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Speaker 1: Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven

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Speaker 1: home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: Good afternoon, Steeler Nation, and welcome back inside the Biltmore

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Speaker 2: and Phoenix, Arizona for our final day of league meetings

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Speaker 2: coverage here on the Drive, West Huuler and Matt Williamson

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Speaker 2: with you. It's another bonus three hour show and we

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Speaker 2: are off and running.

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Speaker 3: Matt, we are.

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Speaker 4: We are morning starting great.

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Speaker 2: We are on cloud nine right now. For a let

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Speaker 2: me say a trio of different reasons. Okay, so many?

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Speaker 2: First of all, and how you narrow it down to three?

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Speaker 2: First of all, Mike McCarthy's breakfast this morning. We have,

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Speaker 2: we have the audio and all the good information and

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Speaker 2: details from that that we're going to actually play for

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Speaker 2: you here in just a few minutes. You and I

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Speaker 2: had a lovely time at the Annual League Owners Meeting

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Speaker 2: dinner last night.

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Speaker 4: Some pretty impressive affair.

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Speaker 2: And incredible incredible food and who's who of the football world. Yes,

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Speaker 2: and then we finally hear this morning, got our Nike

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Speaker 2: swag bags our giveaway. So we got a bag from Nike,

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Speaker 2: we got a bag from New Era, we got a

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Speaker 2: bag from Fanatics. I got a couple NFL hoodies for

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Speaker 2: my daughters. Yeah, we got probably two thousand dollars worth

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Speaker 2: of merch stuff.

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Speaker 5: I'm just getting it on the plane. Is it's going

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Speaker 5: to be an an adventure, you know, the puzzle pieces

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Speaker 5: to build the build it and and lovely breakfast we

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Speaker 5: get to do this show. I wouldn't narrow it down

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Speaker 5: to three. The weather's fine as could be. It's gonna

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Speaker 5: be a big steeler day starting with Coach McCarthy's breakfast.

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Speaker 5: We got a lot more AFC and steeler stuff to

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Speaker 5: talk about.

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Speaker 4: And then back on a plane tomorrow.

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Speaker 3: Exactly right.

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Speaker 2: It all happens very fast, but it's been a lot

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Speaker 2: of fun. And yeah, that dinner last night was certainly

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Speaker 2: something by my estimation. Two sushi stations, two steak stations.

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Speaker 4: Oh yeah, there was samon and the salmon.

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Speaker 2: And seafood and stuff too. Then there was a burger truck.

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Speaker 2: There was what am I forgetting pasta station as well too. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and about you know, I think four different open bars

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Speaker 2: with a bunch of different crazy cocktails and fun drinks

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Speaker 2: and all that.

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Speaker 4: Kind of a high class band going, very.

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Speaker 2: Classy band that was playing yep with a really good

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Speaker 2: lead singer and it was so it was a lot

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Speaker 2: of fun last night. The NFL's Who's Who last night

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Speaker 2: there at the at the annual League Meeting owner's dinner party.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and kind of paint the scene. It's pretty cool.

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Speaker 5: Like you go through the resort a little bit, and

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Speaker 5: then you go and there's like a huge bar area

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Speaker 5: with all kinds of water features, and that's like the

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Speaker 5: lower level. And as the night went on, it seemed

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Speaker 5: like a lot of the more recognizable folks were down there,

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Speaker 5: you know, just doing their own thing. I mean, no

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Speaker 5: one's swinging from chandeliers or anything, but I mean they're

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Speaker 5: having a good time. And then, like you mentioned, you

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Speaker 5: go up to the next level and it's almost everything

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Speaker 5: on the right is the same as everything on the left. Okay,

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Speaker 5: like start with sushi, you start with you know, like

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Speaker 5: everything parallels each other. A big band in the middle,

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Speaker 5: big area in the middle.

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Speaker 3: Like a big fancy wedding reception.

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Speaker 5: And then we went to the left and we were

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Speaker 5: calling that kiddie land because there was a lot of

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Speaker 5: like things for kids.

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Speaker 2: Could make friendship bracelets, yeah, and all in selfie stations,

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Speaker 2: all that different kind of stuff.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, and an amazing. Where we spent some time was

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Speaker 5: this particular bar area We're making smoked drinks. There was

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Speaker 5: only four drinks to pick from. One was an espresso martini,

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Speaker 5: which was not my bag. You were doing some sort

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Speaker 5: of tequila smoke something.

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Speaker 3: Rather basically smoked watermelon margarita.

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Speaker 5: It was is refreshabulous, imagine And we were doing like

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Speaker 5: smoked Manhattan's And yeah, yeah, it was great. And I

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Speaker 5: didn't realize until the end. You got to pick which

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Speaker 5: would they would smoke with. Yeah, I'm not sure I

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Speaker 5: could tell the difference, but hey, they were going down

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Speaker 5: good and we had a good time.

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Speaker 3: They sure they sure did.

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Speaker 2: We got some customized bag tags in the NFL gave

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Speaker 2: out to I got to talk with you know, maybe

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Speaker 2: if you list the distinguished at WV alumni.

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Speaker 3: Uh, I think with WVU guy, Well that's my initials.

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Speaker 3: What do you want me to do about it?

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Speaker 2: I think I slot in maybe at number two, right

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Speaker 2: behind this Pat McFee guy. I don't know if you've

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Speaker 2: heard of him, but he hosts a national show on ESPN.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, you went chatted him a little bit, right, talk.

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Speaker 2: To McFee a little bit. We've got a bunch of

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Speaker 2: mutual connections. He's been on the WVU show that I

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Speaker 2: do a few times. I do a show with one

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Speaker 2: of his former teammates, Owen Schmidt, who played in the

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Speaker 2: NFL for a few years for the Eagles and the

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Speaker 2: Seahawks and the Raiders.

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Speaker 4: They were teammates, said were.

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Speaker 2: Teammates at WU. Yeah, so so that was fun to.

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Speaker 4: Be a heck of a teammate.

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Speaker 5: I just remember him as a draft project because he

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Speaker 5: was like a two hundred and sixty five Patrick orcard

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Speaker 5: fullback type dude.

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Speaker 6: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, face masks.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, so we got to we got to hang

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Speaker 2: out with some of our our friends in the Pittsburgh media,

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Speaker 2: we got to hang out with some people in the

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Speaker 2: national media. And incredible dinner, a really cool sight to see.

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Speaker 2: And then today kind of be in the the cherry on.

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Speaker 4: Top of all this, you know, last show from here right.

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Speaker 3: In our in our last show from here.

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Speaker 2: So here's what we're gonna do, because we've got a

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Speaker 2: beefy Mike McCarthy media availability from the head Coaches Breakfast

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Speaker 2: this morning to play for you on the other side.

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Speaker 2: So we're going to take a shorter first segment here

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Speaker 2: so we have time to listen to that in its

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Speaker 2: entirety and react to it on the back end. Just

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Speaker 2: getting started here on this Tuesday, our final day of

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Speaker 2: coverage here in Arizona for the NFL Annual League Meetings.

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Speaker 2: Wes Shuler, Matt Williamson. It is the Drive, Steelers Nation

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Speaker 2: Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

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Speaker 1: You were tuned about Drive on your twenty four to

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Speaker 1: seven home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: Back inside the Biltmore here in Arizona is our final

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Speaker 2: day of league meeting coverage here on Steelers Nation Radio

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Speaker 2: the Steelers Audio Network. Wes Shuler and Matt Williamson with you.

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Speaker 2: It's another bonus three hour edition of The Drive. And

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Speaker 2: of course today the AFC head coaches having their media

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Speaker 2: availability breakfast. Matt was making the funny joke about how they,

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Speaker 2: you know, they kind of battle out the AFC and

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Speaker 2: the NFC coaches, who gets to have it on Monday

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Speaker 2: versus Tuesday.

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Speaker 4: You'd might rather do Monday after the party last night,

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Speaker 4: because no.

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Speaker 2: One wants to do it after the party last night's early,

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Speaker 2: But it was the AFC.

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Speaker 5: You had a great point though, like the Super Bowl

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Speaker 5: champ got Monday this year. I wonder if that's always

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Speaker 5: a thing that should be. Like the Major League Baseball

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Speaker 5: All Star Game.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, the Super Bowl.

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Speaker 2: Wins the Super Bowl, their conference gets the Monday slot

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Speaker 2: and the other gets the Tuesday slot.

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Speaker 5: But well, there's ten new head coaches this year, though,

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Speaker 5: a bunch of someone like Harbaughs, Like my side didn't

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Speaker 5: win the Super Bowl, but I get the benefits I

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Speaker 5: switched conference.

