1
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,159
Speaker 1: Please. He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

2
00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,680
Speaker 1: on your home of the Black and Gold, Steelers Nation Radio.

3
00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,600
Speaker 1: Welcome back. I'm Dale Lolly here with Matt Williamson and

4
00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,960
Speaker 1: uh we're listening to the Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio. Uh.

5
00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,880
Speaker 1: As we learned on Tuesday, the NFL will in fact

6
00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,280
Speaker 1: go to a seventeen games. We've talked a lot about

7
00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,400
Speaker 1: this is unexpected. This was a done deal. Um, it

8
00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,760
Speaker 1: was gonna happened as soon as they signed the new

9
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:08,760
Speaker 1: CB A little right, there's a lot of I get

10
00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,440
Speaker 1: misunderstanding out there about what the league is doing here.

11
00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,399
Speaker 1: First of all, they can't go to an eight teen

12
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,399
Speaker 1: game schedule under the rules of this current CBA they've

13
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:22,520
Speaker 1: agreed upon once they once they once the CBA is up,

14
00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,080
Speaker 1: then they can talk about that's ten years from so

15
00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,440
Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be seventeen not happening anytime soon. Correct.

16
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,000
Speaker 1: The second thing that that, um, people don't understand how

17
00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,880
Speaker 1: they chose the opponents. Okay, for the crossover games, it's

18
00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,399
Speaker 1: really pretty easy. You take whatever division and from the

19
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,039
Speaker 1: other conference that you played against two years ago, and

20
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,800
Speaker 1: that's who you match up against. First. Second, third fourth

21
00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,120
Speaker 1: in the in the same way that you do it

22
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,280
Speaker 1: with with the rest of the schedule. See that makes

23
00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,040
Speaker 1: sense to me because the other conference you play those

24
00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,840
Speaker 1: those conferences every four once every four were years, so

25
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,800
Speaker 1: this would space them out a little bit. You haven't

26
00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:04,760
Speaker 1: seen that team in a while. That's the that's the

27
00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,440
Speaker 1: way that that that's the way that they did this

28
00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,560
Speaker 1: so that you weren't playing the Seahawks and back to

29
00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,919
Speaker 1: back years, or you're not playing and back to back years,

30
00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:14,960
Speaker 1: which is why they did it that way. At most

31
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,840
Speaker 1: you saw this team two years ago and there's really

32
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,799
Speaker 1: a one and four chance of that even once the

33
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,040
Speaker 1: same sorts of rolling. So the Steels are gonna play

34
00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,400
Speaker 1: the number one team from the division they played two

35
00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,440
Speaker 1: years ago. Yeah. Uh. Then the league said, okay, we're

36
00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,400
Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna rotate the home and a way for this.

37
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,240
Speaker 1: So this year the a f C is the home team.

38
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,120
Speaker 1: So every do you know what, I don't know if

39
00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,160
Speaker 1: through a conference of Steelers, the North plays off top,

40
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,400
Speaker 1: they're playing NFC West. Okay, So this year every NFC

41
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,200
Speaker 1: West team will come to an NFC North tam Next year,

42
00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,000
Speaker 1: every or at NFC North team next year the a

43
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,280
Speaker 1: f C North team will go to whatever NFC division

44
00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,400
Speaker 1: will play the NFC East next year, So the Steelers

45
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,920
Speaker 1: will have nine road games. They'll match up against whoever

46
00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,959
Speaker 1: finishes what and whatever place they finish in the f

47
00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,680
Speaker 1: C North, they'll match up that. So it could be,

48
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,440
Speaker 1: you know, they go to Philadelphia, or they go to Dallas,

49
00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,160
Speaker 1: or they got to wash it, you know, one of those.

50
00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,600
Speaker 1: But they have eight home games and nine road games

51
00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,160
Speaker 1: this year. Is the opposite? Yeah, okay, um, not that difficult.

