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Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

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Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black

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Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: And welcome to the Drive. I am Dale Lolly here

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Speaker 2: with Dean Matt Williamson. And it is a I don't

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Speaker 2: know if we call it a lovely day all right

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Speaker 2: in Pittsburgh, but all right, it's a day. It's a day.

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Speaker 2: A day feels slightly light falls coming around already a

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Speaker 2: little bit in August here, and it's already like I

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Speaker 2: think it's supposed to get hot again though soon. I'm sure, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'm sure. There you have it. H weather report by

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Speaker 2: Matt and Dale. Some things you can count on that

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Speaker 2: happening every year, the weather in Pittsburgh being kind of

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Speaker 2: up and down in August and September and even in October,

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Speaker 2: never knowing exactly what to expect. One thing I can't

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Speaker 2: expect you to year, Yeah, because this is the third

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Speaker 2: year in a row now that it's happened. Is Bill

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Speaker 2: Barnwell coming out and predict predicting a Steelers regression for

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Speaker 2: the third consecutive year, and he's been wrong in each

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Speaker 2: of the previous game.

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Speaker 3: And I read this actually like an hour ago, because

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Speaker 3: there's some good stuff in there, and he does do

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Speaker 3: good work.

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Speaker 2: Everyone knows.

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Speaker 3: I like my analytics, and I think the last sentence

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Speaker 3: in the write up was, yeah, I've been wrong about

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Speaker 3: this team before though, or something like that, like if

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Speaker 3: anybody can buck the trend, it's the black and gold,

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Speaker 3: you know. So you're gonna get into it because there's

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Speaker 3: there's some good stuff in there.

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Speaker 2: Let's get into it. And I should make note that

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Speaker 2: of the five teams that he mentions, I didn't read

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Speaker 2: the other ones. The five teams that he mentions as

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Speaker 2: teams set up for a regression. Yeah, Baltimore in Cleveland.

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Speaker 3: Saw them in there, and we're gonna read it when

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Speaker 3: I get home. Yeah, so you know, I mean, they're

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Speaker 3: all tough schedules. I mean, what's the chances of everyone

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Speaker 3: having a winning record in the division again, Probably won't happen. Therefore,

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Speaker 3: somebody's probably going to regress.

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Speaker 2: So he looks at it and he says, look, the

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Speaker 2: Steelers managed. This is in his overview when he talks

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Speaker 2: about the whole piece. The Steelers, though, managed to defy odds,

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Speaker 2: appearing on the list for the second consecutive year last year,

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Speaker 2: many of the concerns I had about them heading into

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Speaker 2: the season turned out to be true. They just didn't

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Speaker 2: matter though, as Mike Toman managed to will the team

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Speaker 2: to three different through three different starting quarterbacks, to a

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Speaker 2: ten and second seven record in an AFC playoff berth

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Speaker 2: in all last year's improve and declined columns when it

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Speaker 2: combined seven to one.

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Speaker 3: So the Steelers were there. I missed that part, okay,

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Speaker 3: So he nailed seven of them.

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Speaker 2: Good for him. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: He also did an article of ones that are going

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Speaker 3: to win more than you think. This is the ones

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Speaker 3: that are going to go regress backwards.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know some of the things that he

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Speaker 2: looks at. And a big part of this is the

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Speaker 2: fact that the Steelers went nine and two in one

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Speaker 2: score games. But and we talked about this some previous shows, Matt,

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Speaker 2: the Steelers.

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Speaker 3: As the best record in the league. Folks has the

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Speaker 3: best winning percentage in one score games. The Browns are second,

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Speaker 3: by the.

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Speaker 2: Way, But the Steelers do this year after year.

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Speaker 3: I know, I know, and they do buck the trend

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Speaker 3: with this. It's something I've been thinking about for a

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Speaker 3: while because this might be repetitive to some listeners, but

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Speaker 3: over the last twenty years. The teams that are best

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Speaker 3: in one score games are Brady and Belichick, Tomlin and

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Speaker 3: whoever now I'm gonna used to bee Tomlin and Ben Russell.

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Speaker 3: Wilson was the yeat with Pete Carroll was really really good.

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Speaker 3: I think it was Breeze and Peyton were the other hands,

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Speaker 3: I like, the best quarterback coach combinations going now. He

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Speaker 3: has not had elite Hall of Fame quarterback play now

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Speaker 3: for a hand full years, but he's the best ever

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Speaker 3: in one score game, better than Belichick, better than everybody.

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Speaker 2: Like I think he gets it, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: He knows how to coach in the margins.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, And there are some weird things that we

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Speaker 3: could talk about in here about I know, they have

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Speaker 3: a ton of end zone takeaways and things like that

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Speaker 3: that matters though, I mean, like they count, Yeah, they count,

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Speaker 3: you know I mean, And it's not necessarily luck. And

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Speaker 3: I understand why Barnwell would put him in there three

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Speaker 3: years in a row, because boy, the defense is carrying

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Speaker 3: the offense. Or you know, some of the things like

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Speaker 3: the record when Watt gets injured, and he could always

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Speaker 3: get injured, you know what I mean, Like there's things like

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Speaker 3: that that are massive trends with this team more so

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Speaker 3: than the under thirty one in the league.

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Speaker 2: You know. And that's not just because we're on being

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Speaker 2: employed by the Steelers right now. If this was Seahawk

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Speaker 2: Nation Radio or whatever, this is the most outlier team

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Speaker 2: in a lot of really predictive trends. Well, here's the

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Speaker 2: thing that stood out to me, Matt, so over the

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Speaker 2: last three seasons. So we're talking basically three different starts,

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Speaker 2: four or four different starting quarterbacks really yeah? Three last year? Yeah,

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Speaker 2: twenty nine to ten and one in one score games

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Speaker 2: games decided by seven points or less. Okay, so essentially

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Speaker 2: ten games per year, right, so they play a lot

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Speaker 2: of tight games. They play a lot of tight games.

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Speaker 2: Yeh yeah. So if they get to that point again

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Speaker 2: this year where you play ten one score games the key,

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Speaker 2: then let's say you do have a slight regression, you're

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Speaker 2: not nine and two. They probably won't they play eleven.

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Speaker 2: They say, let's say they go seven and they play

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Speaker 2: ten of them, they go seven to three, six and four,

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Speaker 2: A three or you.

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Speaker 3: Know what I mean, like they win sixty percent of

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Speaker 3: them or something, right, Okay, Yeah, that still means.

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Speaker 2: You have seven other games, right, in which you win

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Speaker 2: by more than a touchdown or lose by more than

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Speaker 2: a touchdown. Right, I think this team is better prepared

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Speaker 2: or better suited to win some of those.

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Speaker 3: To win those games outright, Yeah? Yeah, Or I think

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Speaker 3: they're definitely better suited to win games by more than

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Speaker 3: a touchdown.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know. Then last year is the last couple

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Speaker 2: of years teams because of their offensive ineptitude, right right,

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Speaker 2: it wasn't They couldn't do it though they touch on

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Speaker 2: either one close games they got killed.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, exactly like the Bills. Coincidentally, they just played them.

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Speaker 3: Are the total opposite like over this like last three years,

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Speaker 3: the Bills either kill people or get beat by one,

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Speaker 3: you know. Like so their plus minus or point differential

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Speaker 3: is through the roof all the time, which is really impressive.

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Speaker 3: Where the Steelers of the total opposite. But they could

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Speaker 3: end up with similar records, you know what I mean,

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Speaker 3: like they did last year. You know, I mean, so, yeah,

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Speaker 3: it's great to destroy the bad teams or beat teams

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Speaker 3: by fifty, but they all count.

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Speaker 2: The same, you know.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I just I don't know, But there were a

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Speaker 3: couple things in there I thought were interesting and well.

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Speaker 2: The turnover bat march and stuff that he hasn't. Okay,

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Speaker 2: so over the past three years, they've same three years.

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Speaker 2: When the Steelers win the turnover battle, they're twenty eight

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Speaker 2: and seven. Yeah, that's seven good bad, that's my UPG

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Speaker 2: math and used there. When they lose or tie the

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Speaker 2: turnover battle, they're oh, fifteen and one.

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Speaker 3: Fifteen and one, right, So how do you think he's

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Speaker 3: coached the team.

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Speaker 2: Exactly?

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Speaker 3: I think that he and the organization are aware of this,

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Speaker 3: especially when you don't have Ben in his prime. I mean,

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Speaker 3: when you got I think Pickett could have thrown more

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Speaker 3: touchdown passes, but I think they had a bit of

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Speaker 3: a governor on them. Yeah, because if you lose turnover battle,

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Speaker 3: you lose a game.

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Speaker 2: That's what that's the analytics show.

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Speaker 3: That's what we just discovered, you know. And then they've

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Speaker 3: known that for a long time and it absolutely adds up.

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Speaker 3: I think they'll coach a little differently this year, though,

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Speaker 3: assuming Wilson takes almost all the snaps, you know.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I think they're going to drive the ball

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Speaker 2: into the end zone.

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Speaker 3: They're going to take some more risks, they'll probably take

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Speaker 3: more sacks, they'll probably turn the ball over a little

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Speaker 3: bit more, but.

