WEBVTT - Week 6 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:04.360 Welcome to the Steelers Point After Show on WDBD Pittsburgh, 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:06.760 brought to you by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:09.280 one point fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:12.480 Steelers by Brian Patton and associates. It's all about the 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:15.360 benefits by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:18.120 the team at shop dot Steelers dot com and by 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:21.760 Clearview Federal Credit Union. Get the financial answers you need. 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:24.439 And now here are your hosts, Rob King, Craig Wolfley, 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:25.599 and Matt Williamson. 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:30.440 And our wonderful producer Justin Miller. Let us not forget 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:32.159 him as we welcome you to the Point After on 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:36.000 the Steelers Audio Network. It is time for our first Reaction, 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.879 brought to you by First National Bank. Let's get started, 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:42.320 Member FDIC. Steelers win by the final score of thirty 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:46.040 two to thirteen, so the Steelers improved a fourign two. 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:50.080 They remain tied top the AFC North, and teams over 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.320 the last five seasons that have been tied or leading 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:56.880 their division after six weeks have an eighty three percent 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:58.520 chance of going to the playoffs. 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:01.720 So that is very good following recent trends. 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.240 So all in all the good victory for the Steelers 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:06.959 over the Raiders as far as that is concerned, But 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:10.199 maybe some other thoughts. Craig Wolf, we let us start 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:12.400 with you on your first reaction. 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:18.160 Well, my first reaction was good Zeke's nudgy wow. I mean, 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:23.399 that was really a sensational number of a plays that 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:25.760 he participated. I mean, if you look at some of 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:29.600 those runs, whether he ghosted what's his name, Jack Jones 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.520 or whatever, it was actual yeah, out in the open field, 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:36.160 or he ran through tackles where he was taken on one, two, three, 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:39.520 four Raiders at a time, you know, or he was 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:42.040 in the middle of a rugby scrum of guys and 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.960 the pile kept moving for an extra ten yards or so. 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:50.160 He was just magnificent. I I was almost speechless watching 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.639 some of his efforts, knowing that this guy just shows 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:57.880 has been showing and displaying great combative effort in running 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.840 the ball. But that was really that was over and 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:04.240 above and beyond anything I've seen from Nagy. I think 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:08.440 in the past he really was terrific. Matt great place 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:10.200 to start. I thought he set the trend. 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:15.640 It was needed, you know, a physicality mentality getting down 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:20.000 to running the football with aggression and chunk runs as well. 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.480 That's a great place to start Wolf. I also thought 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:27.440 the defense followed suit after that first drive really put 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.240 the clamps on the Raiders. Now I kind of want 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:31.920 to get this out of the way, and I respect 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:34.560 every NFL opponent, but this was a pretty bad football 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:36.959 team they played. I mean, I felt like the offense 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:42.119 had Brock Bauers and nothing else. And Max Crosby's fantastic 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:44.320 on defense, but the rest of that unit, I would say, 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:48.560 is subpar. But good teams wipe the floor with really 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:50.400 bad teams, and that's exactly what the Steelers did for 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:51.080 much of this game. 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.760 I agree with all those things. Bowers looks like he's 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.120 gonna be a really really good player, and the way 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.359 they utilize him, I mean, I think he's going to 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.400 be kind of the and is already probably at this 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:04.600 stage just a half a dozen games into his career. 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:09.120 The next sort of mismatch nightmare for defensive coordinators. I mean, 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:11.800 he's just you get in no way can you guard him? 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.680 The linebacker very difficult to guard him, even with the 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:18.959 safety he moved. I mean, they throw I don't really 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:23.480 remember too many tight ends getting passes in the flat 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.640 where you have set up a blocking scheme out there, 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.480 that's usually either a receiver or running back running a 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:33.240 little swing route out to the flat, or a wide 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:36.440 receiver you know who maybe has got you know, like 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:38.520 a punt returner type of skills, that kind of thing. 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:40.080 They use Bowers that way. 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:41.760 I can I can't. 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:44.600 Remember, Matt, Can you remember tight a tight end that's 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.760 really been utilized that frequently in that sort of an attack. 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:49.880 And it's not just the fact that they were trying 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:52.640 to get O'Connell into this. If you see other Raiders games, 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:54.880 and I watched them all looking up to this, leading 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:56.480 up to this game, they did the same thing with 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.120 Minshew a quarterback. They throw it out to him in 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:01.320 the flat, expect him to make a guy miss. 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:04.840 Yeah, it's pretty crazy, and I've seen it with Kelsey. 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:08.080 I'm straining my mind right now to find others, you know, 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:09.640 maybe not to this degree. 