is.

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Speaker 2: And Burrow just shows how valuable he is. He bails

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Speaker 2: them out.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he was the eraser.

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Speaker 2: He was, of course. And on paper, you know, you

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Speaker 2: mentioned just open the show. You know, this game's gonna

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Speaker 2: be one at the line of scrimmage, it's many are,

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Speaker 2: of course, but on paper their lines look decent. You know,

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Speaker 2: they've invested a lot in both of them. DJ Reider

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Speaker 2: is a good player, ol Hubbard, you know Hendrickson. They

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Speaker 2: drafted the Clemson kid Murphy in the first round.

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Speaker 1: The linebackers are active, yeah.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the front seven looks really good and even the

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Speaker 2: O line doesn't look like a bad O line. They've

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Speaker 2: invested a lot in it. I think they weren't wise

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Speaker 2: investments necessarily. But they don't win there, and they don't

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Speaker 2: run the ball well and they don't stop the run

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Speaker 2: at all, and I think that's a tragic combination for

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Speaker 2: the Steelers play the Steelers.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's it's different than where they were at

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Speaker 1: last year. I really in the last couple of years,

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Speaker 1: people were talking about lou An Arumo.

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Speaker 2: That's the game, right, always always call them the Bengals

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Speaker 2: defensive coordinator.

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Speaker 1: Lou A Yeah, Louis Louis, Louis Loue.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm sure he'll throw some things at picket,

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Speaker 2: you know. But I don't think it's coaching. I don't

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Speaker 2: think it's necessarily players. I still have not put my

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Speaker 2: finger on what the problem is with this defense, but

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Speaker 2: it is pretty clear the players are underachieving, and maybe

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Speaker 2: people have started to figure out lou a little more,

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Speaker 2: but their defense is just gets pushed around.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm just looking here. Last year they were three

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Speaker 1: thirty five point seven per game total. Well, they're like

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Speaker 1: fifty yards worse than that this year. They're rushing defense

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Speaker 1: last year was one oh six point six. Now, maybe

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Speaker 1: some of that's because of their offense.

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Speaker 2: Basically the complimentary football has something to do with it.

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Speaker 2: But I think them being so good in turnover differential

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Speaker 2: should mitigate it the other way. Yeah, take it back

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Speaker 2: the other way. I mean, if you told me before

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Speaker 2: digging into this team, man, they're really low in turnover differential, like, ah,

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Speaker 2: that adds up. That's probably why this defense is stuck.

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Speaker 2: And they're bad in time of possession and bad in

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Speaker 2: starting field position. Now those things are true, they're just

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Speaker 2: bad on the field.

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Speaker 1: They give up four point two yards per carry last year,

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Speaker 1: which was in the upper half of the league.

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Speaker 2: You know, so real quick though, I was thinking about this,

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Speaker 2: like there we look at them on their best day,

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Speaker 2: like that's a Super Bowl type team, Burrow, and I

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Speaker 2: think that's not wrong. But let's say Higgins isn't back,

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Speaker 2: and all of a sudden, you're paying Burrow and you're

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Speaker 2: picking fourteenth this year, and you can't go get free agents.

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Speaker 2: You lose more than you gain. And these line of

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Speaker 2: scrimmage situations as bad as it is now, like this

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Speaker 2: running discrepancy, their window might have shot. I mean, like

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Speaker 2: the picture, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean if you start looking at their I.

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Speaker 2: Mean Burrows you situation and going. But man, I mean

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Speaker 2: they're gonna be worse on paper next year than they

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Speaker 2: are now.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that. Let's see, they lose Readers a

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Speaker 1: free agent, and I thought reader or Hill was Yeah Higgins,

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Speaker 1: Jonah Williamson or Jonah Williams can call him Williams Son.

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Speaker 1: He's no relation to you. Tyler Boyd and Logan Wilson.

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Speaker 2: Logan Wilson's is a big one. Well he I thought

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Speaker 2: they resigned.

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Speaker 1: He's not. No, he's not.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they extended him.

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Speaker 1: I'm looking at calculated marketdvices. Okay, but I do know

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Speaker 1: that that Reader, Higgins, Williams are all free agents. That's

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Speaker 1: three pretty big spots in your lineup. No doubt that

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Speaker 1: Jordan and Williams isn't great, but you got to pay

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Speaker 1: somebody to replace it.

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Speaker 2: So you got to either draft the right tackle or

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Speaker 2: you gotta you know, you're gotta do something at right tackle. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: If you look at their offensively the back, yeah, they're

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Speaker 2: gonna need at least another receiver. I don't think their

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Speaker 2: tight ends yeah, I mean, like big picture, I don't

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Speaker 2: love where they're sitting.

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Speaker 1: Williams is giving up four sacks, he has one penalty.

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Speaker 1: Orlando Brown three sacks, one penalty, Ted Carris six sacks

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Speaker 1: in a penalty. Alex Kappa he's only given up two sacks,

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Speaker 1: but he has three penalties. Cordel Vohlsen four penalty or

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Speaker 1: four sacks two penalties.

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Speaker 2: Not great in ten.

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Speaker 1: Games, that's I mean, you're you know, nineteen sacks that

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Speaker 1: those guys have given up, just as your lineman.

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Speaker 2: I will say a little of that is because I

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Speaker 2: don't want to talk about both sides of my mouth.

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Speaker 2: They've faced a very tough group of them, much like

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Speaker 2: the Steelers. Yeah, the Browns and you know right, and

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Speaker 2: I also think Burrow couldn't protect himself early on in

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Speaker 2: terms of sacks. But they're not getting their money's worth

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Speaker 2: out of that line at all. And almost exactly like

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Speaker 2: the Steelers last year, those guys have played like every snap.

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Speaker 2: They haven't even missed like a series. I mean, they

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Speaker 2: let alone games with injury. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: The only time they've played somebody else is when they've

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Speaker 1: used an extra alignment, which they'll do on occasion. I

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Speaker 1: expect to see more of that again this week.

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Speaker 2: Might as well. They're not getting much on the tight end.

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Speaker 1: You got to try to do something to run the football.

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Speaker 2: The thing. The problem is, though coach Taylor, he comes

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Speaker 2: from the big Bay Tree and he is so married

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Speaker 2: to eleven personnel. I mean, they're always in three wide,

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Speaker 2: whether Higgins is healthy or not. But scouting this team's

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Speaker 2: really hard right now too. Kind of like Scotland it is, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I mean, well, hear the Stark stats, Matt, Yeah, Okay,

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Speaker 2: Zach Taylor became the head coach of the Bengals in

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Speaker 2: twenty nineteen, which was a surprise higher but yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 1: With Joe Burrow, they're twenty nine and twenty nine to

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Speaker 1: twenty two and one. They've averaged twenty four points, six

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Speaker 1: points per game, three hundred and fifty yards per game,

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Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty three passing yards game.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So just so people remember, that also includes Burrow's

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Speaker 2: rookie rookie year. Yeah, when they were bad enough to

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Speaker 2: get chased that's a third overall pick. But when those

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Speaker 2: two were, when they've had both, I'm sure his winning

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Speaker 2: percentage is way higher. Yeah, they won bad year with Burrow.

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Speaker 1: When Taylor has started anybody else at quarterback, Oh, I

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Speaker 1: bet this is bad. Four and nineteen, they average seventeen

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Speaker 1: point one points per game, three hundred and three point

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Speaker 1: three yards, two hundred and five point seven passing yards

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Speaker 1: per game. That's Andy Dalton, Ryan Finley and Brandon Allen

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Speaker 1: Rough and now this dude, and now a guy who'd

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Speaker 1: be making his first career start.

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Speaker 2: And they play like the hardest schedule league going forward. Like,

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Speaker 2: what's that where those numbers would be when the season ends,

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Speaker 2: I'm a.

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Speaker 1: Game to have seven games left. I'm gonna say it's

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Speaker 1: going to be maybe maybe five and twenty six, maybe

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Speaker 1: something in five and twenty five. Something like that.

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Speaker 2: Doesn't bode well five and twenty five when you don't

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Speaker 2: have Burrow. That's not a reing endorsement of great coaching.

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Speaker 1: No, you know, can they beat the Steelers in this game? Yeah?

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Speaker 2: They can be.

