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Speaker 1: At least he's The Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt

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Speaker 1: Williamson on Home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 1: All Right, welcome to the Drive by Dale Lolling here

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Speaker 1: with Matt Williamson, and it is a rainy Friday here

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Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh. Um. The Steelers finishing up Phase two of

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Speaker 1: their O t A sessions yesterday, and we'll get into

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Speaker 1: phase three next week. While plenty to talk about then,

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Speaker 1: and one of the main topics Matt over the next

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Speaker 1: few weeks here, over the next actually a couple of months,

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Speaker 1: will be the contract status is of the Steelers pending

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Speaker 1: free agents at the end of the season, the two

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Speaker 1: most notable, Deonte Johnson and make of Fitzpatrick. We've talked

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Speaker 1: about Deonte a couple of weeks ago in his contract situation,

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Speaker 1: but I thought would be a good time to talk

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Speaker 1: about makea Fitzpatrick's situation. And one thing I wanted to

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Speaker 1: bring up here. I know people were talking about this

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Speaker 1: situation like, boy, what if Miko holds out? Nobody's gonna

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Speaker 1: hold out that that is a thing of a bygone

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Speaker 1: era in the NFL. It's forty dollars a day mandatory fine. Uh,

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Speaker 1: if you skip training camp and they can't waive the

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Speaker 1: fine at the end of the when you do sign

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Speaker 1: a new contract, which is what used to happen when

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Speaker 1: those guys would hold You see guys getting oh he's

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Speaker 1: getting fined ten thousand dollars a day. Well then after

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Speaker 1: you know, at the end, when he when he finally

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Speaker 1: signs his contractor reports, they would you know, part of

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Speaker 1: the contract negotiations would be that that you would waive

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Speaker 1: those fines. That doesn't happen anymore. You can't do that

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Speaker 1: under the new cb A. So nobody is skipping camps.

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Speaker 1: That's what we saw hold ins last year as opposed

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Speaker 1: to hold outs. That's a good point. I've got the

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Speaker 1: hold in term um. It's one of my favorite things

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Speaker 1: about the new CBA. Honestly, I mean, I just thought

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Speaker 1: holdouts were really bad for the fans, and to be honest,

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Speaker 1: took me back to when I was a kid, a

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Speaker 1: teenager and didn't quite understand the finances of it as much.

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Speaker 1: And I would just be like, what do you mean

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Speaker 1: my favorite players not with my favorite team anymore? You know,

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Speaker 1: why are they fighting? You know? Why is money? And dad,

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Speaker 1: you're not happy, you know, And The reason for that

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Speaker 1: is the guy's under contract. Because you're under contract, you

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Speaker 1: are obligated to show up for mandatory stuff and training camp.

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Speaker 1: Last time I checked his mandatory. That's what contracts are

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Speaker 1: in any walk of life, you know, right. And then

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Speaker 1: the players always, well the team, they don't necessarily live

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Speaker 1: up to the contracts. They could just cut you. Okay,

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Speaker 1: they could do that, but everybody know that when the

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Speaker 1: contract signed, right, You know that when it's signed that

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Speaker 1: they as a possibility that they could cut you. That's

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Speaker 1: why you should get the signing bonus and everything with it,

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Speaker 1: paying that back if you get cut right, right, everyone

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Speaker 1: works works both ways. And yeah, the Steelers have traditionally

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Speaker 1: not they don't. They won't talk to a guy who's

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Speaker 1: under contract who is holding out right, That makes perfect sense.

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Speaker 1: You're not here, I'm not going to talk to you.