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:10.320 Now. 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:11.840 I don't think they would do it as much if 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:15.440 they had Myers and DeVante Adams and Pat Mahomes, you 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.960 know what I mean. But I mean they are easy completions. 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:21.280 And even leading up to this game, Bowers average depth 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.520 of target was very low. It was like right around 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.840 five from what I remember, because they just wanted to 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:27.680 get the ball in his hands. And I give the 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:31.680 Seilers a lot of credit for their tackling, and it's 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:34.560 not something people think about enough, but man, they limited 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:37.320 him after the catch, which is a big weapon the 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.760 Raiders had, and I thought that collectively they were a 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:41.279 very good tackling defense. 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:45.039 Well that's the Raiders weren't That's exactly That's exactly the 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:46.000 point I was going to bring up. 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.000 Well, I mean, Antonio Pierce made that a point of 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:51.960 emphasis for the team this week, said we're going back 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.880 to training camp, We're going to work on fundamentals. This 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:57.080 is going to be a physical team. We need to 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.960 tackle better. And then not only did they not tackle better. 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:02.800 Wolf and I were leaving the press box and we 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.640 were listening to their post game show, of course because 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.000 it's it's in Las Vegas, so that's what's piping through 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:11.760 the speakers, and the guy Wolf he was their post 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.599 was railing on the lack of tackling by the Raiders 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:16.719 and how they need to get some guys out of there, 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:19.520 guys who want to tackle, and they don't have enough 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:22.080 guys who actually want to tackle, and you don't ever 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:23.600 have to worry about that with the Steelers. 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:25.680 No, there's no question about it. I mean, we've got 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:28.919 enough hands in the pile of tacklers. The fact is, 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:32.680 what the Raiders were doing looked to be they just 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:35.040 look like they didn't want to be there at some 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:37.599 points in time. I mean, I can understand Nagee's going 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:39.279 to put a hurting on you you come up to 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.479 tackle him, but just at some moments in time, it 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:45.400 didn't seem like this was a team that was totally 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:49.039 that's This was a team that maybe had a couple 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:52.200 of business decisions, as they say, and certainly some of 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:53.960 them had to do with getting out of Nage's way 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:57.200 rather than taking the full front force from him. So yeah, 0:05:57.240 --> 0:05:59.600 I thought their tackling was poor. I thought that it 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:03.039 was not representative of what they hope you know, I'm 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:05.760 sure they were hoping for. Maybe you have to understand 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:07.680 that training camp last more than one week. 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:12.159 I am curious to get both of your guys' opinions 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:16.920 as to you know, it looked to me like there 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.760 was less contact in the backfield for Naji. Naji gets 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:23.520 contacted in the backfield a lot. I don't know whether 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:27.440 that is something defenses are doing. And certainly the Raiders 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.080 were selling out early to try to stop the run. 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:32.440 I mean they were bringing all kinds of you know, 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.920 sort of designed run blitz pressures to stop the running game. 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:38.600 I don't know whether he is hit in the backfield 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.719 a lot because of that, because of the blocking, and again, 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:43.680 at least they had the same starting unit out there. 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.800 We'll hear about Zach Frazer's injury. More about that tomorrow, 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:49.680 I think. But whether it's continuity in the offensive line, 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.120 whether it's just the Raiders not being a very good opponent. 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:57.440 But Naji had more room to run he when he 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:00.520 got the ball, he wasn't being hit in the backfield 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:04.480 as much. And because of that, we saw some different 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:07.800 things from him on the two runs. On that touchdown drive, 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.920 the twenty six yard er he made. I don't know 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:13.160 if I've ever seen Najy do this. He made Jack 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:15.560 Jones fall down. Now, he makes lots of people fall 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:18.280 down when they run into him, but he made him 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:21.960 fall down by juking him. Jack Jones fell to the turf. 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:27.240 I mean, that's a defensive back, a lighter guy, supposedly 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.280 you know, you would think more nimble coming up to 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:31.320 hit Naji, and Nagy faked him out so badly he 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:33.680 fell down. And then the move he made before he 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.320 broke to the sideline on the thirty six yard touchdown 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:39.800 run was also you know, him putting some moves on 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:41.160 and then showing some bursts. 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:41.480 To the outside. 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:45.400 So, guys, do you know why maybe there was less 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.600 contact for Naji in the backfield? Is it any of 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:50.320 those things that I mentioned previously? 