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Speaker 1: I mean if you go in there and you allow

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Speaker 1: them to do what they do best, which is take

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Speaker 1: the ball away. But the Steelers have been the best

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Speaker 1: team in the league not giving the ball away.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they really are carbon copy in like

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Speaker 2: on offense, they both have had eight giveaways, six interceptions

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Speaker 2: and two fumble recover if you know. On defense it's

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Speaker 2: one off but almost exactly the same.

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Speaker 1: So, you know, people who want to see the Steelers

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Speaker 1: come out in this game and like, well, just like

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Speaker 1: Kenny Pickett, throw it all over you get the other

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Speaker 1: the No, no, don't do that. That's not going to

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Speaker 1: win you this football game.

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Speaker 2: Even if Pickett was playing like Burrow. Yeah, this is

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Speaker 2: a run game. Yeah, this is a fifty four point

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Speaker 2: nine or whatever I said, you know, crush them in

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Speaker 2: the run discrepancy, own the football, and I think they

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Speaker 2: should and not could they should?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the last three games of Steelers are

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Speaker 1: averaging one hundred and eighty one rushing yards per game.

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Speaker 1: The only team that's been better than them in that period,

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Speaker 1: and it's by like six yards, has been Baltimore. But

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Speaker 1: they're getting forty five yards rushing out of the quarterback

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Speaker 1: every day.

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Speaker 2: I was in bed it with Chicago, but Chicago's the

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Speaker 2: highest run percentage Steelers or second.

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Speaker 1: You know, so do that keep doing that? And it's

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Speaker 1: what you do best. It's what you do best. And

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Speaker 1: if you look at it, I look, Jalen Warrens, he's

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Speaker 1: on a heater right now.

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Speaker 2: It's unbelievable.

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Speaker 1: He's on. He's got thirty five carries for three hundred

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Speaker 1: and eighteen yards in the last three games. If you

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Speaker 1: extrapolate that over the course of a full season, yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's an eighteen hundred yard season.

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Speaker 2: It's bonkers. And his whole season is similar. To be

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Speaker 2: honest with you, I just wrote this article last night.

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Speaker 2: I'll find it here in a minute. But some of

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Speaker 2: the goofy explosive rates and things like that are the

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Speaker 2: best in the league. I mean, like not even close.

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Speaker 2: And really the crux of my article was it's in

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Speaker 2: this first of all, folks, this has nothing to do

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Speaker 2: with Najia Harris.

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Speaker 1: Over these same three games, Najie Harris has one hundred

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Speaker 1: and eighty six yards on forty four carries over those

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Speaker 1: three games. If you took that over the course of

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Speaker 1: a seventeen game season, that would be over one thousand yards.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Like it's not like he stinks, no, not at all.

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Speaker 2: It's just I've come to the conclusion and I think

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Speaker 2: Harris is a really good player. This has nothing to

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Speaker 2: do with him. I think he's having his best year.

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Speaker 2: I think Warren's one of the best backs in the league.

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Speaker 1: I played like at the last three weeks.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like, here's the one I was trying

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Speaker 2: to find. So I've just lost myself here a second. Okay,

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Speaker 2: So explosive run rate. Bijon and Jamier Gibbs are second

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Speaker 2: in the league at eleven point two percent of their

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Speaker 2: runs have been explosive. Lamar Jackson and James Cook are third.

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Speaker 2: They're at ten to two. So those are the best

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Speaker 2: four in the league. Warrens at sixteen to two.

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Speaker 1: And a lot of that his companies last three weeks exactly.

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Speaker 2: And his stuff as a receiver is even better. I mean,

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Speaker 2: like it all adds up and the tape is just

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Speaker 2: as good as the numbers.

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Speaker 1: Because despite that, if you look at this twenty yards

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Speaker 1: runs or more twenty or more yard runs, Harris has

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Speaker 1: five of those and Warren has four.

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Speaker 2: That was the knock on nausey. Yeah, he's never going

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Speaker 2: to break the long one.

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Speaker 1: Well he was doing that this year.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, he's breaking the twenty.

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Speaker 1: He's been consistently gaining yards Now, obviously there were some

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Speaker 1: situations where he's gotten stopped in the backfield, including you

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Speaker 1: know late in that game last week.

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Speaker 2: Last week he had a tough percentage whatever.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that was more a Cleveland thing than it was

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Speaker 1: they were losing.

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Speaker 2: The last Yeah, I mean, yeah, the Browns defenses. You

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Speaker 2: don't play the Browns every week, No, you don't. Just

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Speaker 2: defense doesn't do that.

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Speaker 1: And you're certainly not playing the Browns this week. I

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Speaker 1: would expect over Let's say put it this way, Matt

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Speaker 1: over under two hundred yards rushing for the Steelers in

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Speaker 1: this game. Wow, two hundred is a big number. Now,

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Speaker 1: they did get two hundred against Green Bay.

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Speaker 2: Were they won seventy two versus Browns. Yeah, and that

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Speaker 2: was by far the Browns worst day. Yeah, stopping the run.

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Speaker 2: By the way, folks, I'll go under, but that's a

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Speaker 2: crazy line you said. I mean, if it was one five.

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Speaker 1: Would it surprise you if they got two hundred.

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Speaker 2: No, it would not. That absolutely would not, because I

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Speaker 2: think they will stick with it and stick with it

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Speaker 2: and stick with it.

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Speaker 1: Because the thing is, if you look at this, since

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Speaker 1: Cincinnati's offense, the reason that they were able to run

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Speaker 1: for that many yards against Cleveland is because the new

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Speaker 1: Cleveland wasn't going to run away from them.

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Speaker 2: When you get into it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, when you get into a game like this, and

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Speaker 1: this is what was happening to the Steelers early in

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Speaker 1: this season. When teams are running the football, they just

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Speaker 1: stuck with it because hey, we don't think they can

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Speaker 1: score very much.

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Speaker 2: And then McCaffrey breaks went off, the fod breaks went off,

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Speaker 2: or whatever, because that's how this works. You pound the

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Speaker 2: rock until the rock breaks.

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Speaker 1: Especially if you're having success doing it, and then you

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Speaker 1: mix you start mixing in some of the passing. Again,

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Speaker 1: I don't want to see pick it throw throw the

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Speaker 1: ball thirty five times in this game.

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Speaker 2: No, no, I mean again, even if he was playing

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Speaker 2: very well or I don't care who the offense coordinator is,

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Speaker 2: that's not the way to attack this team. Yeah, play

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Speaker 2: action wouldn't break my heart, no you yeah.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, I mean, because you've got well And

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Speaker 1: this might be the problem with Cincinnati's defense. As much

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Speaker 1: as we like Dax Hill in the draft two years ago,

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Speaker 1: I didn't like necessarily like Dax Hill is a deep safety.

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Speaker 1: I liked him as a nickel.

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Speaker 2: There's a nickel big slot corner room around the line.

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Speaker 1: That's not what he's doing for them.

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Speaker 2: No, he's not. He plays every snap. Yeah, him and

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Speaker 2: Logan Wilson missed like five snaps between.

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Speaker 1: So you've got two very young, brand new safeties in

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Speaker 1: there playing definitely part of the problem, and they're giving

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Speaker 1: up some big explosives.

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Speaker 2: Then baits us. Besides Menca, I think Bates is the

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Speaker 2: best deep middle guy out there, and he's in Atlanta. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: they don't have that a hard which makes MinC all

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Speaker 2: the more valuable. Who maybe he plays this game.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he did not practice today, you know, so we'll see.

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Speaker 1: And they practiced. Uh, people are going to read into

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Speaker 1: that that that, oh, this is trouble for Mica. They

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Speaker 1: practiced indoors today. And so if you get somebody who's

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Speaker 1: dealing with a leg injury or a foot injury, a

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Speaker 1: lower body injury, you're probably not going to practice indoors

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Speaker 1: on on Wednesday on that in the non natural surface.

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Speaker 2: Gotcha, gotcha. I know that that's been a theme with

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Speaker 2: them or you know something that they've trend with them

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Speaker 2: with lower body injuries. Interesting. Okay, so it's still early.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's still early in the week. We haven't seen

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Speaker 1: anything from Cincinnati yet to see who's practicing who's not

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Speaker 1: for them. But yeah, I mean to have them, but.

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Speaker 2: Their passing game isn't scary, you know.

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Speaker 1: And the other guy's played well enough that you know, I.