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Speaker 2: I don't know they all turn the ball over more.

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Speaker 3: They almost have nowhere to go. But I mean Wilson's

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Speaker 3: he's not very turnover, bro.

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Speaker 2: He's not. He will not throw a lot of interceptions. No, No,

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Speaker 2: I think it's I think his career percentage is like

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Speaker 2: one point eight. I think it's in there. It's much

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Speaker 2: lower than fields and it's pretty low and quite good.

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Speaker 2: And I think that's what's like triple. That's what people

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Speaker 2: are overlooking when they talk about a quarterback bat. No,

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Speaker 2: the Steelers know how they want to win games.

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Speaker 3: If you can keep the interceptions about where they've been

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Speaker 3: and this isn't even crazy. Double the touchdowns there we go.

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Speaker 3: I mean, that's what that's that's Wilson's career and it's

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Speaker 3: even recent history. Again, I mean they threw twenty five

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Speaker 3: touchdown passes over the last two years combined. He threw

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Speaker 3: twenty six and missed the last two games. And he

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Speaker 3: wasn't even having a quote good year, right you know

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Speaker 3: what I mean? Like he throws the ball in the

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Speaker 3: end zone and that's six points last I checked.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so I again, it kind of works against

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Speaker 2: what Bill was saying. I get what Bill saying. Oh yeah,

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Speaker 2: I should be on there for what he does for

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Speaker 2: a living. Yeah, and he looks at these strictly at

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Speaker 2: the analytics. But this as usual. Sometimes you have to

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Speaker 2: trust what you know beyond the analytics.

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Speaker 3: Yes, and I think that the trend is so strong

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Speaker 3: with Tomlin and others. But yeah, it's it can't be

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Speaker 3: an accident. He's not a three year head coach. I mean,

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Speaker 3: he's been doing this forever and people criticize him. Plays

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Speaker 3: is so close to the vest. Well, he didn't when

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Speaker 3: he had Leven Ab and Ben. I mean they would

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Speaker 3: score the first touchdown. He's going for two right off

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Speaker 3: the bat to make it eight nothing, you know. I mean,

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Speaker 3: it's it's knowing who you got. I mean it's different when.

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Speaker 2: Ducks you're painting your barn red with your red paint

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Speaker 2: right right right, you know.

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Speaker 3: I mean they had more colors of paint back then

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Speaker 3: on offense and prettier paint and if they wanted to get.

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Speaker 2: If somebody wanted to get into a shootout, they could

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Speaker 2: do it. We could do it. Put in a shotgun

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Speaker 2: and go three wide and throw it all over the field.

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Speaker 2: There was one stat own I should warn you by

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Speaker 2: the way, Matt stats. I dug into it at camp.

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Speaker 3: I'm about a week in, oh, and it's just growing

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Speaker 3: like a wildfire.

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Speaker 2: And I took a couple out of this one.

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Speaker 3: Now, Oh, it's something anyway. The one I thought was

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Speaker 3: interesting there, which probably won't keep up because how could

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Speaker 3: it is the red zone. I forget the numbers. That's

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Speaker 3: it's lower down. It's like the third paragraph because they

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Speaker 3: had the best percentage of when a team gets in

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Speaker 3: the red zone with the inside the twenty yard line

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Speaker 3: of not even settling for field goals, but not even

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Speaker 3: allowing a point on those plays. I mean they had

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Speaker 3: a lot of turnovers in the red zone or sack

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Speaker 3: or a missed field goal. I mean that doesn't mean

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Speaker 3: it's lock, but it's noteworthy. No, it's noteworthy. Yeah, I

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Speaker 3: mean your defense did it at the same time.

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Speaker 2: Again, to your point, you can't count on that happening

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Speaker 2: from year to year, right right, But you hope you

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Speaker 2: throw more touchdown passes, but you've also improved your defense.

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Speaker 2: And if you throw more touchdown passes, maybe you do

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Speaker 2: get some of that. Because teams pass on field goals

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Speaker 2: to go for it on fourth.

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Speaker 3: Down, and maybe they don't get to the red zone

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Speaker 3: as often because you're controlling the football and you're in

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Speaker 3: the red zone a little bit more and you again,

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Speaker 3: you might be playing We say this all the time.

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Speaker 3: I mean, could you imagine how many sacks TJ. Watt

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Speaker 3: would have if they played with the Niners leads? You know,

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Speaker 3: I mean, Cleveland's not in the same neighborhood, but Dallas

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Speaker 3: plays with hugely and the Niners, I'm talking about the

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Speaker 3: best edge rushers in the league. And never can I

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Speaker 3: remember the Steelers being up twelve with six minutes to go,

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Speaker 3: terrible towels flying, and the whole world knows their past yet.

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Speaker 2: You know what I mean, Yeah, it just doesn't happen.

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Speaker 2: They don't get that opportunity very often. Yeah, so haven't

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Speaker 2: I'm with you. I think you know, I ran those

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Speaker 2: numbers the first year he led the league in sacks, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: with what was it fourteen or fifteen? Was that year

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Speaker 2: because holding was legal and yeah, that was the COVID year. Huh.

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Speaker 2: I think I think he had like one hundred and

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Speaker 2: ten minutes with the league with the lead of more

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Speaker 2: than a.

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Speaker 3: Touchdown, Okay, which was like all season near the bottom league.

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Speaker 3: Yeah so yeah, yeah, so doesn't mean it's going to

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Speaker 3: get better. I mean, someday tomlin streak is going to end.

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Speaker 3: I'm sure. I don't know that he's going to go

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Speaker 3: forty years without ever having a losing season. And the

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Speaker 3: schedule's hard. But they're better at this than most teams.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they just and they really are. I think the

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Speaker 2: team now has a comfort level of playing in those

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Speaker 2: kind of games as well. I'm sure you get better

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Speaker 2: at it and more accustomed to it the more you

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Speaker 2: do it. You do it all the time.

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Speaker 3: You just you know, like Cam Hayward in the huddles,

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Speaker 3: not losing his mind. You know, it's been here before us.

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Speaker 3: How we all play, you know, right, we'll be fine.

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Speaker 3: And they also were a lot better than fourth quarters.

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Speaker 3: Like if you look at their like fourth quarter point differential,

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Speaker 3: it's better than in the first halves. You know, they've

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Speaker 3: dug themselves, you know, holes, but then they come back

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Speaker 3: from them and they take the ball away a.

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Speaker 2: Lot in the fourth quarter.

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Speaker 3: That might be defensive coaching, you know what I mean,

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Speaker 3: Like it might be just getting tendencies and baiting them

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Speaker 3: and things.

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Speaker 2: Like that, and what happens when you actually don't dig

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Speaker 2: yourself into some holes in the first telf I mean

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Speaker 2: the first half scoring last year, the first quarter scoring

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Speaker 2: was couldn't be any worse, brutal, right, I mean it

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Speaker 2: only the Jets were worse on the Jets. Yeah, I'd say,

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Speaker 2: I think it was only one team. You're right, it's

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Speaker 2: the Jets. If you could go into halftime even, you know,

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Speaker 2: for the season, that would be a massive upgrade than

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Speaker 2: last year.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, if you're even you're leaving. Yeah, I'm

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Speaker 3: as opposed to here. We're going a half and we're

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Speaker 3: down ten, and we had a clawback and they were

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Speaker 3: able to do that. But I thought it was a

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Speaker 3: good article. I understand one hundred percent why he'd put

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Speaker 3: him in there. He backs it up well. But I

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Speaker 3: love that he took the step back to finish the

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Speaker 3: paragraph with yeah, but I'm always wrong about these guys

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Speaker 3: or something like that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I just I'm with you. I now

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Speaker 2: expect it every year, just because assuming they play this

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Speaker 2: style of football right now, we don't know necessarily what

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Speaker 2: style of football they're going to play, like, I doubt that,

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Speaker 2: I mean, I doubt they'll have.

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Speaker 3: A negative point differential and a positive winning a record. Again, Yeah,

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Speaker 3: that's hard to do. They won't that's hard to do.

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Speaker 2: They won't get out. I'm going to go on record

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Speaker 2: now as saying they won't get out gained in their

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Speaker 2: first nine games next year. Yeah, they did in there too,

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Speaker 2: and go six and three.

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Speaker 3: That's that one is probably a little fluky.

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Speaker 2: Now that one was a little there's also a little

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Speaker 2: I know we've talked about this before. Yeah, the game

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Speaker 2: against the Raiders, they were up eighty yards on the

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Speaker 2: Raiders going into the fourth quarter. They had dominated the

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Speaker 2: game and they still end up winning. You know, but

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Speaker 2: they played small ball. Yeah, Vegas comes out and they're

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Speaker 2: throwing the ball because they're down to get the pre event. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: you know.

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Speaker 3: I mean so, yeah, there's some garbage time involved there

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Speaker 3: too with some of these things.

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Speaker 2: So, I mean, that's why I didn't necessarily look at

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Speaker 2: that particular statistic as being a damning one. But I

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Speaker 2: understand we watch.

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Speaker 3: The games and the context of them, and yeah, I

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Speaker 3: mean some of them, Niners outgained them, they were better.