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Speaker 1: We have a contract. You show live up to your

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Speaker 1: your side of the deal, and we'll live you know,

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Speaker 1: we'll then we'll talk um. Right, So I think that

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Speaker 1: actually makes contracts happen better, you know, being in the

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Speaker 1: facilities good for all involved. I mean, there's some weird ones,

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Speaker 1: like the Shaun Watson last year, which is as weird

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Speaker 1: as you can get where he's at training camp and whatnot,

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Speaker 1: and everyone knows he's not gonna play for them. And

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Speaker 1: I don't know if he's like playing safety for them

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Speaker 1: or what. But even like the TJ stuff last year,

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Speaker 1: to me, you know better than me, but it seemed

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Speaker 1: like sort of a mutual decision. Is Yeah, well, we

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Speaker 1: love you so much. You know, we don't want you

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Speaker 1: getting hurt anyway. You know, we don't need to stress

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Speaker 1: your body. You know, we trust you to stay in

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Speaker 1: shape and be the top player you can. As we

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Speaker 1: talk about contracts stuff, so you know, it's all good,

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Speaker 1: you know. I mean, I think that's a good thing.

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Speaker 1: And again I think you just said this, but just

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Speaker 1: to regiterate, like the old days, you were like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: when we make the new deal, will just cut out

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Speaker 1: all those dollar fines that happened, you know, ten practices

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Speaker 1: you missed. Well you're not allowed to anymore, you know,

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Speaker 1: like you're that have to pay it. Yeah, you have

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Speaker 1: to pay it. I bring this up as well because

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Speaker 1: if you've watched now, we haven't been able to to

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Speaker 1: to physically be at any of the O t A

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Speaker 1: sessions other than the rookie minicamp. But if you've watched

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Speaker 1: some of the photos and things of that nature that

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Speaker 1: the Steelers are put out on their social media and

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Speaker 1: on their website, makeing Fitzpatrick's been at all the O

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Speaker 1: T A sessions, or at least a good a good

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Speaker 1: portion of them. He's not worried about this contract status.

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Speaker 1: And here's why I looked this up. Even at his

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Speaker 1: franchise tag value this year, Uh it's I think it's

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Speaker 1: ten points almost ten point seven million dollars that makes him,

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Speaker 1: I believe, the eighth highest paid safety in the league. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: right right. It's far different from t J. Wants situation

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Speaker 1: last year, where he was making if on his fifty

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Speaker 1: year option deal was was like ten point two million

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Speaker 1: dollars that made him the fifteenth highest paid edge rusher.

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Speaker 1: And one thing he laid out his contract was less

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Speaker 1: than half of that of BOSSA and and uh Myles Garrett,

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Speaker 1: So he was making less than half of the highest

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Speaker 1: paid guys, whereas t J. Wats making about of what

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Speaker 1: the highest the highest paid yeah or make I'm sorry

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Speaker 1: make is And one thing you've laid out really well

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Speaker 1: this offseason, and I feel like I need to do

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Speaker 1: more research on is not every fifth year option and

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Speaker 1: subsequent franchise tag is created equal, you know, by any

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Speaker 1: stretch of the imagination. And I think a lot of

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Speaker 1: our listeners probably don't understand that. Like I always use

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Speaker 1: this example and this doesn't really apply. But because Aaron

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Speaker 1: Donald is so much better than all the defensive tackles

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Speaker 1: on the planet, franchising him is a disservice to him

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Speaker 1: because he's not one of the best five. He's far

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Speaker 1: and away number one. It's it's ten million dollars under

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Speaker 1: what he would have what he should have been paid,

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Speaker 1: what he deserved, you know, per year. Same thing with

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Speaker 1: t J. Watt. I mean, even if you looked at

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Speaker 1: the franchise tag with him, it was half of what

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Speaker 1: he actually deserved. As it is that, you know, a

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Speaker 1: two time finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year

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Speaker 1: award and then finally winning it last year. I mean,

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Speaker 1: he he deserved to be paid what he got paid.

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Speaker 1: That's the going rate, you know, and obviously the dealers

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Speaker 1: didn't box it that um. Again, fifth year options aren't

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Speaker 1: always the same. It depends worth of the player has

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Speaker 1: accomplished to that point. Pro Bowls and things of that nature.