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Speaker 2: Just worry about Chase getting behind someone or if Higgins

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Speaker 2: plays or you know that any quarterback can find an

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Speaker 2: open guy, you know.

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Speaker 1: I watching Jake Browning last week again. Now I understand

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Speaker 1: he had he probably had no game prep whatsoever for

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Speaker 1: this one.

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Speaker 2: He'll be in better shape coming into this than he

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Speaker 2: was coming into that game.

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Speaker 1: But he was just lobbing them, like throwing tear drops

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Speaker 1: down the sidelines, trying to make something happen.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, save me. Yeah, great receivers. They's probably getting coached

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Speaker 2: that way too, like, hey, chuck it up to Jamar

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Speaker 2: and hope he makes a play. That's a tough way

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Speaker 2: to go.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, especially if he's going to throw outside the numbers.

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Speaker 1: The sideline is friend. Sure, if he's gonna he's gonna

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Speaker 1: love the ball up like that and the receiver's going

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Speaker 1: to try to go up and get it. Just shove

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Speaker 1: the guy at a bounce.

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Speaker 2: Oh, that's a hard way to live. It really is.

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Speaker 1: Especially in the NFL. You might have gotten away with

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Speaker 1: that in the Pac twelve.

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Speaker 2: But I mean Chase, Chase worries me. I mean that

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Speaker 2: he's a phenomenal player, But.

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Speaker 1: Is he gonna go out and you have nine for

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Speaker 1: two hundred and forty yards and three touchdowns?

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Speaker 2: Probably not. I worry is he has a forty and

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Speaker 2: an eighty. You know, he gets loose and any any

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Speaker 2: quarterback can hit him. But I don't think they protect

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Speaker 2: well either. Yeah, that's the problem. I mean, there's they

396
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Speaker 2: got issues right now. I mean they're their foundation isn't

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Speaker 2: as strong as I thought it was.

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Speaker 1: And we'll see about Higgins.

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Speaker 2: He's either he's a free agent at the end of

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Speaker 2: the year, and do you think he's.

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Speaker 1: That's it, Like you're said, you know, people ask, you know,

402
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Speaker 1: why is Justin Jefferson still sitting out because he's he

403
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Speaker 1: didn't have a contract for next year contract.

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Speaker 2: I think he flat out said, and my body is

405
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Speaker 2: more important than my fantasy number.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, Like he goes and goes out and pulls that

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Speaker 1: hamstring again or completely tears it. Now he's going into

408
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Speaker 1: the off season with a major injury and people are

409
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Speaker 1: going to try to low ball them. A little bit.

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Speaker 1: If you're Higgins, you look at this and go, we

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Speaker 1: don't have Burrow, and I'm going to be a free agent.

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Speaker 1: They're not going to resign me.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and even more so than Jefferson. Like the Fights

414
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Speaker 2: aren't gonna let Jefferson go to the open market. I mean,

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Speaker 2: he could lose a leg and they're going to franchise them,

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Speaker 2: you know. But Higgins, they are paid Chase to paying Burrow.

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Speaker 2: He very well could be.

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Speaker 1: A free agent and he can read the tea leaves.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, you know he is an agent. Eyes. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I don't think he'll be back next year. I mean,

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Speaker 2: and you know, where are they going anything he wants?

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Speaker 1: Where are they going this year? They're they're like, okay,

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Speaker 1: we don't have we don't have our quarterback anymore. We're

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Speaker 1: already in the I think they're on like eleventh spot

425
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Speaker 1: in the AFC or tenth spot something like that. They

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Speaker 1: got to, you know, seven more teams to climb over

427
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Speaker 1: to get into the playoff.

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Speaker 2: Come season's over, yeah, especially the schedule ahead of him,

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Speaker 2: and who's a quarterback. It's done. Yeah, if they beat

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Speaker 2: the Steelers, it's done. I mean, yeah, they're not a

431
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Speaker 2: playoff team.

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Speaker 1: So he has to look at this, you know, as

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Speaker 1: a businessman a little bit.

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Speaker 2: Oh, he absolutely should. I would not rush back at

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Speaker 2: all if I were him. So I maybe he's one

436
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:03,840
Speaker 2: hundred and he plays. I haven't seen a practice report

437
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:05,320
Speaker 2: from them, or I don't know what the story is,

438
00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:07,280
Speaker 2: but all that stuff indicates he won't.

439
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:09,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I I just think, Oh, I have

440
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:15,800
Speaker 1: the Bengals injury report right here, and T Higgins did

441
00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:21,040
Speaker 1: not participate. Wow, neither did so is Burrow. This is

442
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,000
Speaker 1: really hard to read. It's very small tiny.

443
00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,120
Speaker 2: Isn't Burrow and I are? I don't think that theybe

444
00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:26,680
Speaker 2: the didn't put them on.

445
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:27,680
Speaker 1: They didn't put him on yet.

446
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:29,800
Speaker 2: Maybe I thought it was a season ender.

447
00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,240
Speaker 1: DJ Reader didn't practice he had an illness, and Cam

448
00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:35,960
Speaker 1: Taylor Britt has a quad. So those guys did not practice.

449
00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:37,879
Speaker 2: Taylor Britt's a good player, he's.

450
00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,479
Speaker 1: A starting corner for them. Yeah, I mean that's that's

451
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,600
Speaker 1: kind of a big deal too. And then the limited

452
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,760
Speaker 1: guys were A Keem Davis, Gaither, B J. Hill, Sam Hubbard,

453
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,480
Speaker 1: and Andrey Sivas.

454
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,640
Speaker 2: I think so, I wonder if Hill plays and Hubbard

455
00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:55,600
Speaker 2: has not lately. Yeah, he's dead number.

456
00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,840
Speaker 1: Hill's got a knee, Hubbard's got an ankle.

457
00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,920
Speaker 2: So I Hubbard's a good number two.

458
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,120
Speaker 1: But if they don't, if they don't have Higgins, their

459
00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:05,280
Speaker 1: offense isn't it's it's all, it's all one guy.

460
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:05,639
Speaker 2: It's all.

461
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:06,320
Speaker 1: It's scary.

462
00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,919
Speaker 2: And I think I would then put porter on them

463
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:09,720
Speaker 2: and help them.

464
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, yeah, and then kind of single up

465
00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,720
Speaker 1: on everybody else. And if they you know, if Tyler

466
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:19,199
Speaker 1: Boyd has you know, six catches for fifty five yards,

467
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:20,320
Speaker 1: so be it.

468
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,720
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, if he's gonna get Welker routes, fine, yeah,

469
00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,080
Speaker 2: because you gotta expect that. Yeah, get the ball out

470
00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,560
Speaker 2: of his hands quickly. I mean, I'm sure they'll mimic

471
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:34,440
Speaker 2: the Browns. Yeah, a strategy of getting it out insanely quick.

472
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,080
Speaker 2: Yea quick. But Steel's adjusted to that in the second half.

473
00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,800
Speaker 1: And Mike Tollman was asked about that on his press

474
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,040
Speaker 1: conference on Tuesday, and he said, I'm fine with that

475
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:44,280
Speaker 1: if they want to. If they want to try to

476
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:45,840
Speaker 1: get the ball out in two seconds, that means they're

477
00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:47,080
Speaker 1: not getting the ball deep on us.

478
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:47,840
Speaker 2: At all, exactly.

479
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:49,639
Speaker 1: I mean, we'll come up and tackle the catch all

480
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:50,080
Speaker 1: day long.

481
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,760
Speaker 2: The Browns were a two to one, which is incredibly low.

482
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,679
Speaker 2: And there was four or five plays where he ran around,

483
00:20:57,760 --> 00:20:59,160
Speaker 2: you know, and there was a four or five second

484
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:00,320
Speaker 2: one in there, so I mean was.

485
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,480
Speaker 1: Out now, Yeah, most of them were under two. Yeah,

486
00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,200
Speaker 1: so you know, you'll you'll live with that. You'll live

487
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,159
Speaker 1: with that, you know, what's it?

488
00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,840
Speaker 2: I mean the chance is then of Chase breaking three

489
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,240
Speaker 2: tackles and taking it to the house.

490
00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:16,439
Speaker 1: Minimal, Yeah, very minimal.

491
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,200
Speaker 2: He worries me on deep routes. Yeah.