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Speaker 3: You know, that happens because they lost the game. Yeah, right, right, right.

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Speaker 2: There's some other games where, again you beat the opposing

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Speaker 2: team in the fourth quarter. You're just you're playing a prevent.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and they get another one hundred yards at on

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Speaker 3: the stats or whatever, which isn't that uncommon?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, happens all the time. Who are the other four teams?

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Speaker 2: I mean you said Browns, Baltimore once again, the Giants.

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Speaker 2: I think they were on the list last year. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: they didn't win many games. They won six. I was

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Speaker 2: thinking they won five. Okay, so he thinks they're gonna

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Speaker 2: be worse than six. Uh you also had I mentioned

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Speaker 2: the Ravens. Now they had thirteen wins, they're an obvious choice. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: they're not a thirteen win they win fourteen? You know

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Speaker 2: what even thirteen again? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I mean you're

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Speaker 2: probably gonna regress from that.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, makes sense. Mentioned the Brownies are on there.

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Speaker 2: The Browns are on there, and Philadelphia makes it for

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Speaker 2: the second year in a row. Now, Philadelphia was in

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Speaker 2: the same situation that Baltimore was two years ago, where

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Speaker 2: Philadelphia won thirteen games in twenty twenty two. Yeah, so

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Speaker 2: you're gonna you're gonna go down. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: The second half of the Philly's a weird one because

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Speaker 3: they're almost a tail of two seasons. Yeah, I mean

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Speaker 3: the first half they were like the best team in

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Speaker 3: the league, and then they were well.

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Speaker 2: He mentions that he talked about some of the luck

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Speaker 2: that they had early on. Yeah, it's like in Week one,

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Speaker 2: they scored the Eagles a lot of touchdown to make

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Speaker 2: it twenty five twenty with three thirty seven to go.

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Speaker 2: The Patriots failed on their two pointer, and the Patriots

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Speaker 2: him drove to the red zone on their last possession,

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Speaker 2: but they needed a touchdown a set of a field goal.

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Speaker 2: Week four, Philadelphia a lot of touchdown with no time

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Speaker 2: left on the clock to tie the game, and Ron

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Speaker 2: Rivera chose to kick the extra point as opposed to

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Speaker 2: attempting a two pointer to win the game. Took the

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Speaker 2: game into overtime. The Eagles get a fifty four yard

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Speaker 2: field goal to win it.

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Speaker 3: I mean that's not necessarily luck though. I mean it's

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Speaker 3: you're stopping people with the goal line.

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Speaker 2: But you gave up the touchdown. They were nine and

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Speaker 2: a half point favorite. You're supposed to win that game convincingly.

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Speaker 2: In Week nine, Eagles stopped another two pointer that would

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Speaker 2: have made it the three point game against the Cowboys

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Speaker 2: with six thirty to go. Dallas then drove to the

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Speaker 2: Philadelphia six with twenty seconds to twenty seven seconds ago,

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Speaker 2: and they get a false start sack to lay a

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Speaker 2: game penalty. It's over. And then at week eleven, Marquez

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Speaker 2: Valdez scantly dropped a would be touchdown pass that would

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Speaker 2: have given and that that one was absolutely qualified. Yeah

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Speaker 2: to me, I mean, I look at this one with Cleveland.

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Speaker 2: Cleveland had some severe, severe luck last year.

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Speaker 3: They were second in terms of one score game win percentage.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, if you remember the forty nine ers game, Brown's

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Speaker 2: leading nineteen seventeen, Jake Moody misses a forty one yard

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Speaker 2: field goal with nine seconds left. Rookie kicker, forty one

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Speaker 2: yard field goal. All right, it's good to go. That's

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Speaker 2: just field goal luck.

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Speaker 3: The following week, it's not like they're so great at

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Speaker 3: rushing field goals.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, right right. The following week, the Browns gave up

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Speaker 2: a seventy five yard touchdown to give the Colts a

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Speaker 2: thirty eight thirty three lead with five thirty eight to go. PJ.

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Speaker 2: Walker appeared to take a game ending strip sack on

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Speaker 2: the ensuing drive, only for an illegal contact penalty to

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Speaker 2: extend the game. The Browns Enfield three times the one

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Speaker 2: yard line before getting in on fourth down.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that worked out. That was a nice dice roll there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. Trailing the Ravens thirty one seventeen with eight

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Speaker 2: fifty seven to go, the Browns produced a massive comeback,

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Speaker 2: spurred by a pick six on a tip pass into

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Speaker 2: an entirely different path at the line of scrimmage was

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Speaker 2: returned by Greg Newsom. A forty yard field goal as

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Speaker 2: his time expired, gave Cleveland at one point victory. So

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Speaker 2: a tip pass interception that was returned for a touchdown, yeah,

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Speaker 2: kind of looky a little bit. And then finally down

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Speaker 2: seventeen to ten to the Bears with less than four

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Speaker 2: minutes ago, Joe Flacco threaded a perfectly thrown pass through

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Speaker 2: three Chicago Denver defenders for an inch perfect completion to

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Speaker 2: Amari Cooper, who ran for a fifty two yard touchdown.

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Speaker 2: David and Joku then produced two long catch and runs

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Speaker 2: to set up another game winning field goal.

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Speaker 3: So a lot of things have went their way late games. Yea, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 3: I mean some of that's it's a good throw.

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Speaker 2: By Joe, you know, but he also made some bad ones.

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Speaker 2: He made some bad's that game against the Bears. I

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Speaker 2: remember watching that one that was in slop.

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Speaker 3: That was really bad, right, which also helped their defensive

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Speaker 3: numbers and stuff too, you know, as it always does.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it helps the Bears, it helps the Browns

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Speaker 3: some of these really bad weather games. It makes your

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Speaker 3: defense look better, which brings me to one more point too,

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Speaker 3: because we've talked it to no end. Brown's defense home

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Speaker 3: versus road, it's night and day one hundred percent is.

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Speaker 3: But I heard someone phrase it differently as listening to

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Speaker 3: something this morning, that when their defense played a top

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Speaker 3: ten offense, which must have always been on the road,

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Speaker 3: it was like average.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: But when they played the bad ones, they destroyed them.

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Speaker 3: I mean they like shut them out, you know what

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Speaker 3: I mean.

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Speaker 2: So that's good.

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Speaker 3: I mean it's kind of like the Bills thing we've

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Speaker 3: talked about. It's great to destroy the bad teams, don't

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Speaker 3: get me wrong, and you're not gonna do as well

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Speaker 3: against the good teams. I mean, it's just how the

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Speaker 3: world works. But I think that also helps, you know,

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Speaker 3: describe the home road splits. They happen to play the

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Speaker 3: best offenses on the road, which doesn't help.

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Speaker 2: Let's get to a break. He is the Matt Williams

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Speaker 2: and I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive

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Speaker 2: here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt and I'll be

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Speaker 2: back with more right after this.

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Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

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Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black

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Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: And we are back. I am Dale Lolly. He is

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Speaker 2: the Matt Williamson and this is to drive on the

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Speaker 2: Steelers Audio Network. And Matt had a chance to talk

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Speaker 2: to the Steelers offensive and defensive coordinators today and well,

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Speaker 2: Arthur Smith had some interesting things to say. Obviously there

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Speaker 2: was a lot of people questioning him about some different things. Yeah, yeah,

436
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,399
Speaker 2: I'm curious, what are you to say? And as he

437
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,439
Speaker 2: was talking, there was something I thought about when he

438
00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,120
Speaker 2: was asked, you know, do your unvanilla. You know, look,

439
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,080
Speaker 2: we're we're repeating a lot of plays out there because

440
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:33,480
Speaker 2: you're trying not to show too much.

441
00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:37,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, so they're running the exact same play calls more

442
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,040
Speaker 3: than once, more than once in the same game, in

443
00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:39,640
Speaker 3: the same game.

444
00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,000
Speaker 2: I might also add, as we talked about yesterday, the

445
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,520
Speaker 2: Steelers practiced against the Bills two days before two days

446
00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:50,720
Speaker 2: before that. Yeah, running a lot. So if you're running

447
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:55,480
Speaker 2: a small sample size of plays, yes, from a small menu,

448
00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,840
Speaker 2: don't be Yeah, don't be surprised that the Bills guys went,

449
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,879
Speaker 2: oh they ran this against me twice. You know, they

450
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,600
Speaker 2: got me on this two days ago. I'm not gonna

451
00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,040
Speaker 2: get me on it now. So you start jumping some stuff. Yeah,

452
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:11,320
Speaker 2: And I think it's also goes both ways. I mean,

453
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,520
Speaker 2: I'm sure the Bills didn't expand their playbook to no

454
00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,200
Speaker 2: end either. I think they did defensively, they'd seven man

455
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,960
Speaker 2: pressures and they did some kind of exotic things for

456
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,159
Speaker 2: preseason defensively.

457
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,520
Speaker 3: But thus you get a nine to six game, you

458
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,080
Speaker 3: know what, nine nine three.

459
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:26,400
Speaker 2: Ninth three.