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Speaker 1: You know so. But still safeties aren't that aren't aren't

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Speaker 1: that highly paid? Still? You know, I mean I think

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Speaker 1: that's slowly changing across the league. But you can still

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Speaker 1: get Edmunds like bargain safeties. I don't know that you

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Speaker 1: can get the studs. That's yere one guys, the mincas

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Speaker 1: you know, much cheaper, much longer. But now's the time

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Speaker 1: to me to lock him up to a long term

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Speaker 1: deal because the Durwin's and you know who whoever, you know,

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Speaker 1: the next generation. I think the league is going to

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Speaker 1: realize safeties are a little more valuable than giving credit

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Speaker 1: for it. They're not considered a premier position, but boy,

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Speaker 1: it's sure nice to have one that can do a

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Speaker 1: lot of things. Yeah, it's nice to have that, that

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Speaker 1: tool in the in the toolbox. If you look at, um,

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Speaker 1: the highest paid safeties in the right now, Jamal Adams

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Speaker 1: is seventeen and a half million dollars per year. That's

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Speaker 1: a bad contract, a bad contract, right, Um. Yeah, Harrison's

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Speaker 1: Smith's average. Yeah, you know, Harrison Smith comes in at

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Speaker 1: sixteen million dollars a year and he's probably gonna get cut.

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Speaker 1: We should say they use the first round pick on

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Speaker 1: a similar style safety. I mean, if it's about this year,

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Speaker 1: he's gonna be Yeah, he's gonna be out next year.

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Speaker 1: He's thirty three years old. I mean he's nearing the end.

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Speaker 1: Justin Simmons is at fifteen to five, Buddha Bakers at

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Speaker 1: fourteen seven five, Eddie Jackson at fourteen six, Kevin Bayard

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Speaker 1: is fourteen one, Marcus Williams fourteen, Quadre Diggs Quadriy Diggs.

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Speaker 1: I should say thirteen million dollars. And then Jesse Jesse

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Speaker 1: Bates is going to be an interesting one here. He

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Speaker 1: is because two or three, Yeah, they franchise tagged him

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Speaker 1: and he has said that he's not going to sign

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Speaker 1: the franchise tag. Now what that means is he's not

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Speaker 1: under contract. So he could hold out a training camp

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Speaker 1: because he's not a football player. Because he's not under contract.

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Speaker 1: He has it, he has it. Yeah, he has an

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Speaker 1: offer on the table, but he doesn't have to sign it.

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Speaker 1: And he's not. You know, so the Bengals are cut

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Speaker 1: in a tough spot. That numbers twelve point nine million

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Speaker 1: dollars and he wants a new deal as he deserves.

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Speaker 1: I mean those safeties you listed there, I'm gonna go

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Speaker 1: back to Bates in a minute. But are all high

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Speaker 1: end quality starters, the Buddha Bakers and Digs and not

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Speaker 1: all of them are probably household names. Justin Simmons to

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Speaker 1: me is the best of the group and the highest

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Speaker 1: compensated of the group that you mentioned there, behind Adams

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Speaker 1: and Smith, because I think they're kind of well Simmons

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Speaker 1: but I know, but I mean, if I'm Maka's agent,

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Speaker 1: I'm starting with the Simmons contract. Um. We'll get back

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Speaker 1: that in a second though. But Bates, to me, knowing

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Speaker 1: that organization and knowing what they did in the draft,

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Speaker 1: could he be a trade candidate. I think there's a

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Speaker 1: potential for that because they drafted three safeties and you know,

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Speaker 1: you've got a twenty five year old guy here who

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm sure they would love to have him.

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Speaker 1: But if he's going to you know, if he's gonna

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Speaker 1: hold out, uh, that that's not gonna happen. I don't

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Speaker 1: see them caving on that. You know. The other interesting

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Speaker 1: thing about this is that Adams and Quadri Digs are

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Speaker 1: on the same team, which made the Adams trade even dumber.