492
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 1: Absolutely, we're gonna get to a break. He is Matt Williamson.

493
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,360
Speaker 1: I am Dale Lollie. You're listening to the Driver. You're

494
00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,320
Speaker 1: on Steelers Nation Radio. We'll be back with more right

495
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:35,560
Speaker 1: after this. Welcome back. I'm Dale Lollie. He is the

496
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,480
Speaker 1: Matt Williamson and uh, Matt. We were talking in the

497
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:42,000
Speaker 1: previous segment about the one two punch of Jalen Warren

498
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,640
Speaker 1: and Nagee Harris and I don't care who starts who does. Yeah,

499
00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,679
Speaker 1: as long as they both get carries. It's really all

500
00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,400
Speaker 1: that matters to me. Because they've both been effective, they're

501
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:58,440
Speaker 1: both uh being productive. And so I started looking back

502
00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,960
Speaker 1: today at some of the other this is interesting some

503
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:03,080
Speaker 1: of the other duos that the Steelers have had over

504
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,600
Speaker 1: the years that have posted some big numbers. If you

505
00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:08,919
Speaker 1: start looking at where the Steelers are right now, I

506
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:15,280
Speaker 1: think Harris and Warren are at.

507
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,800
Speaker 2: Tryst and Blier about where we're at.

508
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,959
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're twelfth and thirteenth in the AFC and rushing.

509
00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:24,080
Speaker 1: I don't think there's another. There's not another due team

510
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,119
Speaker 1: that has two guys in the top twenty I believe then.

511
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:29,639
Speaker 2: I bet you're right because the one the number I

512
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:35,119
Speaker 2: knew was a week ago. No team had two backs

513
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:39,440
Speaker 2: with five hundred and seventy five total yards or more.

514
00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,600
Speaker 2: They have two, which I know now is still best

515
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:44,679
Speaker 2: in the AFC or whatever. No one's close to them

516
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 2: really in terms of tandem's production.

517
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,240
Speaker 1: If they continue to produce and they're not going Jyalen

518
00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:52,040
Speaker 1: Warren can't continue to produce.

519
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,080
Speaker 2: It, the probably won't be a yard back every year.

520
00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:54,919
Speaker 2: Probably not.

521
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,480
Speaker 1: He's on a ridiculous pace right now in the last

522
00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,679
Speaker 1: three games. But if he's close to that and you

523
00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:02,720
Speaker 1: start getting you're still getting what you're getting out out

524
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:08,399
Speaker 1: of Harris here. They could both finish eight nine hundred

525
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:09,679
Speaker 1: plus yards rushing.

526
00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,280
Speaker 2: You're talking yeah, and probably well over one thousand all purpose. Yeah, yeah,

527
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:14,760
Speaker 2: I mean that's a great backfield.

528
00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,480
Speaker 1: And so I started looking. I mean, everybody knows that

529
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 1: the number one duo is Blier and Harris. I think

530
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,640
Speaker 1: it was. They were both seventy six, they were both

531
00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:28,240
Speaker 1: over one thousand yards.

532
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:30,879
Speaker 2: And Franco's fame and they did it.

533
00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,359
Speaker 1: They did that in fourteen games, by the way, but

534
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,560
Speaker 1: you ran the ball so much more a beaut than

535
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,560
Speaker 1: that time. They were running the ball forty times a

536
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:38,120
Speaker 1: game back then.

537
00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,240
Speaker 2: They were controlling in their defense helped them, sure.

538
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,040
Speaker 1: I mean if you look at if you look at

539
00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:45,320
Speaker 1: the carries over the last three games, it was twenty

540
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,760
Speaker 1: seven combined carries for that for the two of them

541
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,600
Speaker 1: in the game in three games ago against Tennessee. Two

542
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,720
Speaker 1: weeks ago against Green Bay, it was combined thirty one carries.

543
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,320
Speaker 1: Last week against Cleveland it was twenty one.

544
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:00,560
Speaker 2: Really, well, like, where do you want that number to

545
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,760
Speaker 2: be Sunday? Thirty thirty?

546
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,240
Speaker 1: I think thirty is a good number.

547
00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,919
Speaker 2: Yeah, for the two of them, two by pickets and

548
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:08,040
Speaker 2: by Austin.

549
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe maybe a mix in some Anthony McFarland this week,

550
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,119
Speaker 1: maybe maybe you know one or two there that.

551
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:15,840
Speaker 2: I kind of feel bad for him, Like I think

552
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:17,680
Speaker 2: he has promised every time I see him, but.

553
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,320
Speaker 1: Just can't get on the field because the other guys

554
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:22,120
Speaker 1: are ahead of him.

555
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,119
Speaker 2: You're complaining about not get warning the ball and around

556
00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:28,200
Speaker 2: the third guy, you know, but just run the football

557
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,719
Speaker 2: like and complete more passes and completely complete yet.

558
00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, we haven't gotten to that one yet.

559
00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:36,480
Speaker 2: But I don't think that's as important this week.

560
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:38,920
Speaker 1: No, And I look at the you know what they're

561
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:40,840
Speaker 1: doing here. You have to go back.

562
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:43,919
Speaker 2: You know.

563
00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,439
Speaker 1: The Steelers have had some backs kind of share the

564
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:51,400
Speaker 1: backfield before, like in twenty fifteen when Le'Veon Bell was suspended.

565
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,640
Speaker 1: Bell had five and then he got hurt. Bell had

566
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,560
Speaker 1: five hundred and fifty six yards. D'angela Williams had nine

567
00:24:58,560 --> 00:24:59,040
Speaker 1: oh seven.

568
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:01,600
Speaker 2: That was act backfield. That was a good Backfieldea, right,

569
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,359
Speaker 2: d'anzelo is a really good player, and Bell was like

570
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:04,800
Speaker 2: the best back in the league at the point.

571
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,760
Speaker 1: In eight, Willie Parker had seven ninety one and weel

572
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,120
Speaker 1: Day Moore had five eighty eight.

573
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:11,760
Speaker 2: Okay okay uh In.

574
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:17,240
Speaker 1: Seven, Willie Parker had thirteen to sixteen and Nauji Davenport

575
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:18,320
Speaker 1: had four ninety nine.

576
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,359
Speaker 2: That's a heck of a season by a backfield, But

577
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:25,080
Speaker 2: I think these two are closer in value.

578
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,359
Speaker 1: This is more four when Jerome Bettis had nine to

579
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,160
Speaker 1: forty one and Duce Staley had eight thirty.

580
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,200
Speaker 2: That's a great combination. Yeah, yeah, that's two big backs.

581
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,840
Speaker 2: But they both were good players. I mean, Jerome wasn't

582
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:38,479
Speaker 2: the best back in the league at the point. You know.

583
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,320
Speaker 1: The difference in that situation, though, is that Staley only

584
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:45,960
Speaker 1: played ten games and Bettis played fifteen. Staley got hurt

585
00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:47,719
Speaker 1: towards the end of the season. He was on he

586
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:49,840
Speaker 1: was the lead back for a long a large portion

587
00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,080
Speaker 1: of that he passed the torch. Yeah, and then when

588
00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,480
Speaker 1: he got hurt, Bettys kind of took over the backfield again.

589
00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:57,439
Speaker 1: But there were times when they split that up pretty

590
00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:58,160
Speaker 1: pretty evenly.

591
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,760
Speaker 2: But probably fewer than ten games this year in terms

592
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:06,120
Speaker 2: of I'll trot out when I'm tired and you take

593
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,000
Speaker 2: this series, I'll take that series. You do the third

594
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:08,639
Speaker 2: down work, you know.

595
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,720
Speaker 1: But you know in O two they had Zaraway had

596
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 1: seven sixty two and Bettis had six sixty six. The

597
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,119
Speaker 1: carries that year, Zerowe had won ninety three, Bettis had

598
00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,400
Speaker 1: one eighty seven. That was almost a fifty to fifty split.

599
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,200
Speaker 2: And they were much different styles. Yeah, and we've brought

600
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,200
Speaker 2: that up several times. You know where Zaraway was the curveball,

601
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,159
Speaker 2: but I didn't realize he was got that much of

602
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,800
Speaker 2: the rushing share.