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Speaker 2: Lots of new head coaches this year across the league,

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Speaker 2: plenty in the AFC North, three of them, and of

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Speaker 2: course the most important one are very own Mike McCarthy,

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Speaker 2: who is doing this owners meeting for the first time,

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Speaker 2: not for the first time for him, but the first

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Speaker 2: time as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And

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Speaker 2: here's what he had to say at his availability this morning.

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Speaker 6: How do we start? Good morning. I have to get

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Speaker 6: kind of conversation there doing good? You know.

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Speaker 7: I was telling Vert this on the way over here.

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Speaker 7: Two thousand and six was my first, uh, first time

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Speaker 7: doing this, and and the first question was about the

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Speaker 7: veteran quarterback, whether he's gonna come back or not. So

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Speaker 7: it's a big days a vous but no, it's HiT's

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Speaker 7: going good. It's been very positive and we'll just continue

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Speaker 7: to talk. So we talked regularly.

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Speaker 2: What you are going to say.

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Speaker 6: That's a great question. Uh.

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Speaker 7: It was a different tone then because I was just

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Speaker 7: a youngster and and the questions your your questions are

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Speaker 7: a lot more Yuh were very polite compared to the

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Speaker 7: way the questions were asked back then. So but uh, yeah,

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Speaker 7: I'm confident. But at the end of the day, it's

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Speaker 7: a personal decision. So uh, I think we're in a

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Speaker 7: good space.

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Speaker 6: Mike. You were kind of moving to the character.

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Speaker 7: Depending in the city you're playing cold whether by cold weather,

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Speaker 7: Pitts tracks, bust or war and weather.

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Speaker 6: Dallas is a type of quarter about figure draw man.

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Speaker 3: Physical type of quarter necessary, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 7: Well, I just think it's part of your preparation, you know,

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Speaker 7: and it's it's part of your It's part of your

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Speaker 7: planning as far as what your system is going to

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Speaker 7: look like, because the end of the day, you know,

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Speaker 7: the most important games are in December, December and January,

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Speaker 7: and and to be able to play in those games

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Speaker 7: in an outdoor it you know, it requires to play

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Speaker 7: a certain way. And uh, and that's was always evident

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Speaker 7: in my time in Green Bay, and yeah, there's you know,

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Speaker 7: there's things that you do for the surface, you know,

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Speaker 7: to the type of shoes you make sure your guys

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Speaker 7: were all all those little details.

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Speaker 6: Those are the things that I think about.

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Speaker 7: And even when we were talking about player profiles yesterday,

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Speaker 7: I think that's that's where the discipline of trying to

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Speaker 7: stay true to that type of player is important in

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Speaker 7: the outdoor climates.

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Speaker 6: In my opinion, how.

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Speaker 8: Similar do you anticipate your offense being in Pittsburgh to

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Speaker 8: what you were doing in.

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Speaker 4: Bay, especially if Aaron does.

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Speaker 7: I mean similar as in I mean it's going to

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Speaker 7: be the same offense, uh, structurally, as far as the beliefs,

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Speaker 7: the principles of the philosophical approach, the depth in the details.

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Speaker 7: But you know, it's very important in my opinion systematically,

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Speaker 7: if you draft a player that has unique talents and

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Speaker 7: you say he can't fit, he doesn't fit my system.

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Speaker 7: I've always felt that you got to take a look

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Speaker 7: at your system. So we got to be able to

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Speaker 7: have room, you know, we got to have a big

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Speaker 7: enough arrow. So when Omar and the personnel and we

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Speaker 7: sit in there and we decide, you know, to draft

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Speaker 7: these these young men that that we have, we have

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Speaker 7: a place you know for them. I mean, all right,

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Speaker 7: you good, Okay, all right, that's funny. So oh hey priorities,

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Speaker 7: I get it. Yeah, I get it. Okay, We're yeah

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Speaker 7: fin this system. So you know, be systematic with your players.

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Speaker 7: So you so we all run similar plays. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 7: concept teach, it's just how you coach them. You know

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Speaker 7: the details. You know, certain receivers have a different skill

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Speaker 7: set to how they run an option route, so you

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Speaker 7: know you got to tie that option route to the

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Speaker 7: quarterbacks feed. So all those things will be probably closer

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Speaker 7: to the offense in Dallas than probably what we did

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Speaker 7: in Green Bay.

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Speaker 8: So for for comparable does that similarities and that kind

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Speaker 8: of continuity at all help maybe give you a little

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Speaker 8: bit more flexibility with Aaron's decision, maybe timeline that he

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Speaker 8: has some familiarity with those.

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Speaker 7: Current clubs in Green Back, Well, if he was sitting here,

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Speaker 7: I think he would echo the same thing. The quarterback

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Speaker 7: room is going to be coached the same way, whether

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Speaker 7: he's in there or it's not. It's you know, you

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Speaker 7: coach to the lead, the lead player. Because if you're

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Speaker 7: gonna if you're gonna build your if you take the

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Speaker 7: passing game. If you're truly going to be tied to

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Speaker 7: the to the discipline and the footwork and the teachings

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Speaker 7: of how that position plays and is coordinated with the perimeter,

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Speaker 7: you have to they all have to be you know,

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Speaker 7: synchronized so that that part of hon't change.

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Speaker 6: And uh so that that's why I.

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Speaker 7: Mean, you know, we we're always looking at I'd have

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Speaker 7: five quarterbacks if you if you could, you know, and

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Speaker 7: I think it's something that Lea should consider. But uh,

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Speaker 7: you know, I don't think you're gonna have enough quarterbacks

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Speaker 7: in your building to train. So it's it's it's it's

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Speaker 7: the starting point of the offense. And and that's the

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Speaker 7: way it's always been. That's the way we'll be in Pittsburgh.

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Speaker 7: Uh oh, definitely, I'd love. I love the fact that

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Speaker 7: their play styles emulate each other. So that's what I

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Speaker 7: was real excited about with Rico. You know, having to

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Speaker 7: work with ricoh a big thing that I think is

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Speaker 7: very important for running back. The first question I always

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Speaker 7: ask in the evaluation process can he play all three

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Speaker 7: all three downs? You know, because you know we all

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Speaker 7: want four down players. I mean, if you're you know,

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Speaker 7: you're looking to build a scope of you know, particularly

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Speaker 7: the running back position in linebacker positions, you know, for value.

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Speaker 7: But you know, these guys both can play all three

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Speaker 7: downs and that's that's important. It's and that's really important

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Speaker 7: for a play caller because you know, you want to push,

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Speaker 7: you want to push the envelope, you know, get in

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Speaker 7: and out of uh, you know, personnel groups. You also

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Speaker 7: want to be able to stay on the field right,

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Speaker 7: you know, go right from second down to third down,

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Speaker 7: go right from third down to fourth down, and no

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Speaker 7: huddle type things. And so having backs that don't have

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Speaker 7: to come out of the game on third down, that's that's,

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Speaker 7: that's something that I put a lot of value in,

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Speaker 7: you know, and I and I feel that we got

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Speaker 7: two guys we can just go play tomorrow with and uh,

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Speaker 7: and I'm excited about those guys.

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Speaker 3: Have to see.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, we're going right, we're staying right down the same path.

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Speaker 7: You know, we're talking about player of flexibility.

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Speaker 6: Uh.

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Speaker 7: That's really the first conversation I have with Jalen. You know,

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Speaker 7: you know, looking at our defense from the offensive perspective,

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Speaker 7: whether you're a pass rusher or a dynamic you know,

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Speaker 7: secondary player. You know, if you can line up in safety,

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Speaker 7: nickel dime and jump out the corner in a matchup situation.

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Speaker 6: There's tremendous value in that.

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Speaker 7: So and that's why you know Brisker the ability to

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Speaker 7: play multiple positions. And it's gonna be the same way

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Speaker 7: in the draft, the remedy these same conversations, because seventeen

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Speaker 7: games is real. You know, sixteen games is a long season,

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Speaker 7: you know, I you know, you remember when we went

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Speaker 7: from fourteen to sixteen. So position flex critical probably in

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Speaker 7: the offensive line more than any position in football. I mean,

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Speaker 7: I haven't had an offensive line, you know, if you

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Speaker 7: look at the statistic of five the starts of the

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Speaker 7: five same offensive line and the number of games they

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Speaker 7: start and how he plates the winning It's been going

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Speaker 7: on in our league for decades. So play player position

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Speaker 7: flexibility is something that I that I put a lot.

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Speaker 6: Of value in.

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Speaker 7: Right him, I mean, Angelico, Brian is an outstanding football coach.

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Speaker 7: He's he's the offensive coordinator. Coordinating is probably the toughest

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Speaker 7: job in the NFL, you know, I think, you know,

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Speaker 7: going along with the play calling. So to have someone

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Speaker 7: that's like Brian that I'm aligned with, We've worked, we

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Speaker 7: worked together before. You know, he's got a ton of experience.