52
00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,040
Speaker 1: The other difficult. Yeah, the other interesting thing better just

53
00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,359
Speaker 1: from a geography standpoint, I'd rather travel to Philly than

54
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,600
Speaker 1: travel to Zona, right, you know what I mean? I

55
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,399
Speaker 1: mean that's just luck of the draw. But another deal

56
00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,640
Speaker 1: yea um. The other interesting thing that they did with

57
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,560
Speaker 1: this is that they said that they're gonna guarantee for

58
00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,480
Speaker 1: international games starting next year, not this year. Do you

59
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,519
Speaker 1: think they'll be zero this year? I don't know that.

60
00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,600
Speaker 1: I don't know they've decided that they still. I think

61
00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,520
Speaker 1: they're still waiting until, like the schedule is supposed to

62
00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:41,280
Speaker 1: come out. I think sometime around the draft, could be

63
00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,040
Speaker 1: a little bit after the draft. I always remember it

64
00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,600
Speaker 1: being like that little lull before the draft when free

65
00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:52,120
Speaker 1: agencies dried up, or that little lull after the draft.

66
00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,480
Speaker 1: Buzz I want to say, like second week of May

67
00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:56,480
Speaker 1: or something like that supposed to come out, but they're

68
00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,120
Speaker 1: waiting to see if stuff opens up. I'm still you

69
00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,200
Speaker 1: still can't even still can't even travel to some of

70
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,720
Speaker 1: these places, you know. Um, but you know, if that happens,

71
00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,880
Speaker 1: it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But next year

72
00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:11,520
Speaker 1: they're guaranteeing four international games, and everybody once every eight

73
00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:15,680
Speaker 1: years has to play in the International Game Bowl at

74
00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,119
Speaker 1: least once. Because you've got team the Steelers haven't played

75
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,000
Speaker 1: once since two thousand thirteen, eation, you haven't played in

76
00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,400
Speaker 1: a while, that's been there. Their only international regular season

77
00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,919
Speaker 1: game in Ireland, right they played, they played in London.

78
00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,840
Speaker 1: The Packers have never played one. So they're going next year. Yeah,

79
00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:37,520
Speaker 1: So I mean you're looking at the teams that haven't

80
00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,599
Speaker 1: done it in a while. They're probably gonna end up

81
00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,400
Speaker 1: having to do that. And the reason teams don't want,

82
00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,440
Speaker 1: you know, the teams like the Packers and the Steelers

83
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,159
Speaker 1: haven't done that. They can't give up The Steelers can't

84
00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,640
Speaker 1: give up a home game because of their stadium lease.

85
00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,039
Speaker 1: Good point, and it's great revenue. They filled everything you

86
00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,680
Speaker 1: know they can. If you're the Detroit Lions and the

87
00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:58,400
Speaker 1: Steelers are coming to town, you don't want to give

88
00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,919
Speaker 1: up that. You want to give up because because you

89
00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,359
Speaker 1: sell a place out ten thousand black and goals. You know,

90
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,159
Speaker 1: if you're you know, the Jaguars go go to to

91
00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,479
Speaker 1: London a couple of times a year because they can't

92
00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,720
Speaker 1: sell out their their homestead. The only time that they

93
00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,560
Speaker 1: do is when the Steelers are in town or the

94
00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,200
Speaker 1: Packers are in town. I'm sure you don't know this answer,

95
00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,840
Speaker 1: but I also just assume divisional games won't be international games. No.

96
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,160
Speaker 1: I think what they're probably going to try to do

97
00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,880
Speaker 1: is use these these games. These one wouldn't surprise me

98
00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:31,479
Speaker 1: if a lot of those are the games that end

99
00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,440
Speaker 1: up getting flex to overseas. That makes sense because then

100
00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:36,880
Speaker 1: you still have eight and eight and a road game.

101
00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,520
Speaker 1: You and and you're both traveling. Then you're both traveling.

102
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,080
Speaker 1: I mean, you're a little upset if that's your home game,

103
00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,360
Speaker 1: but you're upset if that's your home game. Any years

104
00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,080
Speaker 1: right that year you still got at least eight home games.