603
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,280
Speaker 1: Yeah. In the ninety five Eric Piegrim had eight thirteen

604
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,760
Speaker 1: and Bam Morris had five point fifty nine. Ninety four

605
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 1: it was Barry Foster with eight fifty one and Bam

606
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,120
Speaker 1: Morris with eight thirty six. That was almost a fifty

607
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:45,760
Speaker 1: to fifty split. But that was again because of.

608
00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:47,919
Speaker 2: Injury, I'd say, was that the end of the Foster year.

609
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, Foster was banged up that that year. I think

610
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,920
Speaker 1: he only played in like maybe eight to ten games.

611
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,440
Speaker 1: And then in ninety three it was Leroy Thompson was

612
00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,919
Speaker 1: seven sixty three and Barry Foster was seven to eleven.

613
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,159
Speaker 1: But this is more were Franco and Rocky.

614
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was gonna say you had one of them,

615
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:08,040
Speaker 2: would you say two examples ago you had Morris.

616
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:11,240
Speaker 1: Ben Yeah, but pe Grim and Morris kind of shared

617
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,200
Speaker 1: the backfield duties. Bettis and Staley kind of shared the

618
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:16,439
Speaker 1: backfield duties. This is a really a fifty to fifty

619
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,720
Speaker 1: you've got one in one A or two ones really.

620
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,560
Speaker 2: And for much of their I mean, Warren's only been

621
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,240
Speaker 2: around a year and a half, and once he established himself,

622
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,560
Speaker 2: it was almost always two to one in not in

623
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:31,000
Speaker 2: his favor. And again, Nausey's better now than he was

624
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,800
Speaker 2: then in my opinion. But Warren can't just be a third.

625
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:36,880
Speaker 1: He's demanded, he's demanded playing time.

626
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,479
Speaker 2: He can't. Yeah, I mean it has nothing to do

627
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,879
Speaker 2: with Harris. I can't say that enough. I'm very happy

628
00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,880
Speaker 2: with Harris. But Warren looks potentially special.

629
00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:46,520
Speaker 1: Yeah. So they've got that going for him, and so

630
00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,159
Speaker 1: why not ride that you got them?

631
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:49,680
Speaker 2: Especially in this situation too.

632
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,119
Speaker 1: I mean these last three they ran the ball for

633
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,200
Speaker 1: one hundred and forty six point two yards per game

634
00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,000
Speaker 1: over the last nine games last year post by. They're

635
00:27:58,000 --> 00:27:59,560
Speaker 1: doing it better now they're even better.

636
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,399
Speaker 2: Yeah. They're breaking off longer runs.

637
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:03,159
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's chunks, it's you know.

638
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:08,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I bet their yards per carries much better yeah, oh.

639
00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,200
Speaker 1: I mean left. Yeah, Warren's leading the league in rushing averages.

640
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,800
Speaker 1: He's at six point two yards per carry. Going into

641
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:17,320
Speaker 1: this stretch, he was at like three point eight.

642
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, which is where Nause was for two years or.

643
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:21,879
Speaker 1: So, which in Nause was at three point nine. There

644
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,560
Speaker 1: wasn't much difference there. Again, he's on an incredible heater,

645
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,520
Speaker 1: which what this is what happens when you start breaking

646
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:31,199
Speaker 1: off some long runs. Yeah, but if he leads the

647
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 1: league in rushing yards per attempt, he would become the

648
00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:38,600
Speaker 1: first Steeler since nineteen forty seven to lead.

649
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,280
Speaker 2: Of all the Steeler great backs, none of them are

650
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:43,440
Speaker 2: Jamal Charles or Chris Johnson.

651
00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:46,959
Speaker 1: Like, can you guess who the beck was in nineteen

652
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:47,680
Speaker 1: forty seven?

653
00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:48,160
Speaker 2: Please?

654
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,840
Speaker 1: Is mister zero Johnny Clement?

655
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,200
Speaker 2: Okay, nineteen forty seven. I hope that's the end shat today.

656
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,240
Speaker 2: I'll get it right there.

657
00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: You go, Well, you learn a little something here. But yes,

658
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,600
Speaker 1: he's leading the league now six point two yards per carry.

659
00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,600
Speaker 2: And I think you mentioned this at lunch. If not,

660
00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,840
Speaker 2: we talk all the time Nause. He's ripping off longer

661
00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:10,720
Speaker 2: runs too. Yeah you know, I mean he's not ripping

662
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 2: off eighties, but he's ripping off twenties and tens consistently.

663
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:18,640
Speaker 1: And his twenty yard runs are punishing runs, no, because

664
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,560
Speaker 1: when he's getting tackled, it's a defensive back bringing him

665
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: to the ground and they're getting trampled.

666
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,640
Speaker 2: I don't know that I've ever seen a running back

667
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 2: side note that does more boxing with the ball in

668
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,800
Speaker 2: his hands. I mean all the upper body flailing and

669
00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:37,080
Speaker 2: punching and throwing like it's really unorthodox, but it's I

670
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:39,320
Speaker 2: always say this about backs, like you could he.

671
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 1: Looks like he's in a street fight when he's all

672
00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:41,360
Speaker 1: the time.

673
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's not like he lowers his shoulder

674
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 2: and slams into someone. He's like, all right, it's time

675
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:47,800
Speaker 2: to fight, but drops the gloves like it's a hockey fight.

676
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,160
Speaker 1: Yeah. So I think they compliment each other really well.

677
00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:56,720
Speaker 1: There's people out there we need to see more Jaylen

678
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,880
Speaker 1: Warren and I don't disagree.

679
00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,200
Speaker 2: With that, right right, I mean it's earned, Yeah, it's earned.

680
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,080
Speaker 1: But I don't want to see it come at the

681
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,640
Speaker 1: expense of not if they.

682
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,600
Speaker 2: It's they, oh, complete more passes.

683
00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,000
Speaker 1: If they complete more passes, they'll be able to run

684
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:13,840
Speaker 1: the ball more, you know, and stay on the field,

685
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,480
Speaker 1: and then you can use both of these guys to

686
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,680
Speaker 1: just pound the defense into submission.

687
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,200
Speaker 2: And even now that they aren't completing a lot of passes,

688
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,160
Speaker 2: it's been better than the early in the season and

689
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,320
Speaker 2: it's still not three and now three and out defense

690
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,200
Speaker 2: on the field for thirty eight minutes, you know that

691
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 2: kind of nonsense. So they are getting more first downs

692
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,160
Speaker 2: things like that, and able to run the ball more.

693
00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:34,640
Speaker 2: I'm all for Warren getting more touches, and I bet

694
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,160
Speaker 2: he does. I mean, we're seeing a trend. He's getting

695
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 2: more and more every week. Basically they are more and

696
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 2: more of a percentage. But if it ain't broke, why

697
00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:48,040
Speaker 2: put more a lot more, I mean battery on his body.

698
00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,040
Speaker 2: You know, you want him for the playoffs hopefully, and

699
00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:52,320
Speaker 2: all these guys, you know, yeah, I just I think

700
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,040
Speaker 2: both could be a lead back without the other.

701
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,600
Speaker 1: If you lose one for a game, I think you're right,

702
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:57,400
Speaker 1: You're fine, You're yeah, you can you can hand the

703
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,320
Speaker 1: ball to the other guy. But again, and if they

704
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 1: complete more passes and stay on the field, you should

705
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,920
Speaker 1: be able to get these guys, you know between that

706
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:12,080
Speaker 1: thirty and forty Yeah, carry range and and do it

707
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:13,160
Speaker 1: just organically.

708
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,120
Speaker 2: I meant to throw this out earlier we were talking

709
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:18,280
Speaker 2: about on the video. We did too. Another spot and

710
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,840
Speaker 2: there's it's not hard to find spots where Bengals defense

711
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,920
Speaker 2: isn't great. Their first down defense is wow, you know,

712
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,520
Speaker 2: really bad. I mean it's always second and five, second

713
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 2: and four. Yeah, this could be that situation consistently this game. Man.

714
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:35,000
Speaker 2: I mean, if you are running it well, second and four,

715
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,360
Speaker 2: take a shot to pickings. Yeah you know what I mean.

716
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,080
Speaker 1: And over there, you know, five straight runs and you

717
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,520
Speaker 1: get three first downs and then boom.

718
00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:44,600
Speaker 2: Yeah right, you get twenty five yards on three runs

719
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:45,040
Speaker 2: or whatever.

720
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,200
Speaker 1: And yeah, I mean, and then take your shot there.