460
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,720
Speaker 3: I didn't want to get ahead of myself. A big spending, big,

461
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,399
Speaker 3: big scoring. So the other thing, too is, folks, if

462
00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,760
Speaker 3: you won't know this yet, but a real Arthur Smith

463
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,639
Speaker 3: trait is making things look the same and them not

464
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,240
Speaker 3: being you know, because we're in thirteen personnel, we do

465
00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,520
Speaker 3: this exact same motion. Yeah, we run the ball, but

466
00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,800
Speaker 3: it's a totally different run play and it creates a

467
00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:47,399
Speaker 3: different angle.

468
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,000
Speaker 2: Well, they're not going to do that, you know what

469
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,600
Speaker 2: I mean? If you're not going to show the Falcons

470
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,000
Speaker 2: any of that stuff season, right.

471
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,720
Speaker 3: Exactly, So I'm sure things that looked the same were

472
00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,720
Speaker 3: the same as opposed to things that look the same

473
00:21:58,240 --> 00:21:59,960
Speaker 3: now coming at you a different way. Now we're running

474
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,480
Speaker 3: outside zone off it, you know whatever.

475
00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,640
Speaker 2: And I think, especially since you know the Steelers are

476
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,760
Speaker 2: playing the Falcons in Week one, it makes it tenuous.

477
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,720
Speaker 2: A team that's familiar, the players are players are familiar

478
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 2: with Arthur Smith's offense, the scheme, the play calls, you know,

479
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:17,879
Speaker 2: things of that nature. The whole line is going to

480
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,119
Speaker 2: know it like the back of their hands, right, defensive lineman,

481
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:22,920
Speaker 2: you're tell me against it? Yeah, Grady Jarrett's going to

482
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,040
Speaker 2: be surprised if, oh yeah, I see this. You know

483
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:26,840
Speaker 2: they might be calling some plays.

484
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,960
Speaker 3: Out, yeah, right right. It's a unique situation, obviously, it

485
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:30,439
Speaker 3: really is.

486
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:33,080
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, But at the same time, you don't want

487
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:34,920
Speaker 2: to show that. You don't want to show your hand now.

488
00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,520
Speaker 3: No, and I'm sure, like definitely one hundred per cent

489
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,800
Speaker 3: true Smith knows what Chris Linstrom does well, it doesn't

490
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,240
Speaker 3: do well or Grady Jarrett or those guys too. Of course,

491
00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:44,840
Speaker 3: you know, it does work both ways.

492
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:46,240
Speaker 2: But at the same time, you said, look, when we're

493
00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,800
Speaker 2: running stuff, you still have to execute it, you know,

494
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:50,800
Speaker 2: you just you just don't just call it play and say, well,

495
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,280
Speaker 2: this isn't going to work. Yeah, you know, you call

496
00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:55,320
Speaker 2: the play, you think you're going to execute it correctly.

497
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,680
Speaker 3: And they ran a lot of eleven personnel, which I don't

498
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,520
Speaker 3: think they will, you know. I mean it's again, it

499
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,199
Speaker 3: wasn't a good offensive day. And we've said that one

500
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,479
Speaker 3: hundred times since the game ended. But there's more reasons

501
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:07,720
Speaker 3: for it too. It wasn't a good offensive day for

502
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:08,359
Speaker 3: the Bills.

503
00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,440
Speaker 2: Either, No, right right, I mean both teams have less

504
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:12,440
Speaker 2: than two hundred and fifty yards.

505
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,200
Speaker 3: I think I sent you something. Scoring is way down

506
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,000
Speaker 3: in preseason too. I mean, this is not a unique problem.

507
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,639
Speaker 2: Nobody's showing anything in the preseasonreseason has been hard to watch.

508
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been bothersome to me because and Warren Sharp

509
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:27,640
Speaker 3: laid it out really well.

510
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:29,400
Speaker 2: It's a good article, but I mean it's.

511
00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,360
Speaker 3: You get excited for a game and it's like, oh,

512
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,960
Speaker 3: this team's Caleb Williams out there. Cool, he's playing against nobody,

513
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,520
Speaker 3: you know, I mean, I mean the Panthers.

514
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,280
Speaker 2: Look how good he looks like, oh, yeah, he's playing

515
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,080
Speaker 2: I mean some meat packers.

516
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:45,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, at least you get to see some rookies. But overall,

517
00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,120
Speaker 3: I mean, the league is not valuing these preseason games

518
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:49,280
Speaker 3: like they used to at.

519
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:50,840
Speaker 2: All, because you don't want to lose guys. You do

520
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,399
Speaker 2: want to lose guys a long season. They're expensive, you know.

521
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,159
Speaker 2: I'm sure owners aren't like, hey, we just bought the

522
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,600
Speaker 2: Stude on the open market for thirty million and you're

523
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,480
Speaker 2: getting them hitt in the preseason or j J McCarthy year.

524
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:04,480
Speaker 2: You know, I don't know's it's not a great product

525
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,399
Speaker 2: right now. Yeah, speaking of which, today the Steelers placed

526
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,840
Speaker 2: Nate Herbig on injured reserve or the reserve injured list.

527
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,640
Speaker 2: They also released Anthony of Rhett, who left that game

528
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,000
Speaker 2: on Saturday with the hamstring injury.

529
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,080
Speaker 3: So it looks like, you know, the center job is

530
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,600
Speaker 3: Fraser Fraser, I should say, yeah, yeah, I would imagine

531
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,480
Speaker 3: Anderson's a direct backup.

532
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:27,640
Speaker 2: Center Formick there too.

533
00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:29,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, say MCA, I haven't seen either one do much

534
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:30,760
Speaker 3: center stuff this year.

535
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:36,119
Speaker 2: Both are capable. Both are capable as his names Daniels as.

536
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,040
Speaker 3: I mean, they even had to, like when we looked

537
00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,679
Speaker 3: at mcormick as a draft prospect, thought maybe he's a center.

538
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,480
Speaker 3: Anderson was a center, and then they had a really

539
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,840
Speaker 3: good competition between her Big and Fraser. Why would they

540
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:47,680
Speaker 3: take center STAPs?

541
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:51,080
Speaker 2: You know, McCormick was the backup center at North Dakota State.

542
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:52,720
Speaker 3: I guess they have a good one.

543
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:54,439
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is why he stayed at he'll be in

544
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:56,280
Speaker 2: this year's draft. Yeah, I don't know who he is,

545
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:57,760
Speaker 2: but I guess they have a good one. Yeah.

546
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,520
Speaker 3: So yeah, I'm not worried about backup center, but I'm

547
00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:02,680
Speaker 3: curious where it would be on the depth chart today.

548
00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,200
Speaker 2: I mean, but you have you have a couple of

549
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,840
Speaker 2: guys who presumably are going to be your swing offensive lineman,

550
00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:09,920
Speaker 2: who can line up and play center.

551
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Anderson is really valuable that way. He

552
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 3: played a fair amount of right.

553
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,719
Speaker 2: Tackle to finish that game out. I don't know if

554
00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,800
Speaker 2: he would get in a tackle ahead of Cook. I

555
00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,160
Speaker 2: don't know, right right, I don't know, But hopefully there's

556
00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,240
Speaker 2: no more O line injury. Well, I would presume that.

557
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,000
Speaker 2: You know, if they had to play game today, you're

558
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,400
Speaker 2: going to have I think we know it's the starting line.

559
00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,119
Speaker 2: You know, you're gonna have your starting line up there.

560
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,520
Speaker 2: Let's say Fatan, who is inactive, not starting, but he

561
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 2: would be active. Okay, you're saying he's healthy, Yeah, he

562
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,480
Speaker 2: might be. He might be your swing, your swing. But

563
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,920
Speaker 2: then you'd also have Anderson and McCormick active as well.

564
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,439
Speaker 3: I would assume you'd have eight active, eight or usual,

565
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:48,840
Speaker 3: and Anderson's always going to be acting.

566
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 2: Anderson gives you that flexibility, being able to play on

567
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:52,160
Speaker 2: multiple positions.

568
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, and right tackles lighter than left because more and

569
00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 3: broad reck are both preferable left tackles. I don't think

570
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:02,240
Speaker 3: you want to put the rookie over back to the

571
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,199
Speaker 3: left if it ever would come to that, you know,

572
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,520
Speaker 3: I mean if injuries and if he even he's not

573
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,280
Speaker 3: the starter, if more would go down, I think you'd

574
00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:10,320
Speaker 3: put Jones at the left.

575
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,639
Speaker 2: The weird, weird thing is that they Mike Tomlin released

576
00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 2: his depth chart in the game against the Lions, and

577
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,679
Speaker 2: they still Fatan, who listed as a backup left tackle.

578
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,119
Speaker 3: Yeah they did before too. I didn't see and he

579
00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:26,160
Speaker 3: snaps at left tackle. No, Yeah, there's no rules against

580
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:27,159
Speaker 3: so you can put them wherever you want.

581
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,680
Speaker 2: I mean, that's where he's most comfortable. I mean he's

582
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,000
Speaker 2: he's actually played he's actually played more left tackle in

583
00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:34,959
Speaker 2: his life than Roderick Jones.