105
00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,560
Speaker 1: It hurts just a little less. Yeah. The other thing

106
00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:51,400
Speaker 1: that they've done now is cut the preseason down to

107
00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,480
Speaker 1: three games, which I'm absolutely fine with. I can't expect

108
00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,599
Speaker 1: it to be too but so this year you would

109
00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,039
Speaker 1: expect that so that everybody has the same number of

110
00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:04,000
Speaker 1: home games. Uh, the NFC teams will get to home

111
00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,919
Speaker 1: preseason games this year, and then we get one and

112
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,000
Speaker 1: then still be a Hall of Fame game, and the

113
00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,360
Speaker 1: teams in the Hall of Fame game get four preseason games.

114
00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,840
Speaker 1: So this year the Steelers still play four preseason games,

115
00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,080
Speaker 1: which also has four, but then after this they only

116
00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,400
Speaker 1: have three. Okay, Yeah, that makes sense sough of rotating

117
00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:27,560
Speaker 1: at NFC versus NFC Again, Well, does everyone play two?

118
00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,120
Speaker 1: I mean how many games? What if you played all

119
00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,479
Speaker 1: NFC opponents in the preseason. Well, the league's sets some

120
00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,800
Speaker 1: of those preseason, so I don't know. I don't know

121
00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,080
Speaker 1: if they're gonna I mean typically I think before the

122
00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:44,479
Speaker 1: league would set two of you team, they would set

123
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,120
Speaker 1: your two preseason games, and then you would schedule the

124
00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,200
Speaker 1: other two. I think maybes Carolina Philly, So I think

125
00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,800
Speaker 1: this the Steelers will keep the Carolina Philly games. It's

126
00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,239
Speaker 1: just someone that's not on your schedule, right, Yeah, whatever,

127
00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,159
Speaker 1: that's small potatoes. Yeah, Typically you don't want to don't

128
00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:01,840
Speaker 1: want to play a team, you know, another a f

129
00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:03,320
Speaker 1: C team that you're going to play in a regular

130
00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,200
Speaker 1: season or so you don't want somebody on your schedule

131
00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:06,640
Speaker 1: will be in the preseason, so you end up playing

132
00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,160
Speaker 1: a lot of NFC teams. Anyways, that makes sense. Um,

133
00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:11,560
Speaker 1: what was I saying? The thing that I didn't like

134
00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,120
Speaker 1: and I've been lobbying for was still the only one

135
00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,120
Speaker 1: by week I thought too, was what the players deserved. Well,

136
00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,400
Speaker 1: they've already stretched the season. Now another at that whole week,

137
00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,960
Speaker 1: you know they didn't push The Super Bowl got pushed

138
00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,720
Speaker 1: back because of this, right, So it makes sense, um,

139
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:33,120
Speaker 1: But players aren't thrilled with it because some players this

140
00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,520
Speaker 1: is here's the thing about that the players had a

141
00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,400
Speaker 1: chance to speak to make their opinion known on whether

142
00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,520
Speaker 1: they wanted the seventeen game schedule or not when they

143
00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,920
Speaker 1: voted on new CBA last year. That seems like a

144
00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,640
Speaker 1: million years ago, but it is. That was the main

145
00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:53,280
Speaker 1: sticking point of this negotiation. There was a negotiation for this,

146
00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,520
Speaker 1: and some of these young players weren't around that even

147
00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,560
Speaker 1: you know, you're in. But the complaints now coming out, well,

148
00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,880
Speaker 1: I can't believe they're doing this. You voted for it

149
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,000
Speaker 1: last year, or you gotta vote against. I mean, you

150
00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,160
Speaker 1: had to vote, Like Alvin Kamara came out. I can't

151
00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,840
Speaker 1: believe they're doing this. Alvin, you voted on this last year.

152
00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,360
Speaker 1: This was a done deal. This is not you wanted.