721
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,080
Speaker 2: It's been very favorable for how the Steelers want to

722
00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,040
Speaker 2: play against this Bengal defense.

723
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd like to get Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt

724
00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:59,320
Speaker 1: are both excellent coverage. They are in terms of picking

725
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,000
Speaker 1: the ball if you actually if you look at the

726
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:04,680
Speaker 1: numbers on them, Wilson's given up thirty six completions on

727
00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:07,320
Speaker 1: forty seven targets for three hundred and seventy eight yards

728
00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,800
Speaker 1: and two touchdowns. Now he has the three interceptions. You

729
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,120
Speaker 1: throw the ball to him, he'll catch it.

730
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:12,760
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, he's opportunistic.

731
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, same thing with Pratt. He has two interceptions, but

732
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 1: he's given up twenty nine completions on thirty six passing

733
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,640
Speaker 1: attempts for two hundred and eighty eight yards.

734
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:22,520
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't think anyone's numbers on this defense

735
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:22,800
Speaker 2: are good.

736
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:24,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I think if what you want to do

737
00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:27,720
Speaker 1: is get them coming downhill and then throw the ball

738
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:28,560
Speaker 1: over their heads.

739
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, and challenge the safety is a little bit more too. Yeah.

740
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:34,760
Speaker 2: Pratt was a safety turned linebacker, you know, coming out

741
00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,640
Speaker 2: of NC State, he was kind of a big, rangy

742
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,360
Speaker 2: Cam Chancellor type and he's turned into a really good player.

743
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:41,800
Speaker 2: He was a free agent's offseason. He was somebody that

744
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,000
Speaker 2: was on our you know, Steeler list when they were

745
00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 2: getting hold them and those guys and Wilson's become like

746
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 2: the face of the defense.

747
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, they play a lot of The Steelers are at sixty

748
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:54,520
Speaker 1: four point three percent single high safety. The Bengals aren't

749
00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:55,880
Speaker 1: far behind there at sixty percent.

750
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:57,880
Speaker 2: That's what they want to do. Yeah, And to your

751
00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:01,320
Speaker 2: point in the last segment, Bates was phenomenal for it,

752
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,360
Speaker 2: and now they're kind of a square peg round hole

753
00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:03,960
Speaker 2: in it with Hill.

754
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:08,360
Speaker 1: They'll play a pretty high percentage of man coverage as well.

755
00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:12,360
Speaker 1: According to NFL Stats. Again, we question, yeah, but it's.

756
00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:13,880
Speaker 2: But if you're near the top or near the bottom,

757
00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:14,640
Speaker 2: I think it's interesting.

758
00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:16,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean they're at thirty three point thirty three

759
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,320
Speaker 1: point eight percent is eleventh in the league.

760
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,440
Speaker 2: It's amazing if he'd be like, you kidding me, right.

761
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:25,800
Speaker 1: The Steelers. The Steelers are at forty point five percent

762
00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,240
Speaker 1: man coverage and that's third.

763
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,000
Speaker 2: Highest in that Like, no one plays fifty percent.

764
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,640
Speaker 1: And I don't even know, judging from the guys that

765
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:33,760
Speaker 1: I've talked to, I don't know if that's true either

766
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:34,280
Speaker 1: that they were.

767
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:36,920
Speaker 2: Man coverage that he'd probably probably we're not.

768
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:37,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're not that high.

769
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:40,160
Speaker 2: Okay, right, that's a league today.

770
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:43,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's you know, but if you look at

771
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,960
Speaker 1: their you know again going back to that offensive line, uh,

772
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,840
Speaker 1: their pressure rate allowed is they're at thirty they're at

773
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,280
Speaker 1: thirty four point seven percent, which is ninth worst.

774
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:55,640
Speaker 2: In the league. Yeah, yeah, I figured it wasn't good.

775
00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,040
Speaker 2: That's what Joe Burrow, that's a borough too. And he

776
00:33:58,400 --> 00:33:59,400
Speaker 2: did get it out quick.

777
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,360
Speaker 1: No, in some case, many times Burrow invites the pressure

778
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,840
Speaker 1: because he'll he'll hold the football and you know, he

779
00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:07,440
Speaker 1: has a quick release and he'll wait for guys to

780
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:07,880
Speaker 1: get open.

781
00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,080
Speaker 2: I don't know enough about Browning what his style is.

782
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,120
Speaker 2: There's nothing to go off of Yeah. I mean, I'm

783
00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:13,719
Speaker 2: not going off that high school tape when he grew

784
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:14,720
Speaker 2: nine hundred touchdown.

785
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,040
Speaker 1: He hasn't started a game. How about that hit? The

786
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:23,960
Speaker 1: last game he started was the Rose Bowl in twenty

787
00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:26,680
Speaker 1: nineteen against Ohio State. Wow.

788
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,960
Speaker 2: Where Washington? Okay? Yeah, I remember that.

789
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:32,600
Speaker 1: Okay, they lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State.

790
00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:34,480
Speaker 2: That was his started was twenty nineteen.

791
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's pre COVID.

792
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:38,839
Speaker 2: Wow. I never even heard of COVID at that point.

793
00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:40,880
Speaker 2: We'll look at it. What are the hit songs and

794
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:43,319
Speaker 2: what are the things in the news? Two thousand last

795
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:44,160
Speaker 2: time he started a game.

796
00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:47,719
Speaker 1: So it's been one thousand, eight hundred and twenty two

797
00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:49,239
Speaker 1: days since he has started.

798
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:50,960
Speaker 2: A game, and none in the NFL.

799
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,040
Speaker 1: None in the NFL.

800
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:52,600
Speaker 2: Wow.

801
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 1: His last win came November thirtieth. They lost Rose. I

802
00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:01,799
Speaker 1: guess November thirtieth, twenty eighteen, Washington beat Utah in the

803
00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,719
Speaker 1: Pac twelve Championship game. So it will be almost five

804
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,279
Speaker 1: years to the day since he has started a football game.

805
00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:13,279
Speaker 2: And one maybe he does is better than we think,

806
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:15,520
Speaker 2: and maybe they have no book on him. But that's

807
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:16,720
Speaker 2: not ringing endorsement.

808
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,359
Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking about Deshaun Watson being rusty after

809
00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:22,040
Speaker 1: you know, sitting at what he missed seven hundred days.

810
00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:24,719
Speaker 2: I mean sixty nine starting quarterbacks last year and we're

811
00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,719
Speaker 2: on the same pace and he's finally getting the shot now. Yeah,

812
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:29,880
Speaker 2: like nobody's called them up to say, hey, can I

813
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 2: get Browning off? You have for a fifth round? Pick?

814
00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:32,400
Speaker 2: I have anybody?

815
00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:36,240
Speaker 1: I was reading a you know, a piece by Jeff

816
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,600
Speaker 1: Jeff Hopson, a friend of the show he writes for

817
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:43,760
Speaker 1: since the Bengals dot Com, and he interviewed Jake Browning,

818
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,040
Speaker 1: did a Q and A with him, and he's like, so,

819
00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 1: you spend all this time with Kirk Cousins, you spend

820
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,440
Speaker 1: all this time with Joe Burrow. What if you learn

821
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,320
Speaker 1: from watching those two guys? Because really that's all he

822
00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 1: didn't he didn't say this, but that's all he's got.

823
00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,919
Speaker 1: That's he's watched these guys work. Now there's some there's

824
00:35:58,920 --> 00:35:59,839
Speaker 1: some benefit to that.

825
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,920
Speaker 2: Oh, it's better than someone that doesn't have good practice habits, or.

826
00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:05,120
Speaker 1: Better than watching Daniel Jones play or something like.

827
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,480
Speaker 2: That, right, or somebody that's not you know, capable but

828
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:11,399
Speaker 2: you haven't played, hasn't played. So side note, I heard

829
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,160
Speaker 2: this on the way here, and I haven't confirmed it,

830
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,240
Speaker 2: but it certainly adds up. The NFL as a whole

831
00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:21,000
Speaker 2: is paying over a billion dollars right this minute to

832
00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:22,400
Speaker 2: quarterbacks that aren't playing.

833
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:23,800
Speaker 1: Wow.