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Speaker 1: To me, they're paying their two safeties an average of

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Speaker 1: thirty and a half million dollars. Wow, and they're not

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Speaker 1: even like close to the Bills safeties, no production and

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Speaker 1: value and all that. I'd rather I would rather have

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Speaker 1: Minca and and Edmonds as opposed to Jamal Adams and

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Speaker 1: Quandary Digs. I mean, they're both good players, but I

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Speaker 1: think Maca is the best players. Minka is clearly one. Yeah, yeah, no,

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Speaker 1: I hear you. But if I'm Minca, I think I

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Speaker 1: wanted Simmons plus. Yeah, and I that's a sixty one

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Speaker 1: million dollar deal. Um, there are people who, well, the

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Speaker 1: Steelers shouldn't pay that. First of all, it's not your money.

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Speaker 1: They have a one over four. Is that what you said? Uh,

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Speaker 1: it's uh sixty one million dollars. I'm looking here of

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Speaker 1: the contract. It was a four year, sixty one million

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Speaker 1: dollar contract with thirty five million and guarantees thirty two

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Speaker 1: thirty two million of which was fully guaranteed at signing. Okay, see,

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Speaker 1: I think that's what the Steelers and Mincam maybe settle

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Speaker 1: on right in the neighborhood. Yeah, I mean that's a yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's that's fifteen million a year, uh, fifteen plus million

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Speaker 1: a year. His cap numbers are five point seven five

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Speaker 1: and what that's what he signed a deal eighteen eight,

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Speaker 1: eighteen one, eighteen two over the final three years of

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Speaker 1: the deal. I'm sitting next to my printer and my

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Speaker 1: daughter's room and it's starting to go off. So my apologies,

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Speaker 1: but I think hopefully that doesn't catch on here. But

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Speaker 1: such as life have radio, Um, I didn't make his

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Speaker 1: worth every penny of that, to be very honest with you,

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Speaker 1: especially with the nature of this team in terms of

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Speaker 1: long term leaders in building blocks, the amount of up

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Speaker 1: space the Steelers have next year which they could either

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Speaker 1: have him influence that heavily or not. The number of

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Speaker 1: contracts they have coming up that are looming, which isn't many.

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Speaker 1: And I very much believe the salary cap is gonna

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Speaker 1: go up even more than people realize. I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: like if you get him fifteen year, two years from now,

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Speaker 1: we might be talking about that's one of the best

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Speaker 1: contracts in the league. Well, that's the thing. I like.

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Speaker 1: I've heard people say, well, they shouldn't make him the

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Speaker 1: highest paid safety in the league, which will be seventeen

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Speaker 1: six or something like that in the average per year.

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Speaker 1: Here's the thing. The day he signs that contract. Uh,

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Speaker 1: he'll be the highest paid safety for about five seconds,

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Speaker 1: right right right, that's how that That's just the way

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Speaker 1: it goes. And then the next guy will overshoot that,

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Speaker 1: and in two years from now, he'll be the seventh

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Speaker 1: highest paid safety in the league. It's a reality. Dj

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Speaker 1: Is won't be the highest paid edge guy for long. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I'm looking here at spot track and they're they're estimating

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Speaker 1: the the adjusted salary cap for two eighteen million dollars.

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Speaker 1: I'm here to tell you it's probably gonna be more

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Speaker 1: than that, just the way owners have spent this offseason.

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Speaker 1: Owners and owners know, but owners and agents to mean

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Speaker 1: have the best idea of what the league is making

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Speaker 1: and where the caple then go from there and the revenues,

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Speaker 1: and this the way spending went in the style of

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Speaker 1: spending indicates to me that if it wasn't for COVID,

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Speaker 1: the salary cap probably twenty five million more than it

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Speaker 1: is now. And we'll get there soon, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean. Yeah, I'm looking here. So according to the

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Speaker 1: spot track, this is based on a two eighteen point

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Speaker 1: two million dollar adjusted salary cap. The Steelers have fifty

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Speaker 1: two point four million dollars in cap space going into

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Speaker 1: next year, it's gonna probably end up being more than that.