584
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,399
Speaker 3: Sure people wouldn't tak that, but yeah, one hundredercent true.

585
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,560
Speaker 3: So weird this year, all the first round tackles have

586
00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,200
Speaker 3: the switch. Yeah, I mean even like for WAA.

587
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 2: Guys who were left tackles are switching to the right side.

588
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,920
Speaker 2: Guys who were right tackle switching to the left side.

589
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,399
Speaker 3: Al it's like the premium left tackle. Now he's the

590
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 3: first one take and he goes they're right and Latham's

591
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 3: like the ideal old school right tackle.

592
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,240
Speaker 2: You're on the left, you know. So so all across

593
00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,879
Speaker 2: the league it doesn't matter as much, I don't think

594
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,760
Speaker 2: as it used to. I don't think it does either

595
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,440
Speaker 2: in terms of who you're facing. It doesn't matter. T J.

596
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,440
Speaker 2: Watt comes off over the right tackle, yeah yeah, yeah

597
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,640
Speaker 2: all the time his brother did do and the other

598
00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,639
Speaker 2: guys move around like von Miller has always been on

599
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:15,320
Speaker 2: that side. Ye yeah. Yeah.

600
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,199
Speaker 3: The days of big mauling right tackles next to a

601
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,760
Speaker 3: tight end and light footed, nimble pass protectors that left

602
00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,399
Speaker 3: that's long gone. It's just technique, you know, it's just

603
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,280
Speaker 3: harder on the offensive lineman, which one of you better at.

604
00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:33,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, the offensive line obviously does need

605
00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,359
Speaker 2: to play better. And that's one of the things that

606
00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,960
Speaker 2: Arthur Smith brought up today is like, look both games.

607
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:42,280
Speaker 2: We first game, we have some center quarterback. Yeah, exchanges

608
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,919
Speaker 2: that can't happen, right, If you don't have those on

609
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,159
Speaker 2: those two possessions, you're probably I mean, at least the

610
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,760
Speaker 2: one where they fumbled down they had first intended the

611
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,040
Speaker 2: forty field position. Yeah. Yeah, and you fumble one, you

612
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,000
Speaker 2: lose two yards. That killed the whole drive, you know. Yeah,

613
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,479
Speaker 2: that game was mistake. Yeah, yeah, you know this this

614
00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,399
Speaker 2: last week it was you know, some sacks and looking

615
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:11,840
Speaker 2: at that first sack again, that was definitely the screen. Yeah.

616
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:13,680
Speaker 3: I think that was more of a timing than he

617
00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,479
Speaker 3: got beat situation, and it made him look bad because

618
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,600
Speaker 3: a good player beat your first round pick from last year.

619
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,560
Speaker 3: But I think that was more timing holding things up.

620
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 3: And yeah, no, you're supposed to let him through on that.

621
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,120
Speaker 3: You're supposed to let him through on that. But there's

622
00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:29,320
Speaker 3: also a really good defensive play. Yeah, and if you

623
00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,280
Speaker 3: notice nausey, I'm killing the guy. But he could have

624
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,600
Speaker 3: went a little harder with his block too. He kind

625
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:36,760
Speaker 3: of just put a hip or a butt into him

626
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,000
Speaker 3: a little bit. He didn't drive, he didn't help do

627
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:40,320
Speaker 3: his part of the I think.

628
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 2: I think and that that may have been what he

629
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:44,479
Speaker 2: was supposed to do as well, because you don't want

630
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,959
Speaker 2: him engaging if he's he's a screen.

631
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:48,880
Speaker 3: He didn't even slow him down.

632
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,000
Speaker 2: He kind of just like, yeah, you kind of gave up.

633
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,640
Speaker 2: Here's the thing about that. So when TJ. Want makes

634
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 2: a play like that, we also what a great play

635
00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,480
Speaker 2: TJ Want made. We don't say, wait, that offensive tackle stinks.

636
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,160
Speaker 3: I'm like looking at Rousseau, like, this guy's a first

637
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,480
Speaker 3: round pick with arms, you know, wrap it around giant

638
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,520
Speaker 3: condor and he's been the talk of camp. Just watch

639
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,400
Speaker 3: them in that game and in the in the practice, like,

640
00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,560
Speaker 3: oh this is his coming out year. The other team's

641
00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 3: good too, you know what I mean, The other guys

642
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:19,760
Speaker 3: get paid. That guy's gonna have a lot of saccess here.

643
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:25,160
Speaker 3: So but you know, I get it. Those things happened,

644
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,120
Speaker 3: and and you.

645
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 2: Know, but I was thatcond one was bad, second one

646
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:34,800
Speaker 2: was bad whipped. But here's the thing, And Arthur Smith

647
00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,680
Speaker 2: didn't come right out and say that Jones is dealing

648
00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,200
Speaker 2: with that elbow injury. I think he's but he alluded

649
00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,600
Speaker 2: to it and it's his outside arm, the right side.

650
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,320
Speaker 2: You look, look, guys have some stuff that either dealing with.

651
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,400
Speaker 2: You don't You don't know what they're dealing with in

652
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,520
Speaker 2: this in these situation. He didn't come out and say, yeah,

653
00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:53,960
Speaker 2: he's playing a little banged up right now.

654
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:57,440
Speaker 3: But so is there any chance benching is the wrong word.

655
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:01,120
Speaker 3: But if for Atanu is ready for week one and

656
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,800
Speaker 3: he's your starting right tackle, as some seem to think,

657
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,960
Speaker 3: might they just sit Jones and help the elbow And like,

658
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:11,800
Speaker 3: I don't know how the tackle things plays out.

659
00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 2: But I mean you'd have to know. You have to

660
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:16,760
Speaker 2: talk to the doctors and say, well, doctor says, if

661
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,120
Speaker 2: he takes a month off, he'll be he'll be normal.

662
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, as opposed to he's gonna deal with it all year.

663
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's something you start, so that that would be

664
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 2: a part of that kind of decision that they do.

665
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, Yeah, I'm curious what happens though when the

666
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,800
Speaker 3: O line is healthy and we may never see that,

667
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,400
Speaker 3: who knows. I mean, someone else could get hurt tomorrow.

668
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, I had I got a text yesterday from former

669
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,840
Speaker 2: CALIU and W and J head coach John Lockhart, a

670
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 2: frequent listener to the show That's all Smart Football People Are,

671
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:46,040
Speaker 2: And he asked me that. He says, what do you

672
00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:49,640
Speaker 2: think the starting line is when everybody's right? When everybody's right? Yeah,

673
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:54,040
Speaker 2: I said, well, you know, look, ideally they want Jones

674
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,280
Speaker 2: at left tackle and Fatano at right tackle. I think

675
00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,680
Speaker 2: that's what they would go with. But we're un less

676
00:30:59,680 --> 00:30:59,920
Speaker 2: than I do.

677
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,360
Speaker 3: Situation right, say that both the young guys have some

678
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,480
Speaker 3: sort of injury, right, you know, and so again I

679
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,040
Speaker 3: think an ideal situation, that's what they would do, but

680
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:08,440
Speaker 3: I don't have.

681
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:11,160
Speaker 2: Any proof of that. Yeah, I mean, we just haven't

682
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:13,560
Speaker 2: been able to see it because you know, when they

683
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,200
Speaker 2: first when they finally started to do that, that's right

684
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,400
Speaker 2: when he got That's when Fano got hurt. Exactly. It's

685
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,360
Speaker 2: almost the same thing, Like there's this misnomer out there

686
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,440
Speaker 2: that they just handed Kendrick Green the starting center job.

687
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,920
Speaker 3: Oh no, there wasn't a lot.

688
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,719
Speaker 2: The only people saying that are people who weren't And

689
00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:34,760
Speaker 2: I get it. Training camp practices were closed that year, right,

690
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 2: and they were at the stadium. The problem was I

691
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,640
Speaker 2: was not those The problem was they had guys bj

692
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,240
Speaker 2: Finny was supposed to keep compete for that starting center job. Well,

693
00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:47,680
Speaker 2: he got hurt in training camp. Yeah.

694
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:49,280
Speaker 3: It's kind of like the Herbig situation.

695
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,240
Speaker 2: The first week right then they had who's the other

696
00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 2: center prospect that they had the kid from Alabama Hawsnower. Yeah. Yeah,

697
00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:57,760
Speaker 2: he'd at.

698
00:31:57,720 --> 00:31:58,600
Speaker 3: Least been around the block.

699
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,840
Speaker 2: He'd been, he had been there. Okay, he's supposed to

700
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,760
Speaker 2: compete with Kendrick Green for the starting job. He gets hurt.

701
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,000
Speaker 2: He gets hurt. Now you got Kendrick Green.

702
00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,440
Speaker 3: That's what you're in the center, right, You are the center,

703
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,760
Speaker 3: which at that time wasn't much different than Fraser. He's

704
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,360
Speaker 3: a day two pick at center. Yeah, like, okay, here

705
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:13,600
Speaker 3: you go.

706
00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:15,840
Speaker 2: I mean both guys that you and maybe you could

707
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,600
Speaker 2: look at that and say, well, they weren't real competition

708
00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:19,760
Speaker 2: was was Nate Herbig.