153
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,240
Speaker 1: Then you could have voted anyway you want, but this

154
00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,600
Speaker 1: is the way it ended up on when the ballots

155
00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,760
Speaker 1: were cast. You know, by the way, because of this,

156
00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,120
Speaker 1: the players now get a higher percentage of the revenues.

157
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,239
Speaker 1: Their revenue, their revenue percentage kicks up point five percent.

158
00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,200
Speaker 1: You might, well, it's only half a percentage point. How

159
00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,400
Speaker 1: many millions? Half a percentage point of ten billion dollars.

160
00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:35,360
Speaker 1: I'll take that if they don't, you know, if the

161
00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,800
Speaker 1: players don't want to send it our way, we'll take Yeah.

162
00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:40,959
Speaker 1: And it doesn't reflect on the salary cap, but that's

163
00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,640
Speaker 1: a different issue. That's because the strange well the cap

164
00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:45,800
Speaker 1: had already gone up with the for the minimum salaries

165
00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,080
Speaker 1: and all that stuff, so this just helps you know,

166
00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:49,960
Speaker 1: pay for for pay for that, and they already had

167
00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,439
Speaker 1: gone to the fifty five players on the roster that's

168
00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:54,600
Speaker 1: not a good point. So there's more and players employed.

169
00:08:55,360 --> 00:09:00,240
Speaker 1: I assume the well, definitely, the practice squad will be

170
00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,520
Speaker 1: bigger than they were before the season. They Yeah, I

171
00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:05,800
Speaker 1: think they'd gone to what we say before twelve on

172
00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,360
Speaker 1: the practice and it was fifty five players on the

173
00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:10,199
Speaker 1: on the game day roster and twelve players on the

174
00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,840
Speaker 1: practice squad. Those were increases from the previous cb A

175
00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,160
Speaker 1: before they even knew what COVID was and before they

176
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,040
Speaker 1: went to a seventeen game schedule. Yes, yes, so I

177
00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,720
Speaker 1: think a lot of players are like, I'm getting paid

178
00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,160
Speaker 1: the same for seventeen games as a m sixteen And yeah,

179
00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,080
Speaker 1: your contract didn't change you. You're right, but you know

180
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,439
Speaker 1: it was coming and this was not money going to

181
00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,599
Speaker 1: the players in the big picture. It wasn't you have

182
00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,680
Speaker 1: a long enough career to reap that benefit. Who knows.

183
00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,600
Speaker 1: And that's the problem with the with the players Union.

184
00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:41,839
Speaker 1: You've got two big guys at different stages of their career.

185
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,760
Speaker 1: Half the league is just trying to hold on half

186
00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,640
Speaker 1: of the Yeah, and if you're maybe only played three

187
00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,280
Speaker 1: more year, I mean running backs gonna last. Yeah, a

188
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:50,920
Speaker 1: lot of people would get a lot better than Franco

189
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,680
Speaker 1: Harris did. Yeah. I mean it's just you gotta prepare

190
00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,840
Speaker 1: for the generations ahead of you too. A lot of

191
00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,959
Speaker 1: Steeler fans complaining about the fact, well, the Steelers they

192
00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,880
Speaker 1: had the toughest schedule in the league and now they

193
00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:03,840
Speaker 1: had Seattle to it. Don't win a division, and first

194
00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,720
Speaker 1: of all, they get Seattle here, which is a big difference. Secondly,

195
00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,200
Speaker 1: the Ravens have the second hardest schedule. It's not like

196
00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:12,880
Speaker 1: the Steelers are alone in this if you look at

197
00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:14,679
Speaker 1: the a f C North, because first of all, they

198
00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,520
Speaker 1: all play each other twice. But yeah, and you're matching

199
00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,679
Speaker 1: up against the NFC West, so yeah, you're gonna add

200
00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:24,240
Speaker 1: another good team and you know so, yeah, the Steelers

201
00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,160
Speaker 1: have divisions in the league, right, The Steelers have the

202
00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,960
Speaker 1: toughest schedule based on last year's records. The Ravens are second,

203
00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,760
Speaker 1: the Bengals are six. If anybody should be complaining, it

204
00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,640
Speaker 1: should be Cincinnati, like, hey, we stunk last year and

205
00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,000
Speaker 1: we've got the six toughest schedule. Don't be the fourth

206
00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,480
Speaker 1: best team in the best one of the best divisions.