834
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,120
Speaker 2: Wow, and think about that, you know, like over a

835
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:29,080
Speaker 2: billion dollars. Some of it might be even to like

836
00:36:29,400 --> 00:36:31,719
Speaker 2: Brady and you know guys are retired, but there's a

837
00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:34,319
Speaker 2: billion dollars going out to quarterbacks.

838
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 1: That are that's a billion with a B.

839
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:37,319
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, crazy. Uh.

840
00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:40,560
Speaker 1: The last quarterback to defeat the Steelers in his first

841
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,600
Speaker 1: career NFL start? Do you know who that was?

842
00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:46,680
Speaker 2: Finley? No, I don't.

843
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,880
Speaker 1: Brett Farv week four of nineteen ninety two with the Packers.

844
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,080
Speaker 1: Steve Mariucci was green bayed quarterbacks coach. He wasn't even

845
00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:58,000
Speaker 1: a head coach yetwork.

846
00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,359
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, wow, yeah. Farv was a pup then.

847
00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:01,640
Speaker 1: Right Yeah. It was fourteen of nineteen for two hundred

848
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,520
Speaker 1: and ten passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. He had

849
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:08,000
Speaker 1: a one forty four point six passer rating. I'm pretty

850
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,799
Speaker 1: sure Jake Browning is not the next That's what it says,

851
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:12,919
Speaker 1: right far He's not going to the Hall of Fame.

852
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:14,880
Speaker 2: I bet this doesn't kick start a far of light

853
00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:19,120
Speaker 2: career and never misses another start than MVP after MVP,

854
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:20,360
Speaker 2: and yeah, I bet not.

855
00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 1: The last Bengals quarterback to win his first career NFL

856
00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:29,400
Speaker 1: start was AJ mccheron Week fifteen of twenty fifteen. Is

857
00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:30,120
Speaker 1: that that seems like.

858
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:32,000
Speaker 2: Forever ago, forever ago.

859
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,480
Speaker 1: He beat the forty nine ers that year. Since then,

860
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,680
Speaker 1: quarterbacks making their first career start for the Bengals are

861
00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,399
Speaker 1: zero to three, including a loss by Burrow in Week

862
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,040
Speaker 1: one of twenty twenty wow against the Chargers.

863
00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:47,080
Speaker 2: The stat I heard today is similar, but it's something like,

864
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:51,880
Speaker 2: this isn't exact, but if you if your first career

865
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:57,680
Speaker 2: start happens after Thanksgiving, you like lose every time because

866
00:37:57,680 --> 00:37:58,560
Speaker 2: it's by default.

867
00:37:58,719 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 1: Ye, Like it wasn't I designed.

868
00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,040
Speaker 2: You know. Yeah, you're a first round pick. You were

869
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,239
Speaker 2: in by now you know what I mean? Like you're

870
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,760
Speaker 2: like ten percent win percentage if your first career start

871
00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:09,320
Speaker 2: comes after that.

872
00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:13,480
Speaker 1: Now we say that. And Dorian Thompson wasn't Dorian Thompson Robins'

873
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:15,200
Speaker 1: first career start last week, but he got to win.

874
00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:19,040
Speaker 1: He got to win. But Cleveland's defense had so much.

875
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:21,520
Speaker 1: That was all about Cleveland's defense much more so than

876
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,759
Speaker 1: anything that that Dorian Thompson Robinson did.

877
00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:26,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a good offensive game plan for what

878
00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,799
Speaker 2: the bad cards they were dealt. You know. Cooper did

879
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:31,719
Speaker 2: some things and the Djoku did some things, could have

880
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,440
Speaker 2: done some more, but the Browns defense is a dominant unit. Yeah.

881
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:37,759
Speaker 1: The one thing the Steelers can't do in this game

882
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,799
Speaker 1: that they did last week is they can't warm up

883
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:40,080
Speaker 1: to it.

884
00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:42,200
Speaker 2: No about defense you're talking about.

885
00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, they can't allow fit you know, they can't

886
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,240
Speaker 1: allow Jake Browning to go out there, complete some passes

887
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,120
Speaker 1: and then win the field. Although in this game, even

888
00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,799
Speaker 1: if you lose the field position battle, I know you're

889
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:55,640
Speaker 1: gonna be able to move the ball against six and hal.

890
00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:58,279
Speaker 2: Back to the one team runs the ball the other. Yeah,

891
00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,960
Speaker 2: and drastically in the drastic number. You know, I don't

892
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:03,200
Speaker 2: even think Mixing is all that good anymore. Yeah, Yeah,

893
00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:04,759
Speaker 2: I don't think see him having a lot of running

894
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,239
Speaker 2: room the way. I've been a little hard on the

895
00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:10,480
Speaker 2: Steelers defensive front the last two weeks, But if you

896
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:12,920
Speaker 2: rewatch them against the Browns, they're just playing run. Though

897
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:14,880
Speaker 2: he had no chance to get their chance to get

898
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:18,439
Speaker 2: the quarterback. After a while, and guys like Watts and

899
00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,640
Speaker 2: certainly Cam and Benton are just owning the line of

900
00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:23,279
Speaker 2: scram Yeah.

901
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,800
Speaker 1: I assume they'll take the same approach, the thing that TJ.

902
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:28,279
Speaker 1: Watt started doing. Instead of you know, he'll try to

903
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,200
Speaker 1: put on a move and maybe a dead leg or

904
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:32,919
Speaker 1: whatever to get around he just quit that and just said, Okay,

905
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:34,920
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna bull rush, yeah, because that's the only

906
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,840
Speaker 1: way I can get there quickly and affect the passer.

907
00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:37,200
Speaker 2: Yeah.

908
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:38,800
Speaker 1: And there were a couple of bull rushes that he

909
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,360
Speaker 1: had in the second half that he just took the

910
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,400
Speaker 1: tackle and shoved him back into the quarterback and for

911
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:44,160
Speaker 1: some bad throws.

912
00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:47,200
Speaker 2: And I saw some snaps too where he's one eye

913
00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,759
Speaker 2: on the quarterback and if the quarterback's look in his way,

914
00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:52,160
Speaker 2: it's like, I can't get there. I'm just gonna jj Watten.

915
00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:53,520
Speaker 1: Yes, get my hands in the air.

916
00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:56,160
Speaker 2: I'm not getting home in two seconds. Yeah.

917
00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,640
Speaker 1: Absolutely, we're gonna get to another break. He is the

918
00:39:58,760 --> 00:39:59,480
Speaker 1: Matt Williamson.

919
00:39:59,560 --> 00:39:59,759
Speaker 2: I am.

920
00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:03,239
Speaker 1: You're listening to the driver on Steelers Nation Radio. We

921
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:13,160
Speaker 1: will be back with more right after this. Welcome back.

922
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:16,560
Speaker 1: I am Dale LOLLI. He is the Matt Williamson and

923
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,600
Speaker 1: well tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and just to remind everybody, we don't

924
00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,759
Speaker 1: have a show either tomorrow or Friday. So this is

925
00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:25,000
Speaker 1: we're gonna this last hour here is gonna be fast

926
00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:27,439
Speaker 1: and furious once we get to that. I just don't

927
00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:31,239
Speaker 1: want to remind everybody. With Friday being Black Friday, you

928
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:33,440
Speaker 1: can gear up with the latest Sideline apparel, hats or

929
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:37,000
Speaker 1: jerseys of your favorite players, authentic memorabilia, custom items, and

930
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,040
Speaker 1: exclusives you can only find directly from the team at

931
00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,200
Speaker 1: one of the official Steelers pro shops are located at

932
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:45,920
Speaker 1: Akrascher Stadium, Grove City Premium Outlets or Tangle Outlets, or

933
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:50,880
Speaker 1: visit online at shop dot Steelers dot com. Black Friday,

934
00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:52,200
Speaker 1: get yourself some black and gold.

935
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, might as well. Why not game on Black Friday?

936
00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:57,000
Speaker 2: I mean we got all kinds of stuffs.

937
00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:58,280
Speaker 1: Kind of a game we get. You can get watch

938
00:40:58,400 --> 00:40:59,600
Speaker 1: one of the New York teams again.

939
00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:02,600
Speaker 2: Come on, I know that the primetime standalone New York

940
00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:05,920
Speaker 2: stuff is bonkers because Aaron Rodgers.

941
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,080
Speaker 1: Like they're starting Tim Boyle this week.

942
00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:13,759
Speaker 2: Have you seen his You were talking about what's his face?