709
00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,360
Speaker 3: Supposed to take her Big over those two? But not

710
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:23,320
Speaker 3: he's not Mike Webster.

711
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're not. You're not gonna have You're not gonna

712
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,360
Speaker 2: draft a guy and also have and also have Creeve

713
00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 2: hunt for Humphrey on your roster. That doesn't make any sense. Yeah.

714
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:34,920
Speaker 3: The Ravens didn't draft one on the Day two. Chiefs

715
00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 3: didn't draft one on Day two. Detroit didn't. You know, right,

716
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:39,520
Speaker 3: if you're drafting a center high, which is a Day

717
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,840
Speaker 3: two pick, which is high for a center center.

718
00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,440
Speaker 2: It's kind of the same thing that happened with Dan Moore.

719
00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:47,680
Speaker 2: The Steelers didn't enter that same training camp saying we're

720
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,000
Speaker 2: gonna start Dan Moore at left tackle from day one.

721
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,640
Speaker 2: That's a plan. They came into it saying, Okay, Zach,

722
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 2: Banner and chooks a quarter for are going to be

723
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,840
Speaker 2: the first team guys right now, and Banner's gonna be

724
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,280
Speaker 2: this wing guy. So the first Banner can't play right away,

725
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,560
Speaker 2: a quarter four have been your right tackle, so you

726
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,040
Speaker 2: we're gonna leave him there. We're gonna let We're gonna

727
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:15,000
Speaker 2: let Dann Moore play left tackle until Banner's back, all right,

728
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,880
Speaker 2: two weeks of training camp. Banner comes back, He's back

729
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:22,520
Speaker 2: for one day. That one day, a core four moves

730
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:24,640
Speaker 2: to left tackle, Banners at right tackle, and they moved

731
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,960
Speaker 2: Dan Moore over the right tackle for one day and

732
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:28,960
Speaker 2: Banner gets hurt again.

733
00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:33,160
Speaker 3: You hope that's something we're in the midst of this year.

734
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:38,160
Speaker 2: But things happen. Didn't hand those guys' jobs, but things happen. Yeah.

735
00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,440
Speaker 3: People forget that kind of stuff, like, oh, well this

736
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:42,440
Speaker 3: guy started as a rookie.

737
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:44,840
Speaker 2: Well there's reason. Yeah he got handed a job. No,

738
00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:48,200
Speaker 2: he didn't get handed a job. The other guy's got hurt. Hoounce.

739
00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,200
Speaker 2: He got handed a job because he earned it, right,

740
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,160
Speaker 2: he earned it from day one. They recognized that he

741
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:55,040
Speaker 2: was their best guy.

742
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,720
Speaker 3: I remember doing I've done the postgame show for preseason

743
00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:01,200
Speaker 3: for a while now, and I remember his first game

744
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,120
Speaker 3: ever as a Steeler. I was doing the postgame show

745
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,360
Speaker 3: with Adam Crawley at the time, and he's like, what

746
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 3: do you think of Pouncy? And I'm like, he's the

747
00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:11,399
Speaker 3: best lineman already. I mean, that guy's a stud, you know, like, yeah,

748
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:12,880
Speaker 3: he should be the starting to be a crime if

749
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:14,360
Speaker 3: he wasn't the starting center immediately.

750
00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:15,640
Speaker 2: I mean he's a great player and he went on

751
00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,040
Speaker 2: to have a great career, you know. Yeah, But I

752
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:21,879
Speaker 2: mean they've very rarely done that. They didn't hand Roger

753
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:23,680
Speaker 2: Jones the starting job last year.

754
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,240
Speaker 3: No, No, you had to earn it. And it brings

755
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,920
Speaker 3: us back to Fetanu. I mean, I don't know, he's

756
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,440
Speaker 3: been handed the right tackle job. But he's been really

757
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,319
Speaker 3: impressive before his injury. Yeah, many seem to think he's

758
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,080
Speaker 3: gonna gett inserted right back there, right.

759
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:40,120
Speaker 2: I just don't know. I mean, I keep bringing it

760
00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:44,120
Speaker 2: up because again, but if Jones is dealing with an injury,

761
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:46,799
Speaker 2: that's what I mean, then that could that could make

762
00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,920
Speaker 2: that a little more palable exactly exactly.

763
00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:53,359
Speaker 3: I mean, especially if hey, you're back in Jones, if

764
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,120
Speaker 3: you sit this one week, it'll go a long way

765
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:56,440
Speaker 3: to your elbow recovery.

766
00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:57,000
Speaker 2: Great, do that?

767
00:34:57,239 --> 00:34:59,000
Speaker 3: You know that would make some sense. Not because he

768
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,600
Speaker 3: got beat by Rousseau, right, yeah, yeah.

769
00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:03,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, so we'll see, we'll see what happens with all

770
00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,480
Speaker 2: that stuff. He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly.

771
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:08,640
Speaker 3: This is getting tested at a position that I thought

772
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:09,640
Speaker 3: was maybe their deepest.

773
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 2: Now I mean that is that is what. Yeah, they

774
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,239
Speaker 2: haven't reached a breaking point. One more injury away would

775
00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:18,359
Speaker 2: scare me. Yeah, he is Matt Williamson. I'm Dale Lolly.

776
00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:21,480
Speaker 2: You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network.

777
00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:23,439
Speaker 2: We're gonna take a break. We'll be back with more

778
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:24,640
Speaker 2: right after this.

779
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:32,000
Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

780
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,560
Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black

781
00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:37,480
Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

782
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,080
Speaker 2: Welcome back. I am Dale, Lollie. He is Dan, Matt Williamson.

783
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:48,640
Speaker 2: This is the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network and

784
00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:53,000
Speaker 2: Matt Kevin Patra on NFL dot Com. We talked about

785
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 2: this earlier in the offseason. Came up with our kind

786
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:59,480
Speaker 2: of list of potential Steelers first time Pro Bowlers this year, Kay,

787
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,160
Speaker 2: and he picked one potential first time Pro bowler from

788
00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:03,840
Speaker 2: each team.

789
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,720
Speaker 3: Okay, it's great. I like that idea of breakout type

790
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:08,520
Speaker 3: guys or you know.

791
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,280
Speaker 2: His pick for the Steelers is George Pickens. Now, Pickens

792
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,879
Speaker 2: was on my LISTKA, but he wasn't my pick because

793
00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,640
Speaker 2: there's good There's so many good receivers in the league.

794
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,120
Speaker 2: But he is the talent and the opportunity. That's a

795
00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:24,680
Speaker 2: bold statement. It's a bold statement. But here's one thing

796
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,120
Speaker 2: that he said is he closed his thought on this

797
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,359
Speaker 2: and I wanted to talk about this.

798
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:32,439
Speaker 3: Let me usually take four or five, right, I mean yeah,

799
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:34,640
Speaker 3: I mean it's it's hard to be in that category.

800
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,680
Speaker 2: Barring in addition to the wide receiver corps, Pickens is

801
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,000
Speaker 2: in a position to potentially lead the NFL in targets

802
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:42,959
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four.

803
00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:48,440
Speaker 3: I think he's potentially to a leading target share. I

804
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,200
Speaker 3: mean he could get one third of the targets, which

805
00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:51,680
Speaker 3: is insane.

806
00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,440
Speaker 2: He had one hundred and six targets last year. It

807
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,440
Speaker 2: could be one to eighty this year. Yeah, I mean

808
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:58,200
Speaker 2: really good. I mean I think I think the floor

809
00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,440
Speaker 2: assuming he plays all seventeen games.

810
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:04,319
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's like one for Yeah. I mean I think

811
00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:05,560
Speaker 3: eighty game isn't crazy.

812
00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:07,600
Speaker 2: I don't think that's crazy at all. No, They're gonna

813
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:08,680
Speaker 2: get the ball to your best guy.

814
00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,480
Speaker 3: And I know it's an unbelievably small sample size, but

815
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:15,120
Speaker 3: the preseason snaps he's played, the ball's gone his direction

816
00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:16,919
Speaker 3: a lot. Yeah, and they've schemed him up a lot

817
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:19,239
Speaker 3: differently than they have in the past. He's not just

818
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:21,600
Speaker 3: running go routes and things like that too. They're motioning

819
00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:27,200
Speaker 3: to him. They're like the Dolphins. Everyone thinks that, and

820
00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:30,920
Speaker 3: they are. The Dolphins are a very innovative offense. But

821
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:34,120
Speaker 3: they scheme up Tyreek Hill. That's good coaching, you know,

822
00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,359
Speaker 3: like what you do if you watch Waddle and Hill,

823
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:38,960
Speaker 3: they're not used the same way at all. Waddle does

824
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:42,239
Speaker 3: the dirty work. In most places, he wouldn't. But they

825
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:45,160
Speaker 3: have the great Tyreek Gill. He's the one setting picks

826
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:48,239
Speaker 3: and rub routes and you know, beating man coverage or

827
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,439
Speaker 3: taking the top off so Tyree can come underneath. They're

828
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:53,440
Speaker 3: gonna do that stuff with George now you know what

829
00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:55,440
Speaker 3: I mean. I mean, they're gonna scheme him up to

830
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,719
Speaker 3: no end. The ball's gonna go his direction no matter what.