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:52.880 Wolf Well I said, Number one is you had an 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:54.680 offensive line that at least had a couple had a 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.000 game together, right, you know what I mean? So there 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.160 was an understanding of what's going on. Second of all, 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.720 there was a couple of design blitzes that hit. But 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:03.680 for instance, the one that that no, you didn't have 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:05.760 a chance at it, it was in the backfield. Yes, 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:07.560 you got three on three on the back side, and 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:09.480 then you have a blitzer come down. If you don't 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:12.080 audible out of that, you're in trouble, which they were. 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.760 But so you've got that. But really what's been going 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:17.120 on is at times you're not getting a hat on 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.640 a hat and you have a mess of you know, 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:21.960 of players at the line. Of scrimmage and he gets 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:23.520 hit and has to battle his way to the line 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:26.400 of scrimmage. Well, we're seeing less of that. As these 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:29.280 guys get more experienced, Mason McCormick and the other guys, 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.080 you know, as they get more experience in their their 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:34.840 vision grows wider than the A and B gaps and 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:37.200 sea gaps, and you start to see the big picture. 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:39.880 As Chuck Nolways used to say to me, say, you've 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:41.960 got to see the big picture. You've got to see 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.040 it from you know, three hundred feet. You got to 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:47.240 see what motion does in this case. You've got to 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:49.800 see what a shift does to the defense in this case. 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:52.839 And as Tounch always put he goes, Craig, you got 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.640 to get out of your left guard. Only you know 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:57.840 sell he said, you got to see the whole thing. 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.720 Because Tounch played all every position. I plum played one 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.120 for the first eight years of my career. So the 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:05.199 point is, you know, I think the guys are getting 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.200 a little more well rounded and seeing what's going on 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.600 and understanding and understanding how a blitz can hit you 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.600 and affect you. And you're not having the bus where 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.319 you got, you know, no hat on a hat on 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.760 any guy. Matt totally agree. 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:22.600 I felt like there were fewer leaks in the damn 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:25.920 than ever. You know, that nobody was really a liability 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.600 rewatching it. Darnott Washington had some down moments. Not that 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:31.280 I'm worried at all about him as a blocker. It 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:33.679 just wasn't his day, I guess. But all in all, 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:35.840 I'm with Wolf. I don't have much to add to it. 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:40.199 I think that it's maturity, continuity, a little more experience 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.599 understanding what defenses are trying to do against you. And 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:45.920 I didn't see anyone that was a liability. I mean, 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.240 of course, like Max Crosby gives people problems, but I 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.640 mean there was there's down times, but there wasn't a 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:51.160 weak link. 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:53.760 Well, Matt, here's the other thing too that I got 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:56.480 to thinking about today. I would have to look up 0:09:56.480 --> 0:09:59.280 the specific moments, but the last I believe the last 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:04.200 two years, the Steelers running game midway maybe you know 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.600 a little beyond midway. The season right around that midway mark, anyway, 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:11.240 began to take off, began to take hold, and in fact, 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.800 going into last year, I think people thought, Okay, let's 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:15.440 look how well they ran the ball at the end 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.720 of last year, that's certainly going to carry over into 0:10:19.160 --> 0:10:21.440 the beginning of the twenty twenty three season. Well, it didn't, 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:25.160 And I think maybe we had similar expectations with this team. 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.000 Look at the way they ran the ball toward the 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:28.880 end of the season and now at the beginning of 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.760 the season not running it quite as well. I guess 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:35.280 my question would be, you know, again, are these case 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:40.360 by every year different? Is there something about a running team? 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:43.400 Maybe the other defenses are getting more fatigued. Does the 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.600 season wears on Maybe the fact that you've continued to 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.679 slam your head against the wall that makes you more 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:52.319 prepared in week eight than the more tired guys are 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:54.840 getting in a week. I don't know what the explanation is, 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.320 because it's been a trend and now here we are, 0:10:57.480 --> 0:10:59.840 hopefully this trend is beginning in week six for the Steelers, 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:02.240 were we can expect to see more of this dominating 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:03.080 running team. 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:05.680 I'm sure this is more of wolf Sally. You're talking 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:07.760 about the left guard over here. I mean, he would 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:09.760 know this better than I would, But I do think 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:13.000 there's something to that. And last year it seemed to 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:16.160 get triggered by putting Roger Jones in the lineup. It 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:19.800 wasn't the coordinator change. It was you know, getting him 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.559 out there, weaponizing him as a poler as well as 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.200 some of the other guys. And I've been saying this 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:28.400 all along, even though they drafted well on the offensive line, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:30.560 and I like all three of those young dudes. I 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:32.920 just thought, you know, early growing pains is going to 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.880 be in the cards for the offensive line no matter what. 