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Speaker 1: If you start looking at the contracts that they have.

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Speaker 1: Watt's contract is twenty seven point one million, Kim Hayward

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Speaker 1: is a twenty two point to five. Uh Chooks are

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Speaker 1: core for his thirteen million miles. Jack is eleven to five,

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Speaker 1: James Daniels eleven one six ms. Robiskie is ten point six.

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Speaker 1: That's because all those guys signed, you know, short term

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Speaker 1: deals that gave the team some cap relief this year,

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Speaker 1: but they it does start to go up. Mason Cole

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Speaker 1: six point nine, Levi Wallace is five point four, um

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Speaker 1: a Kello Weatherspoon is five point four. They basically signed

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Speaker 1: the same deal. And you look, I mean, Najia Harris

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Speaker 1: is three point five five million, Like that's that's the

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Speaker 1: things fall off rather quickly after that, right, you're so young.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that's the beauty of this. And if your

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Speaker 1: quarterback involved, if you look at the calculated market values

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Speaker 1: of some of those top players, spots tracks saying t

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Speaker 1: J what is worth twenty seven point eight million, Well

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Speaker 1: he's at twenty seven point one next year, so you

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Speaker 1: know they kind of get a bargain on them. Deonte

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Speaker 1: Johnson's calculated market value twenty two million dollars because receivers

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Speaker 1: are expensive now, because receivers cost a lot of money,

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Speaker 1: make us Fitzpatrick's market value fifteen point three million. These

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Speaker 1: all add up to me. These aren't astonishing numbers at all.

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Speaker 1: To me, um two nuggets just to throw, and they

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Speaker 1: are kind of big picture thinking on this. I know

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Speaker 1: you're on spot track. I just went over the cap

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Speaker 1: and according to them, the Steelers have sixty ish you

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Speaker 1: know to spend, which is more than every team in

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Speaker 1: the league except the Patriots, Seahawks, and Bears. You know,

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Speaker 1: like immediate cap problems are not an issue for the

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Speaker 1: Steelers at all. And then I even clicked it all

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Speaker 1: the way to two thousand four and there's only like

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Speaker 1: six or seven teams ahead of them, you know, like

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Speaker 1: they don't have all these huge things kicking in. Pat

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Speaker 1: Malmes deal escalates, you know, because you're not paying the quarterback.

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Speaker 1: We've talked about this a thousand times now. To me,

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Speaker 1: this is what all last year was about. And this

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Speaker 1: should be Kevin Colbert's final legacy, not whether it ken

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Speaker 1: pick it turns into Lamar Jackson or not, you know,

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Speaker 1: I mean like setting the team up in this way,

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Speaker 1: was the expense of having to play football the way

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Speaker 1: they did for a year and the big picture, it's

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Speaker 1: beautiful to me, but fue will understand it or recognize it.

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Speaker 1: And the other thing I think you have to analyze,

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Speaker 1: particularly with the Minka contract, the wat contract, these big

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Speaker 1: ones are not honously the highest paid safety in the

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Speaker 1: league or two years ago that would be an astronomical number.

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Speaker 1: What really matters is what percentage of the salary cap?