207
00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,160
Speaker 1: And the Browns are the Browns of the ninth toughest schedule,

208
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:47,920
Speaker 1: So none of the a f C T North teams

209
00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,480
Speaker 1: are getting a break here with any of this, Like,

210
00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,040
Speaker 1: it's not it's not. Are you tell me there's a

211
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,079
Speaker 1: huge difference between for the Steelers to play Seattle where

212
00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,760
Speaker 1: the Browns to host the Cardinals. Not dramatically, I don't

213
00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,360
Speaker 1: want to play you wanna play Carlo, you wanna play

214
00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,000
Speaker 1: Kyler Murray? Right, they didn't get J. J. Watt. Well,

215
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,600
Speaker 1: they're gonna get to the c J J one now.

216
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,560
Speaker 1: So I retweeted this today from Football Outsiders. They do

217
00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:15,400
Speaker 1: a way too early projections for schedules as well, and

218
00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:23,400
Speaker 1: they're eight toughest are all in the NFC. It goes Chicago, Arizona, Rams, Vikings, Detroit, Seattle,

219
00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:28,640
Speaker 1: which are because those the NFC North teams are playing

220
00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,319
Speaker 1: the a f C North teams this year. Yeah right,

221
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,200
Speaker 1: right right, I mean, and they're not as good and

222
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,280
Speaker 1: they're they're gonna be dogs in those games. So they

223
00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:38,160
Speaker 1: have other you know, green Bay is gonna host some

224
00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,200
Speaker 1: teams and they're gonna be green Bay's not in that

225
00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,080
Speaker 1: mix if they get to play the Rams or the

226
00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,640
Speaker 1: Bears twice, the Lions twice, the Vikings, if you're the

227
00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:47,680
Speaker 1: Lions on here of the sixth their time with Cincinnati

228
00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,520
Speaker 1: for the sixth toughest schedule. The Packers are fourth, the

229
00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,719
Speaker 1: Vikings are fifth, the Bears are third. Like it's that's

230
00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,079
Speaker 1: it's the same thing because they're playing the an f

231
00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,520
Speaker 1: C North, all right, right, those teams are all good.

232
00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,640
Speaker 1: And then according to Aaron Shots, you know, football siders

233
00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:03,719
Speaker 1: the toughest in the a f C. He has the

234
00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:09,320
Speaker 1: Steelers with the toughest and then Indie Tennessee since but yeah, okay,

235
00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,760
Speaker 1: you know, but some of those I don't. I mean,

236
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:16,040
Speaker 1: what are you gonna straight? The schedule is weird? I

237
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,920
Speaker 1: mean last year's waiting percentage to me means nothing. No.

238
00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,920
Speaker 1: I like how Warren Sharp does it when the Vegas

239
00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,520
Speaker 1: odds come out of what your win totals are. I

240
00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:27,440
Speaker 1: also want to know where the games are going to

241
00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,960
Speaker 1: be played. Yeah, absolutely, that makes a huge difference. It

242
00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,200
Speaker 1: didn't last year because there were no fans in the stadium, right,

243
00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:34,199
Speaker 1: But what if it's your third road game in a row,

244
00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,000
Speaker 1: or when you're playing and where you're playing him got

245
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:42,480
Speaker 1: to host Baltimore. Um. If you look at this, the

246
00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,080
Speaker 1: Eagles have the easiest schedule because it look at their

247
00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,920
Speaker 1: divisions and their divisions. The Cowboys are second and the

248
00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,800
Speaker 1: Seconds the fourth place team in the worst division. But

249
00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,160
Speaker 1: you start looking at the Dolphins come out with an

250
00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,480
Speaker 1: easy schedule again, land easy schedule last year. Um, I