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:38.960 Let alone when all these injuries have hit. And boy, 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.120 this frasier thing absolutely worries me along those lines. But 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:44.840 you also mentioned the weather and the fatigue of the season. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.240 You know, everyone always talks about pounding the rock until 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.760 it eventually, you know, breaks. I think some of that 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:53.200 goes through the course of the year too. If you 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:55.200 stick with a running game. Stick with a running game 0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:58.080 gets harder and harder to deal with as the season 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:00.640 goes on, as the weather changes. You know, Derrick Henry 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:02.840 has better numbers in December than he has September. 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.880 You know. Now, let's not forget the fact that we've 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.120 got a new offensive coordinator. Sure, you've got Arthur Smith. 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:12.320 As I always talk about two fisted, double chin strap guy. 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:15.040 That is as subtle as a frying pan to the forehead. 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.240 It's all about bringing some power, bringing some heat, bringing 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:21.120 some physicality, which is he's very good at. And you 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.600 can see, you know the attitude of Arthur Smith being 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.720 picked up by the players. You know they love this, 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.560 they enjoys. I mean, there was nothing better then in 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:33.320 the second half when you're grounding and pounding on the 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.200 defense and those guys are starting to bicker with each 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.720 other and their body language says I'm tired, this hurts, 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.600 this stucks, you know, I mean, you know they get 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:45.400 all upset about Hey, that's great because you want to 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:47.760 pile it on. And if you have an offensive coordinator 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.320 that allows you to go after it like that and 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:53.320 go and deal with them physically. Man, that's just a 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.959 lot of fun. I can't even begin to tell you 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:56.960 how much fun that is. 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:01.480 Well, Nagi's thirty six yard run was the first touchdown 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:04.240 run was the first touchdown run by a Steerer's running 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.120 back this year. And before we get to justin fields, 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:10.960 which will do next segment, Matt really encouraging to see 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.680 Jalen Warren out there. We've talked a lot about injuries, 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:16.600 and again we'll wait and see what the case is 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:19.880 with Zach Frazier. I mean, it's it's unbelievable that you know, 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:22.640 you felt like, Wow, the offensive line's got great depth, 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.120 The outside linebacker position's got great depth, the running back 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:29.360 position has great depth. And now you know you're calling 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:32.920 up guys from the practice clouded outside linebacker. You're down 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.760 three or four guys on the offensive line, and you're 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.439 down the two guys behind Nijee Harris at the running 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:41.080 back position that I think we all expected to really 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.280 help this running attack. Don't know when Cordero Patterson's going 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:47.160 to be back. It wasn't a breakthrough game. It wasn't 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:51.240 a I'm back kind of game for Jalen Warren necessarily, 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.440 but the fact that he is back, I think is 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:56.600 extremely significant for what this offense wants. 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.280 To do one hundred percent and real quick. And that 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:02.520 outside line group that got basically called off off the street, 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.520 off practice squad, they didn't have the most challenging of 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.479 NFL Sundays, but I thought they were not a liability 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:10.160 and that's all I wanted from that group. So that 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:15.120 was good from a depth perspective as well. Warren didn't 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.440 look like last year's Warren quite yet, but I thought 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:19.200 that was a perfect game to kind of knock some 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:21.280 of that rust off. And I very much believe the 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:23.000 best is yet to come for him for the rest 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:25.640 of the season, and he could really spark plug this 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:29.000 you spark this offense in both phases run hand pass, 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:31.640 had really nice blitz pick up at one point too there, 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.000 and you know, helped out on third downs. So no, 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:36.520 I think that situations in pretty good hands right now. 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:38.920 It's going to evolve and it'll continue to evolve. He's 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.520 a ballardbuster. It's like Matt talked about it. He picks 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:44.040 up the blitz. He's going to do things that maybe 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.000 on the third down that you know, you'd like to 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:47.320 get him the ball and get it out in open 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:49.600 field and get some first downs. But a lot of 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:53.640 what he does is just just impaling defensive backs and 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.360 so forth. Guys that are on a blitz man. You know, 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.120 let me tell you something, your quarterback, Justin, You're gonna oh, 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.840 Justin's I going, yeah, I'm glad I got the ballardbuster back. 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:06.720 Well, the Steelers win that game obviously against the Raiders 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:08.600 to improve to four and two on the season. So 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:13.200 a really, really nice victory for the Steelers in Las Vegas. 