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Speaker 7: He's a great teacher, He's a blue guy. His knowledge

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Speaker 7: base is as high as anybody you'd sit down and

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Speaker 7: talk football with. He's been in different systems, So I mean,

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Speaker 7: he'll do the every day coordinator things and I'll do

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Speaker 7: it alongside with him, because we have to be connected

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Speaker 7: and you know, and so we spend a lot of time,

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Speaker 7: like you know, we spend a lot of time talking

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Speaker 7: after the fact, you know, because he needs to keep

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Speaker 7: For instance, what I'm saying is, we have a meeting

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Speaker 7: schedule that's set and then you know, we started seven thirty.

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Speaker 7: In a meeting goes well, I may get pulled out

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Speaker 7: of there. So my ability to jump in and out

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Speaker 7: of there, he has to be able to keep going.

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Speaker 7: So I've done this before and so that's the way

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Speaker 7: it works. And and I just to think that for

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Speaker 7: me to have a confidence I have in him in

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Speaker 7: year one shows what I think of him, because you know,

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Speaker 7: normally it's something you evolved to enjoy calling play.

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Speaker 3: Do you ever think about your man you know?

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Speaker 7: You know? Or oh man, wait too many cameras for

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Speaker 7: a fin answer here, just uh no, I think the

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Speaker 7: think calling place, you know, job responsibilities. You know, it's

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Speaker 7: everybody in coaching operations. You know, we look at everybody

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Speaker 7: that we you know, bring into our building. You know,

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Speaker 7: everybody has talents, you know, everybody has experience, and when

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Speaker 7: you put it all together, you know, in this particular responsibility,

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Speaker 7: you feel it's the best thing for our football team. Yeah.

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Speaker 7: I think it's unique in a number of ways. A

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Speaker 7: you know, because I've been in the league a long time,

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Speaker 7: you have a you have a lot of candidates the

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Speaker 7: Western Pennsylvania NFL. The connection is real. There's a there's

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Speaker 7: a lot of people that are disappointed that not having

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Speaker 7: the opportunity to be, you know, with with the Steelers,

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Speaker 7: and I clearly understand that. So that was a challenge.

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Speaker 7: I've always looked at the you know, the hiring process.

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Speaker 7: You know, diversity is something I've always had in the

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Speaker 7: forefront of my mind, whether it's you know, player, former player,

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Speaker 7: non former player, you know, a small college guy. I

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Speaker 7: always wanted my staff to have a level of experience

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Speaker 7: then I had. I wanted to you know, like a

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Speaker 7: middle class that can grow to that position. And I

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Speaker 7: always wanted to develop young guys. I've always viewed the

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Speaker 7: coaching staff very similar to the to the locker room.

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Speaker 7: So I've always looked at that. And if you look

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Speaker 7: at the three staffs that I've hired in Green Bay, Dallas,

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Speaker 7: and now Pittsburgh, you you'll see the diversity in those

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Speaker 7: staffs because you know, it's locker rooms. It's everybody talks

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Speaker 7: about culture in the needle of growth is something that

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Speaker 7: NFL locker rooms are very unique, and I've always tried

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Speaker 7: to emulate that developing and coaching staff.

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Speaker 4: Why are you're talking about coaching stuff?

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Speaker 9: I'm curious how much do you plan to be involved

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Speaker 9: in like all aspects, both sides of the ball, and

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Speaker 9: how much will there be autonomy for Patrick Graham to

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Speaker 9: take command of backside in the defense.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, just just doing this for quite some time. And

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Speaker 7: really my first experience where I felt I was able

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Speaker 7: to get into the rhythm was with Dom papers Stam

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Speaker 7: was we were together, i want to say, nine years,

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Speaker 7: ten years in Green Bay and Dom's an early morning guy,

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Speaker 7: so you know, we'd always have that block of time,

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Speaker 7: you know, from like you know five and to six,

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Speaker 7: six fifteen and set his day and keep me in

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Speaker 7: the loop of what's going on. And then also, you know,

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Speaker 7: at the end of the night, because you know it's off,

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Speaker 7: you have to be if you're gonna call the players,

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Speaker 7: you got to be in the room. You got to

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Speaker 7: be in the decision. I have to be in that

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Speaker 7: quarterback room. So and you can't be you can't be

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Speaker 7: in all those places at once, and it's ridiculous to

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Speaker 7: try so. But you know, I've known Patrick's for quite

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Speaker 7: some time. He knows how I feel about the history

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Speaker 7: of this defense. I mean his system has been Dom Caper's.

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Speaker 7: Bill Kawer put this system in nineteen ninety two. You know,

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Speaker 7: Mike Tom has done a great job carrying it forward.

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Speaker 7: So we're looking to build off of what's what's in place.

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Speaker 7: You know, we're not we're not throwing away. Everything is

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Speaker 7: starting over. So when our players get there, they'll see

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Speaker 7: the variation that we're teaching in what the beliefs are.

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Speaker 4: Mike, a year removed from Dallas, I'd look back on

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Speaker 4: that on.

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Speaker 6: Your tenure there.

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Speaker 7: Now, Oh, great experience, I think, just like anything, especially

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Speaker 7: the last couple of days. The people, you know, just

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Speaker 7: some great people there. Really enjoyed working with him, as Jerry.

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Speaker 7: I mean, I got to see him on Sunday, So

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Speaker 7: I miss him in a lot of ways, you know,

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Speaker 7: So he's I think I've heard all the stories ten times,

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Speaker 7: so I think I'm good on the story storytelling, but no,

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Speaker 7: the fam and just the way you know, they treat

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Speaker 7: the people working there, that's that's definitely something I miss.

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Speaker 7: But you know, I'm thankful for all my experiences. The

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Speaker 7: start was was wild. I mean, the pandemic year was

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Speaker 7: you know something I you know, I look back on it.

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Speaker 6: I didn't. I didn't.

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Speaker 7: I felt like I could, I could have did a

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Speaker 7: better job it. We just had a lot of balls

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Speaker 7: in the air. But I thought once we got the

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Speaker 7: program going, you know, I thought we kind of hit

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Speaker 7: our stride during the second year and I really liked

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Speaker 7: the direction of the team, you know, you know when

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Speaker 7: I left there, I like the draft classes that we

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Speaker 7: put together. So I have nothing but great things to

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Speaker 7: say about my experience of Dallas. Media is a pani ass.

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Speaker 7: But you know, there has me this hass me one

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Speaker 7: you one negative. So George, well you you bounced the

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Speaker 7: out of there, so it wasn't say it was so

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Speaker 7: bad after that.

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Speaker 10: Mike Prouder question. But you've been in this league a

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Speaker 10: long time when team transitions from a four three defense

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Speaker 10: to a three four defense. Yeah, what does it take

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Speaker 10: from a coaching standpoint, from training the players up in

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Speaker 10: there and from getting the rights of people in there?

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Speaker 7: Well, the biggest things the profiles and really today you know,

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Speaker 7: it's not like you're playing a pure three four or

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Speaker 7: four three.

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Speaker 6: It's more about you.

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Speaker 7: Know which techniques you're living in im You know, if

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Speaker 7: you play the even techniques you know are you are

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Speaker 7: you going to play a flat stance? You know with

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Speaker 7: your d lineman. So the body type is very important.

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Speaker 7: You don't want to be playing flat stance with guys

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Speaker 7: that don't have.

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Speaker 6: The length to do it.

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Speaker 7: So that's that's where the profile part of it is

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Speaker 7: has been the biggest change. I went through that in

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Speaker 7: Green Bay and O nine when we switched from the

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Speaker 7: four to three row eight I guess it was nine.

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Speaker 7: And so it's that's the part you have to get right.

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Speaker 10: Can you do it a personal sympoint it went off

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Speaker 10: season or does it take a couple of years to

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Speaker 10: get the rite from pos in there?

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Speaker 7: Be honest, it really depends what's available. I mean, you

435
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Speaker 7: like to, you know, you like to and it's a

436
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Speaker 7: couple of position.

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Speaker 6: But at the.

438
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,360
Speaker 7: End of the day, I mean, you know, I think

439
00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:57,640
Speaker 7: the league's is trending back more towards some more base defense,

440
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,399
Speaker 7: but it's still primarily a sub defense league. And you know,

441
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,680
Speaker 7: and that's as we know is is really primary four

442
00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:04,240
Speaker 7: man fronts.

443
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:05,800
Speaker 4: So like one of the.

444
00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:07,520
Speaker 8: Guys that he retained on the staff from R.

445
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:08,960
Speaker 9: Thomas that was Tom Hart.

446
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,119
Speaker 8: You know, you have familiarity with the Green Bay but

447
00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,119
Speaker 8: what is it that you like about him in the

448
00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:13,680
Speaker 8: way that he.

449
00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:14,760
Speaker 4: Works with the quarterbacks.