831
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:03,480
Speaker 3: So last season and that's Ceede Lamb stuff, you know.

832
00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,719
Speaker 2: That's yeah, the first to his first two seasons in Atlanta,

833
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:12,320
Speaker 2: Drake London one hundred and seventeen targets in seventeen games.

834
00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:14,239
Speaker 2: Last season it was one hundred and ten targets in

835
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:19,440
Speaker 2: sixteen games. Okay, so he's he averaged about extrapolate that out.

836
00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:20,880
Speaker 2: He probably would have had to run one hundred and

837
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:25,000
Speaker 2: seventeen targets again last year. Yeah, as there the facto

838
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:26,959
Speaker 2: number one. Now they also have Pits. I say Pits

839
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,680
Speaker 2: also get a lot, right, So they had some other

840
00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:33,240
Speaker 2: guys there that that demanded the football. Yeah, Pittsford Pickens

841
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,520
Speaker 2: is going to demand the football. The reason I said

842
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,080
Speaker 2: share as opposed to targets because the Falcons Steelers were

843
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,320
Speaker 2: both low in terms of total pass attempts. Yeah, I

844
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,400
Speaker 2: mean they're not going to see. The Cowboys threw the

845
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,160
Speaker 2: ball more than anybody and it all goes to land, right,

846
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:52,720
Speaker 2: So therefore he gets one hundred and sixty targets.

847
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:54,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's why he's the first picking fantasy drafts or

848
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:55,799
Speaker 3: second pick of fantasy drafts.

849
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:57,919
Speaker 2: I mean he could make the you know, way up there.

850
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,080
Speaker 3: Pickens is a good one. Who else would make your list?

851
00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:05,920
Speaker 3: One thing I don't remember, though, is like, did Queen

852
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,040
Speaker 3: ever go to a Pro Bowl? Is Boss gone to

853
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:10,680
Speaker 3: a Pro bowls?

854
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:13,879
Speaker 2: Queen was second team All Pro last year?

855
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, I assume he went. I mean he was certainly deserving.

856
00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:18,600
Speaker 2: I probably got voted one way or the other.

857
00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean high Smith's a tough one.

858
00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:24,200
Speaker 2: Because of the addresses. But I said, Joey Porter Junior

859
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,440
Speaker 2: was on my list. Hi Smith was on my list.

860
00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 2: Friar Mouth was on my list.

861
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, especially if Friar Moose really spikes and gets Ye.

862
00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,799
Speaker 2: Kyle Pitt mean last year last year, and I wrote,

863
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,080
Speaker 2: I laid it all out. This is a five for

864
00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,279
Speaker 2: Friday thing that I remember. Yeah, I mean your your

865
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:43,319
Speaker 2: your your Pro Bowl tight ends last year Kelsey obviously, Okay,

866
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:45,400
Speaker 2: he didn't go because they went to the Super Bowl

867
00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,480
Speaker 2: Andrews and then you hadn't know you had he was hurt. Yeah,

868
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:51,279
Speaker 2: so you had Ingram and in Joku, well he could

869
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,800
Speaker 2: be in that neighborhood. Yeah. Yeah, I heard something interesting

870
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:58,400
Speaker 2: today about in Joku, Like, I think Flacco started like

871
00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:00,920
Speaker 2: six or seven games last year and that's when he

872
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,160
Speaker 2: got all his targets. He got forty of his targets

873
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:04,000
Speaker 2: in those games. Yep.

874
00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:06,719
Speaker 3: That's definitely a fantasy thing. Like when folks are like,

875
00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:08,920
Speaker 3: don't do the fantasy stuff. Watson didn't throw it in

876
00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:10,080
Speaker 3: a joku hardly at all.

877
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:12,600
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, he was not a thing when Watson was

878
00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:14,480
Speaker 2: the quarterback. It was a Joe Flacco thing.

879
00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:16,600
Speaker 3: And I think that's going to be as the fancy

880
00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,080
Speaker 3: thing is, like throw it in the djoku. This guy's good,

881
00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:22,080
Speaker 3: you know. I mean, he really has Ingraham. On the

882
00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:25,200
Speaker 3: other hand, people be shocked. He had the second most

883
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:26,440
Speaker 3: fantasy points of any tight end.

884
00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:28,560
Speaker 2: He let all tight ends and targets last year and

885
00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:30,080
Speaker 2: a lot of them are short, but he was after

886
00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:33,400
Speaker 2: the catch and things like that too. Yeah.

887
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:35,839
Speaker 3: I mean he probably go backwards though, and they drafted one,

888
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:36,400
Speaker 3: they signed a.

889
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,880
Speaker 2: Guy I think. I mean, that's probably his best season

890
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:39,719
Speaker 2: of his career.

891
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:41,480
Speaker 3: I would think, I would think. But they're all about

892
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:43,520
Speaker 3: the same age, They're all kind of in that breakout

893
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,040
Speaker 3: neighborhood of tight ends. I think Firemuth could easily be

894
00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:49,000
Speaker 3: one of the top three in the not easily, but

895
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:50,280
Speaker 3: one of the top three in the AFC.

896
00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:53,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, especially there, you know, if the touchdown spike,

897
00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:54,560
Speaker 2: that's huge.

898
00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:57,080
Speaker 3: I mean his usage last year was pretty criminal.

899
00:40:57,120 --> 00:40:59,319
Speaker 2: And that's one thing that we haven't seen a lot

900
00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:02,719
Speaker 2: of us far from Arthur Smith's offense in the first

901
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,160
Speaker 2: two preseason, we haven't seen a ton of throws at

902
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:06,400
Speaker 2: the tight ends yet.

903
00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:09,920
Speaker 3: No, but we haven't camp those are colleging any secrets here.

904
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:11,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, those are coming. Those are coming.

905
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,799
Speaker 3: And boy, they threw the pits a lot. They use

906
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:15,440
Speaker 3: pits in a variety of ways.

907
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,520
Speaker 2: And this two tight ends had one hundred and two

908
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:19,239
Speaker 2: catches last year.

909
00:41:19,239 --> 00:41:22,000
Speaker 3: They was the most put one hundred yards, most productive

910
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:23,720
Speaker 3: tight end room in the whole league. Yeah, and Johnny

911
00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:26,759
Speaker 3: Smith's a good player, but this tight end room is

912
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:28,920
Speaker 3: going to catch way more passes than they did last year.

913
00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:30,120
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, doubt in my mind. I mean, they had

914
00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:33,400
Speaker 2: ninety three targets as a group last year. We've had

915
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:35,040
Speaker 2: ninety eight targets two years ago.

916
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:36,920
Speaker 3: I say, I been Stills there himself.

917
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,160
Speaker 2: Yeah. Do you think he hits one hundred? I think

918
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:40,799
Speaker 2: he gets that's a big one.

919
00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,040
Speaker 3: I Cayward is going to be a bigger factor. Yeah,

920
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:44,040
Speaker 3: I bet he gets forty.

921
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 2: They have they have thrown the ball to him in

922
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:47,799
Speaker 2: the preseason.

923
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:54,080
Speaker 3: Washington I think has like eleven career targets ten ten, Okay, yeah,

924
00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,160
Speaker 3: and that'll be higher than that, you know, right, Yeah,

925
00:41:57,200 --> 00:41:59,680
Speaker 3: I mean even if they would acquire a receiver, I

926
00:41:59,719 --> 00:42:00,800
Speaker 3: think the room with Spike.

927
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,239
Speaker 2: Yeah. Interesting thing is here in the article the next

928
00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:07,560
Speaker 2: team down in San Francisco. M hm, and they're they're

929
00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:10,640
Speaker 2: Pro Bowl guy or potential Pro Bowl guy. First time

930
00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:11,600
Speaker 2: guys Brandon.

931
00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:16,759
Speaker 3: Ayuk getting receivers are tough. But that's not going on

932
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:18,000
Speaker 3: on that much of a limb there either.

933
00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:18,120
Speaker 2: No.

934
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:20,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, who are some of the others?

935
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:24,600
Speaker 2: Uh just looking here? Uh uh, let's see we got

936
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:28,880
Speaker 2: Arizona's Tree McBride. That's a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

937
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,480
Speaker 2: Atlanta's a b Jon Robinson.

938
00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:32,640
Speaker 3: I guess he didn't Yeah, we're all. Anyone in the

939
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:34,120
Speaker 3: fancy community thinks that's possible.

940
00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:39,759
Speaker 2: Baltimore is adaf aoa. I don't see they would happen. Yeah,

941
00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:42,160
Speaker 2: but he's got way too many guys to climb over.

942
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:44,719
Speaker 2: That's the same Highsmith argument.

943
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,360
Speaker 3: Like, yeah, and he hasn't done as much. Uh.

944
00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:52,759
Speaker 2: Buffalo is Dalton Kincaid, Carolina Robert Hunt, they would hope.

945
00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:58,640
Speaker 2: So yeah, Uh, Chicago's Dj Moore never went, never went.