943
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:15,239
Speaker 2: That the Steelers are going to play? You know, going

944
00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:18,640
Speaker 2: back to high school or things like this. Tim Boyle's background,

945
00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:21,839
Speaker 2: Holy smokes, I mean, is Zach Wilson that, I mean

946
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:24,279
Speaker 2: that much worse? Or is just the locker room said

947
00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:25,120
Speaker 2: we can't.

948
00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:26,440
Speaker 1: Play this, we can't do that anymore.

949
00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:28,359
Speaker 2: I just need door number two, no matter what it is.

950
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:30,640
Speaker 1: Apparently because they're starting Tim Boyle.

951
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:34,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, he had a one to thirteen TD interception ratio

952
00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,480
Speaker 2: one year as a starting quarterback at Yukon. That's not good.

953
00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:42,520
Speaker 1: Oh come on, oh, come on man, it is absolutely

954
00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:48,080
Speaker 1: not good. So Matt, just a final thing on on

955
00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:49,920
Speaker 1: this Steeler game before we give our pick on this

956
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:53,279
Speaker 1: steel game in the final, uh final segment of our

957
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 1: number two. Yeah, I know, we don't know what the

958
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:57,879
Speaker 1: full injury report is and all that kind of stuff,

959
00:41:57,920 --> 00:41:59,520
Speaker 1: so we're gonna have to kind of guess on some

960
00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:06,279
Speaker 1: of this stuff. But I just look at this. It's

961
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:08,719
Speaker 1: you know, I understand it's a big game for the

962
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:12,520
Speaker 1: Bengals in terms of their season, but I don't know

963
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:16,440
Speaker 1: that they have it in their heart. Looked like they

964
00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 1: look like they quit last week.

965
00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:21,000
Speaker 2: And I have mixed feelings on Taylor as a head coach.

966
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:23,600
Speaker 2: I mean, I think he's very Borough dependent and your

967
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:26,680
Speaker 2: numbers back that up. But I am pretty certain he's

968
00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,680
Speaker 2: not Harbor or Tomlin or you know what I mean

969
00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:31,600
Speaker 2: that has the track record of, Hey, I can lead

970
00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:34,120
Speaker 2: you to the Promised Land even without some of our

971
00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:36,200
Speaker 2: best dudes. Hey Ben goes down and we can still

972
00:42:36,239 --> 00:42:38,319
Speaker 2: win games. Or Lamar gets her, we can still get

973
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 2: you in the playoffs, that type of thing. He doesn't

974
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:44,600
Speaker 2: have that track record. And the Higgins and Readers of

975
00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:46,920
Speaker 2: the world that are up for free agency, you have

976
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:49,520
Speaker 2: to have one eye on the offseason too. Yeah. Yeah,

977
00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:52,319
Speaker 2: it's a bad situation for them. This is a must

978
00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:55,000
Speaker 2: win game for the Steelers pretty close. Yeah, I mean,

979
00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:56,879
Speaker 2: I hate I hate using that term.

980
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 1: It's not it's never eliminated. It's never a must win

981
00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:01,839
Speaker 1: game if you're not going to be eliminated. But these

982
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:02,879
Speaker 1: are the ones you have to have.

983
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:06,160
Speaker 2: As I say, if you don't get this one, man,

984
00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:11,719
Speaker 2: that's bad. I mean, it just is considering this conference

985
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:15,040
Speaker 2: and division and the state of the opponent as you're

986
00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,319
Speaker 2: going to get them at the end of November. You

987
00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:18,359
Speaker 2: have to win this one.

988
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, I understand. It's you know, it's a

989
00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:24,680
Speaker 1: road game. I understand. You know, Yes, Ryan Finley did

990
00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:25,879
Speaker 1: beat the Steelers out there.

991
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:27,280
Speaker 2: We all agree it's possible.

992
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:30,359
Speaker 1: It's possible. You know, we said that, you know, they

993
00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:33,520
Speaker 1: could lose last week's game. We both predicted sixteen thirteen

994
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 1: last week. We didn't think that was going to be

995
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:38,040
Speaker 1: an easy game. No, But I just don't know that

996
00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:39,480
Speaker 1: the Bengals hearts are going to be in this.

997
00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 2: Yeah. Again, I don't know what the strengths of the

998
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:45,080
Speaker 2: team are right now. I mean, Jamar Chase is one player.

999
00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:48,319
Speaker 2: The defense is bad. I mean I keep coming back

1000
00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,000
Speaker 2: to running the ball. Stopping the run is really what

1001
00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:53,120
Speaker 2: they don't do well. So the Steelers are a bad

1002
00:43:53,160 --> 00:43:56,239
Speaker 2: matchup for them. You know, their quarterback is going to

1003
00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:58,360
Speaker 2: have to make plays. Yeah.

1004
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:02,759
Speaker 1: The Steelers today signed linebacker Blake Martinez. Oh yeah, off

1005
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,040
Speaker 1: the off the roster. They actually off the practice squad

1006
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:09,759
Speaker 1: of the Carolina Panthers. They also had signed Miles Jack

1007
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:13,960
Speaker 1: to their practice squad earlier this week. They're still trying

1008
00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:15,719
Speaker 1: to add. Yeah, they're still trying to add to that

1009
00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:16,920
Speaker 1: inside linebacker spot.

1010
00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:22,040
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think we mentioned Monday, Roberts played every snap. Well, yeah,

1011
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:24,920
Speaker 2: he passed that test for sure, But what if he

1012
00:44:24,920 --> 00:44:25,960
Speaker 2: gets stinged up? Yeah?

1013
00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,520
Speaker 1: Whoa you've gotta have an you've gotta have some options there.

1014
00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:29,879
Speaker 2: Then it's deef Con two or whatever.

1015
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:31,600
Speaker 1: Ye, because you've I mean, in the last three weeks,

1016
00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,279
Speaker 1: you've lost two of your starting run linebackers.

1017
00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:36,319
Speaker 2: Like veterans that have been there at this point, which

1018
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:39,360
Speaker 2: I think those two they just recently added are Jack

1019
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:44,480
Speaker 2: and Martinez, as is Walker Michael Walker, but no one

1020
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:47,960
Speaker 2: else in the linebacker Corsauce Nap. Yeah, so you don't

1021
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:50,080
Speaker 2: want to be dependent on those two, and maybe you

1022
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:51,040
Speaker 2: can upgrade on Walker.

1023
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:53,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that's that's what you're looking at here,

1024
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:57,279
Speaker 1: just at this point, you know, short of bringing in

1025
00:44:57,400 --> 00:44:59,920
Speaker 1: Darius Leonard and I don't know how much he has.

1026
00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:00,880
Speaker 2: LEF, it's not great.

1027
00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:05,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're bringing in veteran guys who you know, I mean,

1028
00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:09,680
Speaker 1: Blake Martinez I think led to league in solo tackles

1029
00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:11,120
Speaker 1: in Green Bay.

1030
00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:13,240
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean he's not the most physically impressive

1031
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,280
Speaker 2: dude or whatever, but he has been productive several stints

1032
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:19,480
Speaker 2: in his career Giants and green Backers. Yeah. Yeah, So

1033
00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:20,280
Speaker 2: you you're.

1034
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:23,160
Speaker 1: Just hoping that one of these guys that if something

1035
00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:25,640
Speaker 1: you don't want something to happen, but you better have

1036
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:26,960
Speaker 1: a planning if something does.

1037
00:45:27,120 --> 00:45:30,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, and if you're Blake Martinez of the world, this

1038
00:45:30,160 --> 00:45:32,080
Speaker 2: might be your last chance, you know, like you're laying

1039
00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:34,640
Speaker 2: it all out. I mean, Jack is coming back from retirement.

1040
00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:37,719
Speaker 2: If he wants to continue playing by Eddie Stretch, he's

1041
00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:39,480
Speaker 2: got to get on the field and show something good

1042
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,200
Speaker 2: here or he's done done. Yeah.

1043
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:43,400
Speaker 1: So anyways, we're going to get to another break. He

1044
00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:46,200
Speaker 1: is the Matt Williamson and I am Dale Wally. You're

1045
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:48,960
Speaker 1: listening to the Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio. We

1046
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,160
Speaker 1: will be back with our number two of the Drive

1047
00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:51,839
Speaker 1: right after this