450
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,399
Speaker 7: You know, Tom, Tom made such an impression and I

451
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,240
Speaker 7: mean in his short time in Green Bay, you know

452
00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,120
Speaker 7: him and Air and that was when you're still able

453
00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:24,639
Speaker 7: to have the quarterback school where you'd start in the

454
00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,439
Speaker 7: middle of March and and uh and he was. He

455
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,280
Speaker 7: was awesome. You know, it was a sponge, no surprise

456
00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:32,720
Speaker 7: at all that he went into coaching. I mean, he

457
00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,560
Speaker 7: was a natural fit. So oh, you know, I think

458
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,160
Speaker 7: it's what he's put together his career out his career

459
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:42,440
Speaker 7: is exciting and and I think Tom has a tremendously

460
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,880
Speaker 7: right future. So he would he would have he would

461
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:49,200
Speaker 7: have definitely been a candidate even if he wasn't already there.

462
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:54,320
Speaker 7: So I'm excited to be, you know, reconnected with Tom

463
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,080
Speaker 7: and looking forward to you know, getting that quarterback room

464
00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:59,480
Speaker 7: right and and having him own it like I was

465
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,000
Speaker 7: giving that ants a long time ago. So yeah to

466
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,119
Speaker 7: Thom's an excellent coach. Excellent coach. You know, he's been

467
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,720
Speaker 7: the head coach. You know, he's been out of football.

468
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,399
Speaker 7: I mean, he's got such a unique background, you know.

469
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:11,720
Speaker 7: The only thing I you know, I don't like the

470
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:14,600
Speaker 7: Boinas from Cleveland. So but we have we work through that.

471
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:16,520
Speaker 3: How much does that help.

472
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,159
Speaker 8: A guy like Bill Howard, a young guy to have

473
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,240
Speaker 8: that conduit in the position coaches?

474
00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,560
Speaker 7: He go U big time? I mean that quarterback coach

475
00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,680
Speaker 7: is so important. I mean if Aaron Rodgers and if

476
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 7: you look at guys in their careers, great quarterbacks pretty

477
00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,080
Speaker 7: much usually have a great relationship.

478
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,520
Speaker 6: With their their.

479
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,760
Speaker 7: Quarterback coach, particularly their their first one. You know, that's

480
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:42,679
Speaker 7: a those are foundation moments, foundation opportunities that you know,

481
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,320
Speaker 7: Troy Aikman, I look at the way he still talks

482
00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:48,600
Speaker 7: about North Turner, you know, just so I mean that

483
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:50,920
Speaker 7: you see it over and over and over again, so

484
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,440
Speaker 7: and and and we'll we'll have that with Tom.

485
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,760
Speaker 4: You know, at what point does timing become with an issue?

486
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,560
Speaker 4: Went to the Aaron fires decision and are you and

487
00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,560
Speaker 4: a relative agreement on that time?

488
00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,159
Speaker 7: Yeah, I'm not going to really get into timeline. So

489
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,320
Speaker 7: we're we're in constant communication. Talked to them last night,

490
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,720
Speaker 7: So I mean, so we're we're we're in a good

491
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:18,919
Speaker 7: space and and we'll just continue to work through it.

492
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,200
Speaker 4: Did you tell last night questions about him?

493
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:23,919
Speaker 6: No, I did.

494
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:31,520
Speaker 7: He says, hello, So we're good.

495
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:32,600
Speaker 6: All right, We're good on Aaron.

496
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,440
Speaker 7: Questions at you're a couple of months in, what is

497
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,960
Speaker 7: your sense of being able to build a championship and

498
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,200
Speaker 7: tender like these two fema little different?

499
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,280
Speaker 4: What why you're in these positions?

500
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,520
Speaker 7: Well, I would say that teams in the rut the

501
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,600
Speaker 7: team won the division last year, and so it's a

502
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,800
Speaker 7: playoff football team. Uh, I viewed I viewed the team

503
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,960
Speaker 7: that way as a fan last year, you know, I

504
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,399
Speaker 7: was able to sit back and and uh and I

505
00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,480
Speaker 7: watched the you know, the Steelers, the Cowboys and Packers.

506
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,920
Speaker 7: I tried to watch all three teams as a fan

507
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,840
Speaker 7: just because of the connection with the three teams, you know,

508
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:09,479
Speaker 7: I thought they had some really good moments. And I

509
00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,520
Speaker 7: was just talking to Nick Herving about this. I really

510
00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:14,679
Speaker 7: liked the vibe of the team coming down to stretch.

511
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,520
Speaker 7: I thought they were coming together and he was. He

512
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:19,199
Speaker 7: was telling me what we were talking about the locker room.

513
00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 7: I said, I thought, you guys, really, you know, we're

514
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,720
Speaker 7: positioned to make a run. And that's as we've seen

515
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,840
Speaker 7: the time and time again. If you can, you know,

516
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,560
Speaker 7: play good football, and maybe you know your your lows

517
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,160
Speaker 7: are not as you know, too low to have and flow,

518
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,280
Speaker 7: your team is consistent, you can hit that December stretch.

519
00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:37,840
Speaker 7: You can go in a playoff run. So that's my

520
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,960
Speaker 7: opinion of last year. So yeah, and you have change

521
00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:45,320
Speaker 7: now you turn the page. It's you know, new coaching

522
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:47,320
Speaker 7: staff will be a new system of operation.

523
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,720
Speaker 6: So it's important for us to connect.

524
00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,679
Speaker 7: Winning is a huge part of the Pittsburgh Steeler culture.

525
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,879
Speaker 7: You know, I'm blieve I'm bringing a winning process to

526
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 7: Pittsburgh and we plan on winning. So how involved or

527
00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:05,440
Speaker 7: heads on to you in the draft process and is

528
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,560
Speaker 7: that increased as you become your established and how different

529
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:09,200
Speaker 7: is it the three.

530
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,000
Speaker 6: Teams you It's been a challenge this year. I love it.

531
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,679
Speaker 7: I love that this is uh, I'd say the most

532
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:16,959
Speaker 7: involved of the three teams.

533
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:19,000
Speaker 6: It's been.

534
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,280
Speaker 7: You know, I think that's just probably has gone with

535
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,440
Speaker 7: the arc of my career too. You know, Green Bay

536
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,040
Speaker 7: was a you know, Ted was was a established general manager.

537
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,160
Speaker 7: I was a rookie and so but I loved our

538
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,240
Speaker 7: relationship and how we did personnel.

539
00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:34,440
Speaker 8: Then.

540
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,199
Speaker 7: You know, Ted's one thing with me was always you know,

541
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,760
Speaker 7: I'll never give you a player that you don't want

542
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,800
Speaker 7: because you know it's not gonna you know, there's just

543
00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:44,640
Speaker 7: no sense in that. It that was you know, how

544
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,960
Speaker 7: he treated those those moments that Dallas. The coaches were

545
00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,960
Speaker 7: very involved. It was a very coach friendly process there,

546
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,600
Speaker 7: and it's probably similar to to Pittsburgh. I mean, our

547
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,480
Speaker 7: coaching staff's very involved in it, and it's been it's

548
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,000
Speaker 7: been difficult, to be honest with you. Is year one's

549
00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:02,840
Speaker 7: year one. I mean, there's just so much to do.

550
00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 7: You know, I'm an old school believer. You go back

551
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,840
Speaker 7: and we put page one of the playbook in, we

552
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 7: talk about the huddle, put the bomb play cadence. We

553
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:13,920
Speaker 7: we you know, we don't just take the old playbook.

554
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:15,760
Speaker 7: I mean, they've been very easy for me to just

555
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:17,840
Speaker 7: to put the playbook on the middle of the table,

556
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:19,399
Speaker 7: say this is where we're running.

557
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:20,280
Speaker 6: That's not what we did.

558
00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,560
Speaker 7: I'm trying to keep some of the terminology for the

559
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:26,960
Speaker 7: offensive players. We've been able to do that for the

560
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,560
Speaker 7: defensive players because of the history of the defense. So

561
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:33,160
Speaker 7: we're you know, we are trying to keep some things

562
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,840
Speaker 7: that work for us as coaching staff, that that are

563
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,640
Speaker 7: in place there and just try to keep the newness

564
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,600
Speaker 7: to a minimum. So and that's time consuming, is my point. So, uh,

565
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 7: the coaching staff is, they've they've been grinding. So uh,

566
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,800
Speaker 7: this next month is gonna be it's it's gonna be

567
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:49,560
Speaker 7: a lot of fun. But we'll basically spend our day

568
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,280
Speaker 7: between trying to get the players acclimated with our systems

569
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,639
Speaker 7: and uh, we'll be in the draft meetings, you know,

570
00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 7: in the afternoons when you let fall the top, looking

571
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 7: forward to working with those guys. You know, it's particularly

572
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:10,320
Speaker 7: you know, I'm I'm aware of their past experience, but

573
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,800
Speaker 7: you know, I mean it's this is like a Catholic operation.