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Speaker 1: You know, I mean the pie keeps getting bigger. You

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Speaker 1: can't judge things the same way. Yeah, if you look

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Speaker 1: at it, t J. Watt next year, this again, according

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Speaker 1: to spot track, is twelve point four percent of the

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Speaker 1: salary cap. Cam Heyward is ten point two. Chokes a

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Speaker 1: core for a six percent, Miles jack is five percent,

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Speaker 1: James Daniel is five That you can live with those

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Speaker 1: numbers because yeah, I mean that the young guys if

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Speaker 1: you play, if we go back to say I'm just

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Speaker 1: calling up seen here and we look at the I

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Speaker 1: gotta get it. It's it's asking for my password here,

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Speaker 1: But I'll get there. So Ben Roethlisberger and seven team

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Speaker 1: was ten point basically ten point eight percent of the

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Speaker 1: salary cap. Antonio Brown was eight percent, Levy on Bell

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Speaker 1: was seven percent and didn't play a snap. Markus Pouncey

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Speaker 1: was six point five percent. David DeCastro was six point

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Speaker 1: five percent. So you know, you're you're in line with, yeah,

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Speaker 1: with what those guys were, your core guys. If we

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Speaker 1: take that was that, If we take that teen Ben

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Speaker 1: Roethlisberger was twelve eight percent of your salary cap, and

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Speaker 1: hopefully Kenny Picket or Trabisky turns into Ben and you

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Speaker 1: make them fifteen percent year salary cap. You know, but

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Speaker 1: you don't have to worry about that for four years, right,

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Speaker 1: you know, it's it's certainly you know, it doesn't kick in.

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Speaker 1: If we look at the why two salary cap situation,

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Speaker 1: um t J. Watt this year is fourteen point four

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Speaker 1: six percent of the salary cap because his he has

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Speaker 1: a cap hit of thirty one point one million dollars

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Speaker 1: this year, Well that number goes down then in the

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Speaker 1: years after this, right, I mean the weather that this

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Speaker 1: year and then the following years, he's gonna be a

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Speaker 1: bargain for his paragraph five or whatever. You know, cam

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Speaker 1: Hey Warred is eight percent of the salary cap, Steffon

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Speaker 1: two at his six point four and then Fitzpatrick is

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Speaker 1: four point nine three, and then everybody else's Devin Bush

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Speaker 1: is two point seven nine, Cam Sutton two point four two.

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Speaker 1: I mean they, yeah, they've they've set themselves up well

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Speaker 1: in that. In regards to that, I mean, you get

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Speaker 1: down Deante Johnson right now for two is one point

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Speaker 1: four or three percent of the team salary cap. He's

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Speaker 1: being paid less than Joe hag He's being paid less

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Speaker 1: than might Mason Rudolph. He's being paid less than j

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Speaker 1: Derek Watt, Chris b as well. Uh, you know, so

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Speaker 1: the people talking about well, D'ante Johns just let him.

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Speaker 1: He stinks this that the other thing, he's been a

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Speaker 1: bargain for a long time. At some point, yeah, at

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Speaker 1: some point that the price comes due on on guys

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Speaker 1: who were who weren't first round draft picks, but who

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Speaker 1: turned into stars. See. I've been given these two contracts

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Speaker 1: a lot more thought the last couple of days, and

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Speaker 1: I don't see any argument at all against Anti Minco.

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Speaker 1: I mean, like, to me, that's an easy one. It's

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Speaker 1: right there with what he's not as valuable as what.

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Speaker 1: But in all in where this team is, that's an

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Speaker 1: extension all day long. That signs he's also he's also

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Speaker 1: gonna get ten million dollars less than one that's I

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Speaker 1: mean right, I mean he's not he's not that same salary.

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Speaker 1: He's not as good a player, but relatively speaking, he's

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Speaker 1: in the same neighborhood for the position he plays and

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Speaker 1: the value to the team and all that good stuff.

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Speaker 1: I'm a little less bullish than you are on Deonte,

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Speaker 1: and it's not anything against him, But my argument anti

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Speaker 1: dog Deonte is what you just said, is he's that

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Speaker 1: that receiver room's in like two million a year, And

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Speaker 1: if Pickens is really good this year, and you draft

359
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Speaker 1: another one in the second round next year, and you

360
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Speaker 1: can just keep that formula going and Deonte brings you

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Speaker 1: back a comp pic when it's all said and done.