946
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,360
Speaker 2: Receivers tough, it's tough. Yeah, Cincinnatis T Higgins, Okay, I

947
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,680
Speaker 2: mean he's a number two on his own team. Though.

948
00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:08,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not a bad player, but I.

949
00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:11,799
Speaker 2: Mean, well, right now he's number one because sitting out, Yeah,

950
00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:16,240
Speaker 2: like Pickings chances better than Higgins. Cleveland is Dustin Hopkins,

951
00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:20,400
Speaker 2: their kicker, So I guess a lot of them have gone.

952
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:25,120
Speaker 3: I mean chobbed the guards Garrett obviously, but the kicker,

953
00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:26,480
Speaker 3: Come on, kicker, that's what you.

954
00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:32,680
Speaker 2: Came up with. Yeah, Dallas is the Marvian overshawn the linebacker. Linebacker.

955
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:35,600
Speaker 3: Okay, I mean, I'm sure there are a couple of

956
00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 3: big stars have already gone, and then there's kind of

957
00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:38,799
Speaker 3: not a middle class for them.

958
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:42,360
Speaker 2: Denver is Garrett Bowles, and yeah, I don't see that happening.

959
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,480
Speaker 2: Detroit is Alee McNeil. He's a good player, maybe yeah, Yeah,

960
00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:51,200
Speaker 2: Green Bay Jordan Love certainly possible. Houston is Derek Stingley junior. Yeah,

961
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:56,080
Speaker 2: cornerback that Indianapolis is Zaire Franklin. Hey, he had a

962
00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:58,480
Speaker 2: really good year, kind of made him forget about Leonard

963
00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:01,719
Speaker 2: Jacksonville is Foyer Olocon.

964
00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,960
Speaker 3: Maybe I don't think he's as dynamic as well. Big

965
00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:06,280
Speaker 3: tackle numbers.

966
00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:09,359
Speaker 2: Led the NFL and solo tackles the last two years. Yeah,

967
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:15,440
Speaker 2: there their scores. Yeah yeah. Uh, Kansas City is Trump mcduffee.

968
00:44:16,239 --> 00:44:18,719
Speaker 2: It seems not right for he doesn't intercept the ball though, No,

969
00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:22,960
Speaker 2: he doesn't. Stats don't help him. Uh. Las Vegas is

970
00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:28,279
Speaker 2: cornerback Jack Jones. Wow. Who could walk into this room

971
00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,080
Speaker 2: right now and I would not know Jack Jones from Jack's.

972
00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:33,680
Speaker 3: Okay, that's that's a bit of a reach. Yeah, I'm

973
00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:34,440
Speaker 3: betting he does.

974
00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:36,239
Speaker 2: Not end up in Honolulu. Said, I could have taken

975
00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:39,759
Speaker 2: an easier route and selected Christian Wilkins. Well you should have,

976
00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:49,239
Speaker 2: should have? Yeah, Jones? The Chargers, wow, JK. Dobbins. I've

977
00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:51,719
Speaker 2: heard good things. I mean I'm kind of rooting for Yeah.

978
00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:55,799
Speaker 2: But even okay, so even if he does have a

979
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:58,759
Speaker 2: bounce back year, Gus Edwards is still going to get

980
00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:01,640
Speaker 2: the goal line touches. I would imagine he had thirteen

981
00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:03,799
Speaker 2: rushing touchdowns last year in the same off in the

982
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:05,399
Speaker 2: same offensive scheme. Yeah.

983
00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:08,479
Speaker 3: Yeah, I keep moving Dobbins up my fantasy list because

984
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:10,480
Speaker 3: I'm reading good things and I'm rooting for him.

985
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:13,239
Speaker 2: But you're right, I mean, stat's gonna be hard to

986
00:45:13,239 --> 00:45:17,040
Speaker 2: come by. I mean, what's he have over four touchdowns? Yeah,

987
00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:19,480
Speaker 2: if Gus Edwards gets a catch of ball a ton

988
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:25,160
Speaker 2: either Yeah, I don't know. The Rams is Kevin Dotson maybe.

989
00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:27,760
Speaker 2: I mean I don't know that he's an elite guard

990
00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:31,359
Speaker 2: and I don't know that either. Miami is Juvon Holland. Sure,

991
00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:35,640
Speaker 2: good player. Sure, Minnesota is Christian darro Saw good player

992
00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:39,040
Speaker 2: on board with that, just got paid. Patriots is Christian Gonzalez.

993
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:44,680
Speaker 2: That's a good one. He's played four games. The Saints

994
00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:47,520
Speaker 2: is someone on offense. Yeah. The Saints is Chris Olave.

995
00:45:48,719 --> 00:45:50,600
Speaker 2: Could be he's another one. I could have a ton

996
00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:55,120
Speaker 2: of targets. The Giants is Bobby o'carkee. Yeah, solid, he's

997
00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:57,280
Speaker 2: not special, Briest Hall for the Jets.

998
00:45:58,000 --> 00:45:59,680
Speaker 3: He hasn't gone. I like this jam him and Bjean

999
00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:02,319
Speaker 3: are my favorite. Putting a chip down on.

1000
00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:06,319
Speaker 2: The Eagles is DeVante Smith. Maybe it's hard to be

1001
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:09,160
Speaker 2: the number targe, to be the number two guys. Argument, Yeah,

1002
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:11,960
Speaker 2: Pickens for the Steelers, Brandon Ayuk for the forty nine ers.

1003
00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 2: For the Seahawks, boy A Mafe. Yeah, I like to

1004
00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:15,440
Speaker 2: eat it a lot.

1005
00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:17,439
Speaker 3: And he'd a kind of breakout season last year.

1006
00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:21,399
Speaker 2: And the Buccaneers is ya Ya diabi okay. I don't

1007
00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:23,560
Speaker 2: know if he's that level. Yeah, I don't think so either.

1008
00:46:24,239 --> 00:46:27,960
Speaker 2: For the Titans, it's Lugerious Sneid. He didn't go last year.

1009
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:28,319
Speaker 2: He did not.

1010
00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:31,640
Speaker 3: He had a really really good year. They're invested pretty

1011
00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:32,160
Speaker 3: heavy in them.

1012
00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:36,239
Speaker 2: And for the Washington Commanders, Sam caused me.

1013
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:39,520
Speaker 3: He's actually their best lineman. I know that's really nerdy,

1014
00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:42,839
Speaker 3: but he's an up and coming good guard, an up

1015
00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:43,880
Speaker 3: and coming good guard.

1016
00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:49,080
Speaker 2: Maybe won the worst, bad bad offensive line. And the

1017
00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:51,920
Speaker 2: thing is, unlike baseball and not, you don't have to

1018
00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:53,160
Speaker 2: have a guy from every team.

1019
00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:55,680
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, for the Pro Bowl, there will be there will.

1020
00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:57,600
Speaker 2: Be teams that won't have any Pro Bowl guys or.

1021
00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:00,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, much of my childhood when the Pirates were so bad,

1022
00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:02,799
Speaker 3: I'd be like, well they got that one. Jose lean

1023
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:09,080
Speaker 3: To went like somebody has somebody to go right, just

1024
00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:11,879
Speaker 3: the way it works. Yeah, Yeah, that's an odd rule too. Yeah,

1025
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:13,960
Speaker 3: I guess made me like it as a kid. I

1026
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:16,279
Speaker 3: watched the Pirate There you go. I guess that's enough.

1027
00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:16,960
Speaker 3: There you go.

1028
00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:18,440
Speaker 2: Hey, let's get to another.

1029
00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:21,239
Speaker 3: Besides pickings though, But that would be amazing if he

1030
00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:21,680
Speaker 3: does go.

1031
00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:24,360
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean I think they still at the AFC

1032
00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,439
Speaker 2: receivers they would be a static if he went. Yeah,

1033
00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:29,520
Speaker 2: that would be really something. But I do think possible.

1034
00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:33,360
Speaker 2: I do think the volume is a dark horse to

1035
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:37,279
Speaker 2: lead the league in or whatever. Yeah.

1036
00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:39,040
Speaker 3: I mean the other thing too, is his yards for

1037
00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:40,359
Speaker 3: attempt or.

1038
00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:42,719
Speaker 2: If he had one hundred and sixty targets or one

1039
00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,359
Speaker 2: hundred and seventy targets, yeah, and still average. Let's say

1040
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:48,319
Speaker 2: it's not eighteen a game like eighteen to catch was.

1041
00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:49,840
Speaker 2: Let's say it's still fifteen.

1042
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:53,960
Speaker 3: Yeah quick, Yeah, because his yards after catch stuff really

1043
00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:56,279
Speaker 3: spiked last year too. Yeah, and the scheme it wasn't

1044
00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:58,360
Speaker 3: because the scheme is because of the player. Yeah, you know,

1045
00:47:58,760 --> 00:47:59,640
Speaker 3: so there's that.

1046
00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,440
Speaker 2: He is Matt Williams and I'm Dale Lolly. You're listening

1047
00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:05,479
Speaker 2: to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. That's

1048
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:07,600
Speaker 2: going to do it for our number one of the Drive.

1049
00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:10,319
Speaker 2: Matt and I'll be back with our number two right

1050
00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:10,759
Speaker 2: after this