574
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,440
Speaker 7: You know, you got to say three hill, Mary's the

575
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,760
Speaker 7: priest press. Everybody's got clean slate. So let's let's just

576
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:21,119
Speaker 7: get to work. I mean all that, you know, you

577
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,199
Speaker 7: have to do that with young guys. So and so

578
00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,080
Speaker 7: I'm looking forward to you know, I understood what happened,

579
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,440
Speaker 7: you know with him on special teams and so I've

580
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:31,639
Speaker 7: heard all that. But he's he's a young man that

581
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,000
Speaker 7: obviously you know, his his draft value was, you know

582
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 7: what what the what do we think of him? And

583
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,159
Speaker 7: so I can't really answer till until I get my

584
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,760
Speaker 7: hands on them, and you know, but I'm gonna challenge

585
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,719
Speaker 7: them to be a three down player, you know, challenge

586
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,719
Speaker 7: them to be special teams player, and so all all

587
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:50,960
Speaker 7: those things are are part of being a young running

588
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,320
Speaker 7: back in this league, especially with the two guys in

589
00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:53,760
Speaker 7: front of him.

590
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,920
Speaker 6: Yeah, I can buy the bill Howard don Caper's blueprint.

591
00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:01,440
Speaker 6: Where was it fairly identical?

592
00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,600
Speaker 7: And where what you have seen blueprinting?

593
00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,440
Speaker 6: You're talking about the thirty four defense?

594
00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 7: Okay, you know, well the base is the same, you know,

595
00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,040
Speaker 7: I mean tight dog rush, you know, or tight with

596
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:19,480
Speaker 7: the dog rush one's now tight dog to ten. So

597
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 7: because you know cover one and cover ten's there's a

598
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,920
Speaker 7: different variation. So but it's the same, it's the same,

599
00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,240
Speaker 7: but it's the same call, you know, And and that

600
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,840
Speaker 7: was Dom's league call for as long as I've known

601
00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:32,320
Speaker 7: him and Kevin Green, that's all you ever wanted to run,

602
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:36,240
Speaker 7: you know, So you know, so that's that that base

603
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,640
Speaker 7: is still there, you know. So when we put in

604
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,680
Speaker 7: the base defense, you know, the tight front will go

605
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,920
Speaker 7: in first. The form of the under you know, will

606
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,120
Speaker 7: come off of that. So you'll there'll be a very

607
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,960
Speaker 7: similar teaching progression of how things are things put in.

608
00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:55,040
Speaker 7: Dom Caper's is as detailed as a coach, you know

609
00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:56,640
Speaker 7: that I that I've ever worked with. You know, I

610
00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:59,880
Speaker 7: used to just to worry about our salary cap, uh

611
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,120
Speaker 7: because Dom would spend so much money on highlighters. You know.

612
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:04,520
Speaker 6: I was always worried about.

613
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,280
Speaker 7: Us going over the cap because you know, he he

614
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:10,160
Speaker 7: would our office supplies went through the roof, you know

615
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,080
Speaker 7: what I mean. So but now, but Dom was Dom

616
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,040
Speaker 7: was awesome to work with. So there'll there'll be a

617
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,680
Speaker 7: lot of similar and it's really you know what Ta

618
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:19,840
Speaker 7: did too, I mean, so, I mean you could always

619
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,160
Speaker 7: see the blueprint of the past has always been there,

620
00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,240
Speaker 7: in my opinion, feeding them against those guys, well, Mike, you.

621
00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 8: Guys traded for Michael Pittman or how do you kind

622
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,360
Speaker 8: of envision Ian DK working together and what was it that.

623
00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,040
Speaker 7: You liked about him and wire position flex You know,

624
00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,600
Speaker 7: I do prefer the bigger targets. You know, I think

625
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:41,160
Speaker 7: it's common sense. I mean, you look at completion percentage.

626
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,600
Speaker 7: You once your quarterback north of seventy percent. You want

627
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 7: the ball just distributed. You know, you want fifty five

628
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,440
Speaker 7: you know, a combination of completions and rushes to be

629
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,880
Speaker 7: fifty five plus a game. So those are things that

630
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,680
Speaker 7: I believe in of how you're going to play on offense.

631
00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,960
Speaker 7: And that's why you know tight ends, big tight ends

632
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,760
Speaker 7: the target. You know, it's easier to throw passes than

633
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,560
Speaker 7: the ones out there. So that those are common sense, uh,

634
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:08,600
Speaker 7: practices that I'm that I'm you know, I keep keep

635
00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:12,320
Speaker 7: in touch with them. So the bigger receivers, outdoor climate,

636
00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,240
Speaker 7: the ability to to be to be nasty, and first

637
00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,520
Speaker 7: and second down in a run game. Because you know,

638
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 7: we we sat through the meetings there. It was at Sunday,

639
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,440
Speaker 7: and they talked about the big plays. You know, the statistics.

640
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:26,640
Speaker 7: I don't know if everybody here you get copies of

641
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,440
Speaker 7: all that, but the big the big play numbers are down.

642
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,160
Speaker 7: So I mean, that's something as a coach you're always

643
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,280
Speaker 7: looking to try to enhance your your big plays opportunities

644
00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,160
Speaker 7: on first and second down. It obviously comes off off

645
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:40,880
Speaker 7: of the run game. So bigger receivers definitely help in

646
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:53,280
Speaker 7: that area.

647
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:50,360
Speaker 6: When that big there. What are the things that you

648
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,960
Speaker 6: look for the sides of the specificult trades and maybe.

649
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:55,920
Speaker 10: What are some things that you have personally instead.

650
00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,120
Speaker 7: Of recrag and scare you with a guy what you're

651
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,360
Speaker 7: talking about, Well, I mean every place I've worked, you know,

652
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:06,720
Speaker 7: whether it's a you know, whether it's an orange dot

653
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:09,480
Speaker 7: or you know, you know e Q grade, you know

654
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 7: your emotional potion. Ever, how you look at that, Uh,

655
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,160
Speaker 7: everybody has a history, you know. And now with the

656
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:20,120
Speaker 7: with the age of the of the prospects coming in,

657
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:22,200
Speaker 7: you know, you got more twenty four to twenty five,

658
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,720
Speaker 7: twenty six year old, so so there's more to look at.

659
00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,400
Speaker 7: But yeah, you're you're looking at you're looking for people

660
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 7: that that fits your culture, you know, and and that

661
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,680
Speaker 7: that that fit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So it's it's definitely a

662
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 7: big part of the conversation. So I've never really felt

663
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:42,920
Speaker 7: as a head coach of a football team that you

664
00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,080
Speaker 7: never had enough talent. I mean, I've always feel that

665
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,560
Speaker 7: there's enough there. Uh it's really the connection, the emotional connection.

666
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:53,880
Speaker 7: Uh that that's how you win championships. So so you're

667
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,720
Speaker 7: definitely looking for quality people without a doubt.

668
00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:58,280
Speaker 4: When you left Allison, do you think you can get

669
00:31:58,280 --> 00:31:59,440
Speaker 4: another chance of grade?

670
00:31:59,520 --> 00:31:59,800
Speaker 1: You think?

671
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,200
Speaker 7: Yeah, I I you know, I have confidence in my abilities.

672
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:10,200
Speaker 7: But but I'm also realistic, Uh, you know, growing up

673
00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,600
Speaker 7: to sit here and say that I dreamt in my

674
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,480
Speaker 7: in my my fifth grade diaries, I wrote down I

675
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:19,360
Speaker 7: wanted to be the head coach of three NFL teams.

676
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:24,680
Speaker 7: That's not true, but no, I I I've been super

677
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,360
Speaker 7: blessed for the people that I grew up around, and

678
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,040
Speaker 7: starting with the way I was raised, Uh, the NFL

679
00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:34,560
Speaker 7: coaches that that I was able to train, the University

680
00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,920
Speaker 7: of Pittsburgh coaching staff that I was on. So you know,

681
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,600
Speaker 7: so I have a lot of confidence in my education

682
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,600
Speaker 7: and my experience through the league, and and and feel that,

683
00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,040
Speaker 7: you know, I would have a lot to offer to

684
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:51,400
Speaker 7: a club. But I'm also you know, I've been around

685
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,200
Speaker 7: the block a few times, and I'm very comfortable in

686
00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,200
Speaker 7: my own skin, and and I'm not gonna lie to you.

687
00:32:57,320 --> 00:32:59,640
Speaker 7: I love being a full time dad. I've been able

688
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,240
Speaker 7: to do it twice, you know, nineteen and this past

689
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:06,800
Speaker 7: year and the year office was very very rewarding for me.