251
00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,960
Speaker 1: mean the Jets are on there twice, ya, Tampa Bay

252
00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:05,040
Speaker 1: is twenty nine. Here's the thing about like, let's say, okay,

253
00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,880
Speaker 1: so you got the Saints on your schedule. The Saints

254
00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:09,600
Speaker 1: are gonna be a much different team this year without

255
00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:11,600
Speaker 1: Drew Brees. I was about to mention the Niners and

256
00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:13,600
Speaker 1: some of the guys that they were, Yeah, the Niners are,

257
00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,000
Speaker 1: you know, really good example. Um, you know, but some

258
00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,840
Speaker 1: of these teams that you know, you know, going into

259
00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,199
Speaker 1: last season, you look like, well, you play the Patriots

260
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,880
Speaker 1: this year, but they don't Tom Brady right, No, again,

261
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,760
Speaker 1: last year's winning percentage to me is an okay but

262
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:33,640
Speaker 1: not great indicator that's changed too much. But um no,

263
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,160
Speaker 1: it's interesting. I mean, no one's gonna say the Steelers

264
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:39,000
Speaker 1: don't have a tough schedule, though. I mean, they have

265
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,959
Speaker 1: a tough schedule, and part of it is because you're

266
00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,160
Speaker 1: playing four of your six division games against really good teams. Yeah,

267
00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:45,520
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it is what it is. In

268
00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:50,640
Speaker 1: terms of the schedule itself. Um, you play who you play. Um, yes,

269
00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:54,280
Speaker 1: they're gonna have uh a tough go. You know, they

270
00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,160
Speaker 1: play a lot of upper tier quarterbacks this year. I guess,

271
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,760
Speaker 1: so the West is now straw Long and Lamar and

272
00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,319
Speaker 1: Baker's better than he was and Burrow and yeah, I

273
00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,880
Speaker 1: mean you're gonna get Aaron Rodgers. You're gonna play some

274
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,559
Speaker 1: of those guys. But it is what I mean, it's

275
00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:12,600
Speaker 1: the same for every other The Ravens are gonna play

276
00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,319
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers. The Browns are gonna play Aaron Rodgers. That's

277
00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,200
Speaker 1: a nice way the schedule set up to. It's like,

278
00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,520
Speaker 1: you know, yeah, if you play a first place team,

279
00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,800
Speaker 1: but that's only one. I guess it's two out of

280
00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,920
Speaker 1: seventeen games now and now it's three three out of

281
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,760
Speaker 1: second teams that are they're based on where you finished

282
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,080
Speaker 1: in your division, which is a little bit more weighted,

283
00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,160
Speaker 1: but still, you know, the teams you're directly competitive competing with,

284
00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,200
Speaker 1: the three or teams your division have the majority of

285
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,160
Speaker 1: the same schedule, which is a great way of doing it. Yeah,

286
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,040
Speaker 1: and I mean, so you know, for this year, yeah,

287
00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,080
Speaker 1: the Steelers get you know, they have to play the Chiefs. Okay,

288
00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,840
Speaker 1: they have to play uh Buffalo. They have to play

289
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:52,600
Speaker 1: who won the Who won the South? Lesh of the

290
00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:58,840
Speaker 1: Colts was the Titan Tennessee the tennesse Tennessee one, Tennessee one.

291
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:00,840
Speaker 1: I think because they do they Steelers play the Titans

292
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,080
Speaker 1: this year. Playing the Titans this year is not the

293
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,120
Speaker 1: same as playing them last year ago. No, Buffalo and

294
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,800
Speaker 1: Casey are could be walking apart. I don't think the

295
00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,400
Speaker 1: Ravens don't look like they're going to be as good

296
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,880
Speaker 1: this year as they were. Lean that way too. I mean,

297
00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:15,720
Speaker 1: I still want to see what they do in the draft.