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Speaker 1: I'm at least open to that one. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: still I'm not unopened to that. But Chase Chase Claypole

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Speaker 1: had better take a big step forward this year for

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Speaker 1: me to feel two of those three have to be good.

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Speaker 1: You know what I mean. It can't, it can't do well.

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Speaker 1: George Pickens is good. We can let Deonte Johnson walk. No,

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Speaker 1: all right, Where I was going with that is I

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Speaker 1: might consider franchising Deontay just to buy a year to

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Speaker 1: see if I want to invest or do I want

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Speaker 1: to draft? Yeah? I created with that the franchise tag

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Speaker 1: number at wide receiver. Um, I'm sure. Yeah, it's gonna

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Speaker 1: because of the big contracts that have been signed there.

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Speaker 1: The franchise tag number of wide receiver still eighteen point

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Speaker 1: four million. So I mean, if I'm Deonte, most people

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Speaker 1: get offended by I went a long term deal. I'll

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Speaker 1: take eighteen million guaranteed after making two this year and

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Speaker 1: for one season and shot my wares again. Like I

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Speaker 1: would consider that option with him, I would not with Manka.

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Speaker 1: I think it also sends the wrong message to Manka. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I agree. I mean the the franchise tag. If Manke

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Speaker 1: is one of your building blocks, I get it. If

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Speaker 1: people don't think that that Deante Johnson is a long term,

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Speaker 1: you know, building block. I get that. I can get

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Speaker 1: that people. But the people who are he is. But

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Speaker 1: the people who are saying that he's he's not any good. No,

387
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Speaker 1: they're crazy, are out of their minds. Yeah that's nuts. Yeah, again,

388
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Speaker 1: that's not at all a negative at all towards Johnson.

389
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Speaker 1: It's just you have a lot of cards in your

390
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Speaker 1: hands and a great history of using day two picks

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Speaker 1: on successful receivers. But I also don't want to be

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Speaker 1: the team that has sixty million to spend every year

393
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Speaker 1: and you never spend it on anybody. You know. Well,

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Speaker 1: that's the other thing. If I mean, if you look

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Speaker 1: at if you look at this year's salary cap, as

396
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Speaker 1: I mentioned, Derek Watt is your highest paid offensive player

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Speaker 1: this year in terms of brought up. I find that funny.

398
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Speaker 1: But and you were just talking about his salary four

399
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Speaker 1: point what his cap hit is this year, it makes

400
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Speaker 1: him the highest paid offensive player at four point seven

401
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Speaker 1: one three million dollars. That is two point one nine

402
00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,879
Speaker 1: of the team's salary cap. I mean, obviously guys like

403
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,000
Speaker 1: Chucks are bringing in more money this year than what

404
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Speaker 1: but the way that you know, they were just recently signed,

405
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,639
Speaker 1: so they're not big cap hits this year. It's you know,

406
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Speaker 1: it's it's in the future. And I'm sure my buddy

407
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,800
Speaker 1: sent me that text and half the text stread. You know,

408
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Speaker 1: normal Steeler fans are like, that's crazy. You have to

409
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Speaker 1: cut him all they see is he's the highest watch

410
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Speaker 1: would never be the highest paid anything. And I'm like,

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Speaker 1: four million for a special team or is fine? I mean,

412
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Speaker 1: And they did this to themselves because last year they

413
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Speaker 1: restructured him. He should have been about four point two

414
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Speaker 1: million dollars this year. They restructured him last year to

415
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,840
Speaker 1: create some cap additional cap space, and pushed that number

416
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Speaker 1: up to four point seven this year. So you know,

417
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Speaker 1: they did that with the idea that he's going to

418
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Speaker 1: be on the team exactly. He's not going anywhere. You know,

419
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Speaker 1: they like him. Yeah, And my point was, guys, you're

420
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Speaker 1: missing the point. If your most quote overpaid guy on

421
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Speaker 1: the offense is a fullback special team or that maybe

422
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Speaker 1: he's making a million more than he should, that's a

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Speaker 1: drop in the ocean. That's nothing. What you should look

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Speaker 1: at is this is an unbelievably young, talented offense. It

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Speaker 1: isn't making anybody that's rare and very cheap yet advantage

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Speaker 1: very cheap. I mean in terms of bang for the buck.