690
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,040
Speaker 7: So and that's why this this opportunity, I mean, just

691
00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,520
Speaker 7: the way it came about, you know, and so I

692
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:16,800
Speaker 7: had it, I had to come back. I mean it

693
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,000
Speaker 7: was it was a if there's ever a no brainer

694
00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:23,720
Speaker 7: opportunity in my lifetime, this this was it. And so yeah,

695
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,400
Speaker 7: but definitely I have I have a lot of confidence

696
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:27,400
Speaker 7: in my ability.

697
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,640
Speaker 3: Why do you think the NFL excused toward young offensive coaches?

698
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:32,040
Speaker 6: And what do you think about some of like Mondy

699
00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:33,000
Speaker 6: Divin's first chances.

700
00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,480
Speaker 7: You know, I can only go based off experience, you know,

701
00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 7: being being a young offensive coach at at a time

702
00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,200
Speaker 7: coming into the league and understanding you know, you know

703
00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:50,120
Speaker 7: the way the league was trending our games, about trends,

704
00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:54,440
Speaker 7: you know, playing and coaching scheme, you know, health and safety.

705
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:58,000
Speaker 7: So I mean it's yeah, So I now I've been

706
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,479
Speaker 7: able to interview in a number of plays is I mean,

707
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 7: everybody's looking for something different and and what I have

708
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,960
Speaker 7: learned is it's got to fit, you know. So whether

709
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,960
Speaker 7: it's offense defense. I still think people win, you win

710
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:11,480
Speaker 7: with people.

711
00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:14,560
Speaker 6: I don't. I don't believe in he has to be

712
00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:15,439
Speaker 6: that kind of guy.

713
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:18,280
Speaker 7: So that could be a hell of an offensive coach,

714
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,759
Speaker 7: but he might not fit in one organization as good

715
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,239
Speaker 7: as he fits in another organization. I think that's real,

716
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,000
Speaker 7: you know, And that's been my that's been my experience.

717
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:27,720
Speaker 6: That's my opinion.

718
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,040
Speaker 3: Guys, two more here, we gotta get him go earlier.

719
00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:36,200
Speaker 6: Kind Yeah, yeah.

720
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:40,880
Speaker 1: Just.

721
00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:48,160
Speaker 7: Relationship, Yeah, Brian, I'm you know, I'm gonna consider Brian

722
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:51,120
Speaker 7: just he needed he needed to just a reset that

723
00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:53,880
Speaker 7: year as a consultant. I thought, I thought, hey, he

724
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,759
Speaker 7: was a tremendous asset for us. You know, we had

725
00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:00,400
Speaker 7: Ben mcadu do it the year before, so have that

726
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,440
Speaker 7: level of coach in that position was a true benefit.

727
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:05,560
Speaker 7: And I think he really enjoyed it. You know, he

728
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,120
Speaker 7: enjoyed being on the defensive side of the ball. So

729
00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,440
Speaker 7: it was it was unable for opportunity for him to

730
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,799
Speaker 7: look through that lens for a year, and he gave

731
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:16,800
Speaker 7: Dan Quinn great input, So I mean it was awesome

732
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:18,799
Speaker 7: to do it, but he just needed a reset for

733
00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,680
Speaker 7: his family and frankly, I just went through the same

734
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:23,839
Speaker 7: thing in nineteen. I thought it was I thought it

735
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:26,719
Speaker 7: was really good for him, you know, personally, really good

736
00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:29,799
Speaker 7: for his family. And look what it did at springboardom

737
00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:32,160
Speaker 7: right back in as an offensive coordinator. I thought he

738
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,760
Speaker 7: did a great job for us and so well deserving

739
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:39,120
Speaker 7: of his opportunity in Dallas. So and if there's ever

740
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:41,320
Speaker 7: been a guy that's ready, it's definitely Brian Shotton.

741
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:44,040
Speaker 9: Like you've talked at a number of last puns about

742
00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:48,279
Speaker 9: just what you like about the hour, where would need

743
00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:49,720
Speaker 9: to develop the most reaches.

744
00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,720
Speaker 7: I think the biggest thing with Will and it's probably

745
00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,719
Speaker 7: you know, consistent with young quarterbacks, they gotta win from

746
00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:58,719
Speaker 7: the pocket at the end of the day. You know,

747
00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,880
Speaker 7: nine ten games year are going to come down to

748
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,160
Speaker 7: the two minute roy That's that's what the stats tell you.

749
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,799
Speaker 7: That's the way we train. So his ability to win

750
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,359
Speaker 7: from the pocket, because I think he has everything else.

751
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,640
Speaker 7: I mean, people get caught up on, you know what

752
00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,800
Speaker 7: around he went in, but if I was drafting players

753
00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:19,680
Speaker 7: that year, he wouldn't have been around in the fifth

754
00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:23,400
Speaker 7: or sixth round. I mean I I valued him higher

755
00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,560
Speaker 7: than that based off Kansas State and man, he just

756
00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 7: I thought he jumped jumped out of the TV set

757
00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:32,000
Speaker 7: during the college playoffs. I mean, I mean, what is

758
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 7: there not to like about the guy? So I think

759
00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:39,080
Speaker 7: he's definitely a real prospect as a starting quarterback. But

760
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,359
Speaker 7: I believe that when he came out, I don't you know,

761
00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:44,520
Speaker 7: so you can talk about a strong out, you can

762
00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 7: talk about something's throwing the ball. I think there's a

763
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,719
Speaker 7: lot of a lot of growth with his feet, you know,

764
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,680
Speaker 7: like a lot of these guys that and the challenge

765
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,680
Speaker 7: I see in college football is so scheme heavy, and

766
00:36:56,719 --> 00:36:59,759
Speaker 7: they're running these quarterbacks in their in their in their

767
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,360
Speaker 7: skis are diverse, there's not a lot of training in

768
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,040
Speaker 7: the footwork. So throwing the ball, and you got the

769
00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,480
Speaker 7: best guy that probably has ever done it in Aaron Rodgers.

770
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,480
Speaker 6: I mean you look at the way Aaron throws.

771
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,719
Speaker 7: I mean just watch his feet, you know, watch the

772
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,399
Speaker 7: ground force, you know, explosion, it comes up to his feet,

773
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,040
Speaker 7: through his hips into the throne motion. So and so

774
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,840
Speaker 7: there's my point is there's room for development there. So

775
00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:24,640
Speaker 7: I think there's a lot to work. Well Will, I'm excited.

776
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:25,799
Speaker 7: I'm excited to work with.

777
00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:31,800
Speaker 3: Officiating.

778
00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:39,800
Speaker 6: Officiating. Just wrong guy, wrong guy. Grong table.

779
00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:46,640
Speaker 2: All right, all right, great stuff there from Mike McCarthy,

780
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,480
Speaker 2: Burt having to cut that thing off at the end.

781
00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,759
Speaker 2: You love it a ton there from the Steelers new

782
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,239
Speaker 2: head coach. Earlier this morning at the league meetings head

783
00:37:56,239 --> 00:38:00,000
Speaker 2: Coaches availability. We will dissect that all and discuss everything

784
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,680
Speaker 2: Mike McCarthy had to say when we return here to

785
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:04,920
Speaker 2: close out the first hour, West Ruler, Matt Williamson, it's

786
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,520
Speaker 2: the Drive Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

787
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:11,600
Speaker 1: Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven

788
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:20,040
Speaker 1: home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.

789
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,960
Speaker 2: So we just heard from Mike McCarthy lengthy head Coaches

790
00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:30,000
Speaker 2: media available to day. It's almost like a I don't

791
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:31,799
Speaker 2: want to say a breakfast setting because it's not like

792
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:34,200
Speaker 2: everyone's eating but right, but in the morning. It's in

793
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,239
Speaker 2: the morning, around breakfast time, and they all sit in

794
00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:39,520
Speaker 2: a ballroom around big, you know, circular tables, and everyone

795
00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:41,880
Speaker 2: can kind of local media and national media get in

796
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:43,800
Speaker 2: there and ask a bunch of questions. And there is

797
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:47,000
Speaker 2: obviously a bunch that the Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy

798
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 2: had to say there that we want to discuss further

799
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 2: and Matt, I think, of course, you have to start

800
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:55,600
Speaker 2: at the top with all the latest on Aaron Rodgers, Yeah,

801
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:57,920
Speaker 2: saying that he actually talked to him last night, that

802
00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,280
Speaker 2: they've said he's spoken with Aaron Rodgers quote every couple

803
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,920
Speaker 2: of days. They talk about life, they talk about football,

804
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:05,759
Speaker 2: they talk about what's going on at the facility.

805
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:06,880
Speaker 3: I quote.

806
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,040
Speaker 2: I would just say he's in a very positive space.

807
00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 2: Will just continue to engage in our conversations. He was

808
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,240
Speaker 2: also asked about if he'd be comfortable with Aaron Rodgers.