298
00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,680
Speaker 1: And again, that's a franchise that you trust, right, but

299
00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:20,720
Speaker 1: they're not as good at Like everybody's talking about the

300
00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,880
Speaker 1: Steelers and what they lost. This guy in the last second,

301
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:25,320
Speaker 1: who is there? Who other than Zeitler? Who the Ravens

302
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,360
Speaker 1: added Sammy Watkins doesn't make them a better team. They're

303
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,600
Speaker 1: passing games any better. They lost all their edge rushers.

304
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,720
Speaker 1: Rush is worse. Um, the guard position was upgraded. That's fine,

305
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:36,760
Speaker 1: but he's not John Hannah and he's only one. They

306
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:38,240
Speaker 1: just get to get to play two of them, right

307
00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,640
Speaker 1: and Brown gets traded. I mean they may be more

308
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,960
Speaker 1: a line help in the mix. No, I mean I

309
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,440
Speaker 1: don't see them as being a better team right now

310
00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,720
Speaker 1: than they were. I think the Browns are. I think

311
00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:53,800
Speaker 1: the Browns are. They couldn't have been worse defensively. No, No,

312
00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,240
Speaker 1: I mean and they're gonna get Odell Beckham back. Yeah,

313
00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,280
Speaker 1: so I mean that's that's great. Um, But you know,

314
00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,640
Speaker 1: I don't see the Ravens don't. I know, they're not better.

315
00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,240
Speaker 1: They still have a left tackle. No, they've got issues.

316
00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,240
Speaker 1: We're a right tackle for them. I think Boffalo is

317
00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:11,120
Speaker 1: really strong. Yeah, I'm not sure that the South is scary.

318
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,840
Speaker 1: You know, Colts, Titans and just on the run of vision.

319
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,840
Speaker 1: The culture going to be completely different. I mean quarterback,

320
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,480
Speaker 1: they all their eggs are in the Carson Wentz basket. Yeah,

321
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,600
Speaker 1: that's a frightening Philip Rivers played well last year. He

322
00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:24,880
Speaker 1: did play well. He got better as the season went on. Right,

323
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,440
Speaker 1: is he gonna be Is Winz gonna be as good

324
00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,400
Speaker 1: as Philip Rivers was last year for them? I think

325
00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,400
Speaker 1: that's a conversation that needs to be had that people

326
00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,320
Speaker 1: aren't having. It's like, well, everyone's like, well, can he

327
00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,400
Speaker 1: can he turn Wentz back into a franchise quarterback maybe,

328
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,240
Speaker 1: but is it an upgrade over last year? Is really

329
00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:43,600
Speaker 1: the question. I don't think so. I'd be shocked. Yeah,

330
00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,040
Speaker 1: I mean right now, I'd bet no. I might change

331
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,160
Speaker 1: my tune after five games or something like, Oh when's

332
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,640
Speaker 1: the study got to see it though? Yeah, and you know,

333
00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,400
Speaker 1: I think we're both Went supporters. But it played like

334
00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,600
Speaker 1: garbage last year. It was really bad. And he's not

335
00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,640
Speaker 1: long injury history. Yeah, you know so, I mean some

336
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,120
Speaker 1: of the students much you saw him make Again, I

337
00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:02,920
Speaker 1: go back to the game against the Steelers where you

338
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,040
Speaker 1: saw him make some high level throws. You're like, and

339
00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:07,280
Speaker 1: that's that's what you see with that guy. But then

340
00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,160
Speaker 1: you watch him he's holding the ball too long, fumbling,

341
00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:12,760
Speaker 1: you know, those kind of things, like it's just the

342
00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,480
Speaker 1: same guy. He's been illegal. Now you can't make those

343
00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:19,400
Speaker 1: kind of mistakes. And back to Tennessee real quick. Their

344
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,959
Speaker 1: secondary got worse, their pass rush got a little better, um,

345
00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,920
Speaker 1: but their offensive weapons are not. And a coordinator that's

346
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,480
Speaker 1: to be the biggest loss. Like Tannehill's fine, but I

347
00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,960
Speaker 1: think Arthur Smith made Tannehill more the other way round. Yeah,