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Speaker 1: M hm. You can make the argument that the offense

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Speaker 1: is probably going to be a better value than the defense.

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Speaker 1: I can make the argument, and I don't know the

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Speaker 1: rest of the league as well. But I feel pretty

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Speaker 1: strong that per penny spent, the Steelers offense will get

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Speaker 1: more on the field than any unit in the league. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you win if you're twenty or twenty second because you

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Speaker 1: got the lowest paid offense in the league, right and

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Speaker 1: spend all or spend. What they'll get is a massive bargain.

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Speaker 1: And again, you don't want to be the pirates. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm not saying, and that's why, that's why you

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Speaker 1: do have to sign some guys. You can't just let

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Speaker 1: them all walk because that sounds wrong in your locker room.

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Speaker 1: I mean, maybe next year, this is uncharacteristic. A stud

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Speaker 1: left tackle on his rookie deal comes up and Dan

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Speaker 1: Moore wasn't great, and you make them the high faith

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00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,359
Speaker 1: left go in the league, or defensive lineman or whatever.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you could do that. I mean, at this time,

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Speaker 1: there's not a ton of dudes begging for massive contracts

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Speaker 1: like they're the offensive line. The offensive line equivalent of

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Speaker 1: Miles Jack becomes available or Joe Hayden becomes available. That happens,

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Speaker 1: and you go get them, and then you go get them.

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Speaker 1: You have the money to sign them, so it's all.

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Speaker 1: You know, it's it's all relative. I mean, you have

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Speaker 1: to look at the big picture. You can't just say, well,

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Speaker 1: the Steelers need to cut this guy or cut that guy.

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Speaker 1: They don't need to cut anybody, folks. They don't got anybody.

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Speaker 1: They have plenty they have. They've got twelve million dollars

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Speaker 1: in cap space right now. They're in perfectly fine shape

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Speaker 1: to sign all of their draft picks and still have

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Speaker 1: money left over to do stuff into the season. They

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00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,960
Speaker 1: don't have to make a single move to get under

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Speaker 1: the cap or anything of that nature. So everybody who's

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Speaker 1: on this roster this year will be on the roster

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Speaker 1: based on merit. Yeah, assuming they don't screw it up,

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Speaker 1: you know, like the plan is to This was the

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Speaker 1: plan again. This is how people should remember Kevin Colbert's

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Speaker 1: legacy is setting the team up to be so fluid,

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Speaker 1: you know right now. I mean it's like having all

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Speaker 1: your all your money stuck in one stock you can't sell.

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Speaker 1: You know, you want this fluidity. Like I know they're

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00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:22,080
Speaker 1: probably not after a receiver, but you could have the A. J.

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Speaker 1: Brown version of a corner next year and you're the

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00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 1: theme that goes and gets him if you feel like

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00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,720
Speaker 1: there may be another situation where making Fitzpatrick becomes available

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Speaker 1: and you have the cap space to add that guy.

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Speaker 1: Exactly yeah, exactly right. I mean you're one of the

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Speaker 1: five teams that can do it. You know that. That's

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Speaker 1: hugely valuable. Yeah, absolutely, but it was. We're gonna take

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Speaker 1: a break He is Matt Williams and I am Dale Lally.

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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Drive. You never lose your own

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Speaker 1: I say that five million times the show, it seems like,

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Speaker 1: and anyone that comes up that you want to keep,

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Speaker 1: you never lose. That's so valuable. Yeah. Absolutely, we're gonna

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Speaker 1: take a breakdown. We'll be back with more right after this.