809
00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:18,960
Speaker 2: Missing OTAs said he didn't want to get into any hypotheticals. Quote,

810
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,600
Speaker 2: I truly understand why you're asking the question. I'm just

811
00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:23,759
Speaker 2: focused on my next conversation with him.

812
00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:24,400
Speaker 3: End quote.

813
00:39:24,719 --> 00:39:27,879
Speaker 5: Yeah, and that'll sound again I don't want to jump

814
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:31,200
Speaker 5: to conclusions, but that sure sounds like there's a really

815
00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:33,480
Speaker 5: good chance Anon Rodgers is going to be the starting quarterback.

816
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:37,680
Speaker 5: And the communication actually surprised me that it was to

817
00:39:37,719 --> 00:39:38,719
Speaker 5: that level, you know.

818
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,239
Speaker 4: I mean, we don't need to narrow it down.

819
00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:43,120
Speaker 5: We talk every two days or whatever, you know, but

820
00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:47,120
Speaker 5: I mean, obviously they're in pretty constant communication. And that's

821
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,279
Speaker 5: not even mentioning how often Tom Arth talks to him

822
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:52,960
Speaker 5: or Cam Hayward even for that matter. I mean they're friends.

823
00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,200
Speaker 5: I mean that they could be talking about their kids

824
00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:57,600
Speaker 5: or whatever, or Omar or whatever.

825
00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:58,040
Speaker 1: Like.

826
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,600
Speaker 5: Guy, I don't think they're running by personnel decisions like

827
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,160
Speaker 5: do you approve of Michael Pittman Aaron Rodgers. You know,

828
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:08,240
Speaker 5: I don't think that kind of stuff's happening. But the

829
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:12,719
Speaker 5: the constant communication, I thought really stood out because there's

830
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,000
Speaker 5: obviously massive mutual interest.

831
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:17,319
Speaker 3: Here totally, and that's where this all continues to go.

832
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:17,880
Speaker 4: Yeah it is.

833
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:19,879
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we're not going to get an answer

834
00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,680
Speaker 2: until we get an answer, but all the tea leaves

835
00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:25,560
Speaker 2: continued to come up that this is the uh, the

836
00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,560
Speaker 2: future for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're a little distracted here

837
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:31,800
Speaker 2: because a meal from video just brought over a gatorade can.

838
00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:33,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, canned gatorade.

839
00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:33,640
Speaker 6: This.

840
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:35,040
Speaker 4: I haven't seen one of these. I don't things since

841
00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:35,919
Speaker 4: I was like ten.

842
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,520
Speaker 2: That's rare right there. Yeah, that's like pulling a Barry

843
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,319
Speaker 2: Bond's rookie car. That's that's that's the that's the good

844
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:42,000
Speaker 2: stuff right there.

845
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:44,120
Speaker 4: I'm gonna have to try it. I been a while, I'm.

846
00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:46,279
Speaker 2: Gonna have I'm go need a couple of those cater

847
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:47,799
Speaker 2: right out of a can is just hitting.

848
00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:49,799
Speaker 4: Might have to grab one for tomorrow morning too.

849
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:51,840
Speaker 2: So that was the That was the biggest, you know,

850
00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,880
Speaker 2: I mean just in terms of the general conversation, Matt.

851
00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,799
Speaker 2: But you know a couple of things that also really

852
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:58,080
Speaker 2: stood out to me, maybe.

853
00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:00,120
Speaker 4: The the quote of the double all things did yeah.

854
00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:01,240
Speaker 3: Quote the day from Mike McCarthy.

855
00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:03,560
Speaker 2: You gotta love this when asked about Caleb Johnson, who

856
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:06,440
Speaker 2: we've had that conversation and how he fits into the

857
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:09,160
Speaker 2: Steelers running back room and how you attack that position

858
00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:13,240
Speaker 2: group in the draft. Mike McCarthy on the Steelers running

859
00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:15,359
Speaker 2: back who's heading into his sophomore season with a lot.

860
00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:16,040
Speaker 3: Of question marks.

861
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,960
Speaker 2: Quote, I am aware of their past experiences, but this

862
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:21,880
Speaker 2: is like a Catholic operation. If you say, three hail Mary's,

863
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:24,439
Speaker 2: everybody has a clean slate and let's get to work

864
00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:25,560
Speaker 2: end quote, which I.

865
00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:26,680
Speaker 5: Think is a great way to do it from a

866
00:41:26,719 --> 00:41:31,359
Speaker 5: new staff. I mean, obviously the front office has a

867
00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:33,880
Speaker 5: what he put on tape or didn't put on tape

868
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,400
Speaker 5: is still out there, and you don't just throw.

869
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:38,160
Speaker 4: Away what you think of the player.

870
00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:40,320
Speaker 5: Just because a new coaching staff comes in if you

871
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,320
Speaker 5: question his past blocking or his cutting ability or whatever.

872
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:47,520
Speaker 5: I mean, you still need to analyze the player as

873
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:51,560
Speaker 5: impartially as possible without question. But you and I have

874
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:53,520
Speaker 5: been saying this for a while, I mean, really since

875
00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 5: the coaching hiring, that I feel like Roman Wilson and

876
00:41:56,040 --> 00:42:00,520
Speaker 5: Caleb Johnson are not necessarily the happiest sort of the

877
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:04,319
Speaker 5: hat career the happiest of We get some new eyes

878
00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,080
Speaker 5: on us, and I don't think it was personal. We

879
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,800
Speaker 5: don't like these two draft picks or whatever. It didn't

880
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,719
Speaker 5: work out. They didn't live up to expectations. Yet they're

881
00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,480
Speaker 5: still young and they get a kind of a new

882
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:16,799
Speaker 5: lease on life. And I'm glad McCarthy sees it that way.

883
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,160
Speaker 2: And I'm glad you bring up Roman Wilson because McCarthy

884
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:23,480
Speaker 2: said that he recently had a great conversation with Roman Wilson, saying,

885
00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:26,239
Speaker 2: new system, fresh start. I'm hoping he's one of those

886
00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:28,760
Speaker 2: guys that would benefit from it. I was impressed talking

887
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,799
Speaker 2: football with him. There's a lot of people that have

888
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:32,520
Speaker 2: a lot of love for him in the building.

889
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:33,319
Speaker 4: Good good.

890
00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:37,560
Speaker 5: I mean, they're obviously going to continue to address that position,

891
00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:39,839
Speaker 5: but to what degree might tell us a little bit

892
00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:43,680
Speaker 5: about what they feel his chances of not necessarily even

893
00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:46,360
Speaker 5: making the team but being a real contributor are do

894
00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:49,279
Speaker 5: they envision him of maybe he is a number three,

895
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:51,480
Speaker 5: Like I definitely think they're going to take one in

896
00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:54,640
Speaker 5: the top two rounds or very very early. But is

897
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:58,840
Speaker 5: there at least a story they could tell that Wilson

898
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,600
Speaker 5: might be our three, competing with a second round pick

899
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:03,440
Speaker 5: and a fifth round pick and the two of them

900
00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,520
Speaker 5: are going to have one three or yeah yeah and

901
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,760
Speaker 5: battle it out or situationally they'll be out there differently.

902
00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:09,160
Speaker 4: Who knows.

903
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,719
Speaker 3: He was also obviously asked about how they approached the

904
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,600
Speaker 3: quarterback position in the draft, and he said, I'm hopeful

905
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:19,480
Speaker 3: there will be a quarterback, you know, at the right

906
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:22,360
Speaker 3: time there for us to probably add to our roster.

907
00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:25,239
Speaker 4: That was one of the things that really stood out

908
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:25,440
Speaker 4: to me.

909
00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,400
Speaker 2: And he said, the other part of that is, Okay,

910
00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,880
Speaker 2: what's the ceiling, what's the floor? Sometimes I get excited

911
00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:32,839
Speaker 2: about the floor. That kind of sounds like a mid

912
00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:34,200
Speaker 2: round quarterback a little bit to me.

913
00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,920
Speaker 5: Matt Williamson, Yeah, yeah, Again, I have mixed feelings if

914
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:40,120
Speaker 5: I think that's the right move or not. And I

915
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:43,640
Speaker 5: really could make equally strong cases if I was the

916
00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,839
Speaker 5: prosecuting or defending attorney in terms of should they take

917
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:51,520
Speaker 5: a third to fifth round quarterback? And obviously a lot

918
00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:53,120
Speaker 5: of it has to do with who's available and who

919
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:54,640
Speaker 5: it is almost just to take one to take one.

920
00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:58,520
Speaker 5: But what stood out to me what you didn't mention there?

921
00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:01,560
Speaker 5: He said something along the line kinds of I wish

922
00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:03,960
Speaker 5: I had five quarterbacks in my quarterback room every year.