348
00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,679
Speaker 1: and what's Henry? I mean Henry is awesome, but he

349
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:40,639
Speaker 1: could fall off a cliff in a heartbeat. Oh. I

350
00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,160
Speaker 1: mean he's got six hundred, seven hundred touches the last

351
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:44,919
Speaker 1: two years, two years, right, how long is that going

352
00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,200
Speaker 1: to keep? You know, he's a physical freak. But O

353
00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,520
Speaker 1: Campbell wore out too. You know, those guys, the big guys,

354
00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:52,919
Speaker 1: at some point when they and when they lose it,

355
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,119
Speaker 1: they lose it. Yeah, it's a little bit of a

356
00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:58,960
Speaker 1: fragile team building. And they really drafted very well. Yeah,

357
00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,720
Speaker 1: they really don't have a backup planned there for him.

358
00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,280
Speaker 1: Isaiah Wilson's not even football last year, their first round

359
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,760
Speaker 1: pick is no longer in football. Cry Jackson another recent

360
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,520
Speaker 1: first round pick. You know, they haven't built great the

361
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,879
Speaker 1: last couple of years. Yeah, So that that's you know,

362
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,600
Speaker 1: that's maybe a little bit of a house of cards,

363
00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,640
Speaker 1: could be. That's a team I expect to go backwards. So,

364
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,040
Speaker 1: you know, I think somebody's gotta win the South. I

365
00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,199
Speaker 1: would imagine the Colts. I mean, the Jags aren't ready Houston.

366
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,679
Speaker 1: Houston's house is gonna be bad. It's just a bad division,

367
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,199
Speaker 1: bad division. So therefore, you know, when you look at it,

368
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,680
Speaker 1: that like the team and I don't even know which

369
00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,240
Speaker 1: division matches up with them in the a f C,

370
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,840
Speaker 1: but whichever one it is is getting getting some freebees.

371
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,040
Speaker 1: I mean, even this is way you get ahead of ourselves.

372
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,280
Speaker 1: Seven playoff teams. If only one comes out of the South,

373
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:46,760
Speaker 1: it's only gonna be one. Probably only gonna be one, right,

374
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,720
Speaker 1: I mean that's the winner, might be nine and eight. Yeah,

375
00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:51,920
Speaker 1: that's very possible. It feels weird to say that. I

376
00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,440
Speaker 1: don't think I've said that yet. Yeah, so you know,

377
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:57,240
Speaker 1: it gives a Steelers as good a chance as any

378
00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,240
Speaker 1: to be one of those other six. Yeah, I think.

379
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,840
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I think some teams in the

380
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:03,560
Speaker 1: West have done that. You know, Denver has done some

381
00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:08,960
Speaker 1: good stuff, um right now, Drew Locks or quarterback. Yeah,

382
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:10,880
Speaker 1: the Chargers. But I'm a charge of believer. Every year.

383
00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,960
Speaker 1: Can they get can they get past Kansas City? What

384
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:15,680
Speaker 1: they have to? I mean, but I think they could

385
00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,040
Speaker 1: win ten games? I mean first year head coach though,

386
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,439
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm always on the Charger train, and they

387
00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:23,080
Speaker 1: always let you down. They always let you down. It's

388
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,760
Speaker 1: a new coach, I mean, but you got to rebuild

389
00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,080
Speaker 1: that culture, right, you know. I mean I'm a Herbert

390
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,000
Speaker 1: believer and they've added some piece of steel. You get

391
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,200
Speaker 1: to see him next year. Yeah, that'll be fine. Yeah, yeah,

392
00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,960
Speaker 1: be interesting, But he is Matt Williamson. I'm dal Ali.

393
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,119
Speaker 1: We're gonna take another break. We want to thank you

394
00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,280
Speaker 1: Jacob Breck for keeping us on the air throughout the

395
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:41,879
Speaker 1: course of the show, and we want to thank you

396
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,159
Speaker 1: for listening to this edition of The Drive on Steelers

397
00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:46,520
Speaker 1: Nation Radio