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:16.120 Up next, we're gonna continue to examine the offense, look 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:18.360 at the quarterback position, We'll look at the defense. Special 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:21.400 teams should also get a round of applause as well. 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:23.400 That's when we continue on the point After on the 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:24.800 Steelers Audio Network. 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:29.160 Back to the point after on DVD. 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:31.960 Harris the loan setback. We'll get to pitch the Steelers 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.640 trying to seal the edge. Naji Oh, We're gonna slide 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:36.080 inside one tackle, get. 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:36.840 Down the sideline. 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:40.960 Naji Harris crazy towards the endo, scrawls out, is he in? 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:45.720 Touchdown? Steelers? What a run by Naji Harris. 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:48.760 The play of the game is brought to you by 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:51.840 S and T Bank, proudly serving our community since nineteen 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:55.800 oh two. stBank dot com s and T Bank member 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:58.640 fdi C. So it's great to see the running game 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.320 going and Naji Harrison for a huge part of that. 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.200 Great to see that first touchdown run by a Steelers 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.120 running back on this season. We hadn't seen that until 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:11.800 Nagi's thirty six yard first. So good stuff happening in 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:14.160 the running game. In the thirty two to thirteen victory. 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:17.040 Matt let's start with you first year as we then 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:19.320 talk about the other part of that big running attack, 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:22.160 and that was justin Fields, carrying the ball eleven times 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.880 for fifty nine yards and scoring twice in this game. 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:28.000 Yeah, he's absolutely a weapon with his legs. I mean, 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.560 that's no secret. I think that early in the season 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:34.000 they're getting to know him, he's getting to know them 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.760 new system. You don't have an established Russell Wilson on 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:40.520 the sideline active that I didn't think that. I thought 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:43.800 they were a little reluctant to totally unleash his legs 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.240 early in the season because anybody to watch him with 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:49.360 the Bears saw, wow, you know, this guy is zero 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:51.320 to sixty in no time. And we hadn't seen a 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.760 lot of that yet, but it's starting to really expand 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.640 and it's a good outlet for him when in doubt, 0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:58.560 just use those legs. I mean, the same thing that's 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:00.960 going on with Jayden Dan and guys like that. 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:03.560 Well, I think one of the other things, and we 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:05.840 sort of made mention of it in the last part 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.320 of the last segment, is the fact that you know, 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:12.879 he has got the freedom to make a read and 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:16.680 if he sees something in a certain way. Okay, you've 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:21.080 called the pass for the average quarterback who doesn't have mobility. 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.640 The blitz is coming. You've got to try to find 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:25.840 the safety value. You've got to find the quick throw. 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:30.080 You know, sometimes that quick throw can mean great things. 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:33.040 Sometimes it can be a pressured and poor throw. Well, 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.800 justin Fields has the capability of getting back there and 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.159 immediately taking off and when you look at you know 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.640 the last First of all, he has five rushing touchdowns 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:44.679 in the last four weeks, but in two of the 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:48.520 last three weeks eleven carries fifty nine yards, and then 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.240 two weeks ago in the loss at Indianapolis, it was 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:54.760 ten carries for fifty five yards, also scoring two touchdowns 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:57.400 in that game. So we can talk all we want 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:01.280 about quarterback rating, and his rating has been very, very solid, 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:05.520 a little bit above average. Not wowing you with yardage numbers, 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:10.119 not wowing you with touchdown numbers. But the rating doesn't 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.320 take into account what he's doing carrying the ball, which 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.600 is a huge part of what this Yeelers are doing 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:16.520 offensively right now. 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:18.840 Well, there's no question about it. Look, he's growing into 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:21.200 the role. I mean, as we see him go through 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:25.399 this process of expanding his offensive weaponry. You know, you 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:27.760 take a look at it. Okay, we got you got 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.399 an opportunity, you got the man coverage, you got a blitz. 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.520 You know, you got pitting nop. You can head right 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.479 up the field. You can, you know, beat the blitz. 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:38.479 You know those are great, Well you roll them out. Now, 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.080 all of a sudden, as he was rolling up, what 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:43.000 a nice throw that was to Calvin Austin, right, that 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:45.200 was just a nice job of throwing across his body 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:47.320 and doing a good job. You know. Now we also 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.199 see times where he put three throws together that you know, 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:52.560 you had to have to believe that justin sitting and going, 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:54.919 oh man, you know, they kind of got away from 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:58.320 me those three throws down to you know, Friar mooth 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:01.159 and so forth. But you know what, but it didn't 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:03.280