923
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,600
Speaker 5: I wish the NFL allowed that to happen. It kind

924
00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:08,719
Speaker 5: of dawned on me that would be probably good for

925
00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:10,440
Speaker 5: the league, to be honest with you, that's.

926
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:11,719
Speaker 3: The development system that you talk.

927
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:16,200
Speaker 5: Yeah, right, right, Maybe they could make, you know, every

928
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:18,920
Speaker 5: team gets four quarterbacks no matter what you know, and

929
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:19,840
Speaker 5: then somebody break.

930
00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:21,600
Speaker 3: The salary exemption or something.

931
00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:23,839
Speaker 5: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, like that they just don't count

932
00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,239
Speaker 5: against you get fifty fifty man roster and four quarterbacks,

933
00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:29,799
Speaker 5: you know, something like that or whatever. And would that

934
00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:31,880
Speaker 5: be so terrible to have a guy hovering around for

935
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:33,880
Speaker 5: a year or two just under Rogers and all the

936
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:35,960
Speaker 5: stuff he would learn. Y you know, I'm sure someone

937
00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:37,880
Speaker 5: would cheat and put Taysom Hill in there and then

938
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,319
Speaker 5: then make a tight end or something, but whatever, you know,

939
00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:43,520
Speaker 5: they can legislate that. The last thing that he supposed

940
00:44:43,520 --> 00:44:45,560
Speaker 5: to work with more and more young guys at that position,

941
00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:47,480
Speaker 5: which makes sense kind of his specialty, you know.

942
00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:49,400
Speaker 2: And then the last thing, Matt we got about I

943
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:50,880
Speaker 2: don't know, two or three minutes here or two we

944
00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:52,560
Speaker 2: got to go to break, but I wanted to make

945
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 2: sure to mention this. He talked about one thing that

946
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:57,080
Speaker 2: really stood out to me. I put like two stars

947
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:58,200
Speaker 2: next to this on my notepad.

948
00:44:58,280 --> 00:44:58,520
Speaker 6: Here.

949
00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,360
Speaker 2: He talked about how position flexibility is so critical for

950
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:07,080
Speaker 2: offensive line. How often how often do you start and

951
00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:09,400
Speaker 2: finish the year with the same five offensive linemen.

952
00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:09,839
Speaker 6: It's rare.

953
00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:11,480
Speaker 2: You got to move those guys around, You got to

954
00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:13,960
Speaker 2: make it work on a week to week basis. That

955
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:16,839
Speaker 2: can That made my ears perk up because we've talked

956
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,160
Speaker 2: a lot about the Steelers interest in one of those

957
00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:20,360
Speaker 2: offensive linemen that has the.

958
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,000
Speaker 3: Potential to play guard and tackle.

959
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,640
Speaker 2: Yes, you know some of these interior guys that can

960
00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:28,279
Speaker 2: play all three positions, guard, center, guard, I am. That

961
00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:30,239
Speaker 2: made my ears perk up because I think that's an

962
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:33,960
Speaker 2: even now that just reinforces what we've talked about, a

963
00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:36,799
Speaker 2: real option for the Steelers at twenty one at fifty three,

964
00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:39,320
Speaker 2: you know, early in the draft, one of those offensive

965
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:40,960
Speaker 2: linemen with versatility and flexibility.

966
00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:42,799
Speaker 5: Yeah, and I don't look too much into it, but

967
00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:46,520
Speaker 5: the only offensive line addition they made was Hoffman, right, yes,

968
00:45:46,719 --> 00:45:49,160
Speaker 5: and he completely can play all three yeah, right, it's

969
00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:52,240
Speaker 5: not just because he played with McCarthy, you know in Dallas.

970
00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:58,719
Speaker 5: I think that position flexibility is absolutely important in the conversation. Like,

971
00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:02,160
Speaker 5: as much as I like aone from Penn State, that's

972
00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:04,279
Speaker 5: my only thing I don't love about the situation is

973
00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:06,160
Speaker 5: if you plug him in a guard, you'd probably never

974
00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,319
Speaker 5: move him anyway, because yeah, he's a guard and he's

975
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:11,120
Speaker 5: really good at it. You wouldn't move anyways. But it

976
00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:14,520
Speaker 5: doesn't influence your left tackle problem at all or potential

977
00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:18,920
Speaker 5: upcoming problem where some of these other guys, you know,

978
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:25,680
Speaker 5: Procter or nh or whoever have a right have a

979
00:46:25,719 --> 00:46:29,319
Speaker 5: more of a guard then maybe tackle path and that

980
00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:30,560
Speaker 5: might be a tiebreaker for me.

981
00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:32,440
Speaker 2: But now to Go is like that too. He's going

982
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:34,520
Speaker 2: to be drafted way way out of the Steelers range.

983
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:37,799
Speaker 5: But there's a lot of guys that, right, and I

984
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:40,799
Speaker 5: like that better, you know, But if he's a great

985
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:41,880
Speaker 5: guard and you never have to move him.

986
00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:43,800
Speaker 4: That's a pretty good problem up too. Don't get me wrong.

987
00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:46,239
Speaker 3: If he's Alan Fanica, you'll take it.

988
00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:48,920
Speaker 5: Yes, one other thing that did stand out to me.

989
00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:50,719
Speaker 5: I know we're up against it, but every time I've

990
00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:55,040
Speaker 5: heard him speak in a public setting, he's very appreciative

991
00:46:55,280 --> 00:46:58,840
Speaker 5: and knowledgeable of those who came before him here. And

992
00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:01,640
Speaker 5: obviously him and Tom overlapped his head coaches and they

993
00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:02,600
Speaker 5: had a relationship.

994
00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:04,040
Speaker 3: But he even brought up like each other in a

995
00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:04,520
Speaker 3: Super Bowl.

996
00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:06,520
Speaker 5: Yeah yeah, But I mean he even brought up Austin

997
00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:08,960
Speaker 5: and going back to Cower and nol And I mean

998
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,640
Speaker 5: he and it's not just because he's from Pittsburgh. I

999
00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:13,200
Speaker 5: mean I think, I mean, I'm sure that helps, but

1000
00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:16,520
Speaker 5: I mean I think he realizes what was built here

1001
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:18,640
Speaker 5: and I'm going to keep it going. I'm not going

1002
00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:21,399
Speaker 5: to change the course of this train. You know, we're

1003
00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:23,840
Speaker 5: not laying new tracks going the opposite direction.

1004
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:26,520
Speaker 2: You know, as a guy who's been the steward of

1005
00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:31,520
Speaker 2: probably the three biggest NFL franchises and the Steelers, the

1006
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,319
Speaker 2: Cowboys and the Packers, I think he gets. I think

1007
00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:36,920
Speaker 2: he gets how important that lineage in that history is

1008
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:38,680
Speaker 2: when you're with organizations.

1009
00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:39,000
Speaker 4: Like that, I gotta kick out.

1010
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:43,080
Speaker 5: Even when Rogers signed, he talked about how yeah, obviously

1011
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,120
Speaker 5: there's jets in between, and he did mention them. He's like,

1012
00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,040
Speaker 5: now I've been a part of two of the big

1013
00:47:47,200 --> 00:47:49,439
Speaker 5: you know, like people know that stuff, especially the older

1014
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:50,000
Speaker 5: folks I've.

1015
00:47:49,840 --> 00:47:52,160
Speaker 4: Been on in the league a long time and appreciate. Yeah,

1016
00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:52,799
Speaker 4: that's real.

1017
00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:55,399
Speaker 2: So that's the kind of the the Mike McCarthy hour

1018
00:47:55,520 --> 00:47:57,799
Speaker 2: here of the drive to get us started today. We

1019
00:47:57,840 --> 00:47:59,800
Speaker 2: still have two more hours to go. We're going to

1020
00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:02,520
Speaker 2: have some fun guests for you. We're going to get

1021
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:05,480
Speaker 2: into some more draft conversation, and there is certainly some

1022
00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,279
Speaker 2: more national news. You know, we kind of focused on

1023
00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:10,960
Speaker 2: the Steelers for the first hour there, but there were

1024
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:14,319
Speaker 2: fifteen fifteen other AFC coaches who spoke today and some

1025
00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:17,560
Speaker 2: interesting stuff on that potential update on Patrick Mahomes and

1026
00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:21,160
Speaker 2: his health status recovering from that knee injury. So we've

1027
00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:23,120
Speaker 2: got plenty to get to in the next two hours

1028
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:25,960
Speaker 2: as we roll along here at the Beltmore in Phoenix, Arizona.

1029
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:28,720
Speaker 2: It's our final day of league meeting coverage. West Shuler,

1030
00:48:28,719 --> 00:48:31,600
Speaker 2: Matt Williamson. It's the Drive Steelers Nation Radio on the

1031
00:48:31,640 --> 00:48:32,840
Speaker 2: Steelers Audio Network.