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

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

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Speaker 1: Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Drive. I am Dale Lolly here with

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Speaker 2: the Matt Williamson and our special guest today Wesley Yuler

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Speaker 2: also here sitting in with us as we are live

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Speaker 2: from the Steelers OTA sessions here at the upmc rooney

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Speaker 2: Sports Complex here on the Pittsburgh South Side. And well

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Speaker 2: we've got a little bit of a delayed start here

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Speaker 2: because we had some technical difficulties. But here we are

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Speaker 2: on the air, Steelers on the practice field as we speak,

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Speaker 2: taking in their first OTA sessions. This will be the

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Speaker 2: first of six that they do over the next two

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Speaker 2: weeks and they will follow that up then by doing

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Speaker 2: their regular mini camp that that's a mandatory session, the

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Speaker 2: mini camp. But guys, football like activities going on in

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Speaker 2: front of us.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd even goes so far as to say it's

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Speaker 3: more than that. I mean they're actually doing some real

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Speaker 3: stuff here. I mean we're not going to see banging.

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Speaker 3: And you know, again we always say this is kindergarten

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Speaker 3: and eventually need to get the you know, advanced level

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Speaker 3: college courses in order to get where you want to

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Speaker 3: be over the course of the season. But this is

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Speaker 3: the beginning points, you know. I mean a lot of

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Speaker 3: energy here, a lot of new faces. I mean that

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Speaker 3: we just got handed rosters. There was a handful of

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Speaker 3: guys that I couldn't even find on the website yet,

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Speaker 3: you know, I'm like, who's that? He looks all right,

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Speaker 3: you know, But that's what many camp's all about.

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Speaker 4: Sure is it kind of feels like, you know, if

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Speaker 4: if the NFL season is like a big rock concert, right,

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Speaker 4: this is kind of like the first warm up band

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Speaker 4: to go, right.

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Speaker 2: Two nice analogy, whoever's.

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Speaker 4: Coming on as the headliner OTAs is when it really

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Speaker 4: starts to feel like the show, right, and then training

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Speaker 4: camp a little bit closer, and then and then you

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Speaker 4: really get going. But this is I think when it

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Speaker 4: starts to feel like the new year. You know, we're

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Speaker 4: close to June. We're much closer, I think than we

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Speaker 4: are further away.

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Speaker 2: This will be the first of about, oh I don't know,

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Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty practices that the Steelers will have

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Speaker 2: over the next eight or nine months, depending on how

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Speaker 2: long things go, you know.

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Speaker 3: And it really is that anyhow, really think that's a

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Speaker 3: big number. You're crazy, But that's depending how long they

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Speaker 3: last in the playoffs or whatever.

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Speaker 2: You can get to get there pretty easily, trust me,

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Speaker 2: man or for all of them.

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Speaker 3: Right, there's number one.

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Speaker 2: Do what do you I watch football?

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Speaker 3: Watch football?

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Speaker 2: Right, so I do. Sometimes you pick some things up

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Speaker 2: watching football practices. You can pick things up just watching

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Speaker 2: these now, just.

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Speaker 3: To pull the curtain back, yeah, we should tell you.

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Speaker 2: We're not allowed to tell you what's going on on

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Speaker 2: the field. We can't describe things like we do a

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Speaker 2: training camp when there are fans in this in the

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Speaker 2: stadium and all that kind of stuff. But we can't

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Speaker 2: watch guys and get a feel for what they look

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Speaker 2: like as players.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, my big thing here is body types and how

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Speaker 3: well they move and do they look comfortable, you know

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Speaker 3: with especially the draft picks, but even the new free agents,

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Speaker 3: and you know, what do they look like in a

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Speaker 3: Steeler uniform? I know that sounds very rudimentary, but I

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Speaker 3: mean body types and lengths, and it looks different than

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Speaker 3: it does on a sheet of paper, even after the combine,

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Speaker 3: you know, like seeing their their style and all those

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Speaker 3: type of things too, and then something you know, it's

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Speaker 3: hard in this environment. It's easier in OTA's. It's much

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Speaker 3: easier in training camp. Is who's that Jalen Warren that

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Speaker 3: nobody knows about today that a couple of weeks from now,

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Speaker 3: You're like, oh, he keeps making from.

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Speaker 2: Mike Hilton right right, right right Kilton in these sessions.

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Speaker 3: Oh, he had to be.

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Speaker 2: He was getting like an interception a day. Really when

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Speaker 2: they were doing is or you know, he and the

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Speaker 2: coaches tracked this kind of stuff. He got his hands

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Speaker 2: on the most balls, He had the most pass deflections,

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Speaker 2: and he had the most interceptions during the entire offseason program, okay,

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Speaker 2: including mini camp and all that. Sure, and that kind

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Speaker 2: of gets you that attention of the coaching staff like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: this guy's just getting his hands on the football a lot.

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Speaker 3: I mean, you know, the defensive back coach is tracking

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Speaker 3: that stuff, and in the meeting rooms everyone's like, wow,

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Speaker 3: we got another one, you know, and then it filters

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Speaker 3: up to the defensive coordinator, to the head coach, the

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Speaker 3: front office, and I'm like, we might need to we

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Speaker 3: might have got a guy here, you know.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think the Steelers, as you guys have

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Speaker 4: alluded to, almost every off season, there's one of those

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Speaker 4: guys that emerges as a real viable option Beanie Bishop last year. Yeah, Jalen, Jalen, Yeah,

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Speaker 4: I just sneak down in there, you know, like and

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Speaker 4: because in these settings like there's always I think real

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Speaker 4: tangible opportunity is you guys always. You do a good

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Speaker 4: job of laying this out. I think every time we

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Speaker 4: get to one of these off season programs, the Steelers

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Speaker 4: would like to be able to go play a game

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Speaker 4: this Sunday if they had to. But that doesn't mean

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Speaker 4: that this is going to be the roster in August

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Speaker 4: when when when, when training camp breaks, there will be

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Speaker 4: obviously subtractions, but there will be additions as well too.

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Speaker 4: But you know, along those UDFA lines, like you think

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Speaker 4: of someone like a wide receiver like Rock Tailor from

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Speaker 4: mem Right.

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Speaker 3: Everyone keeps asking me about Rock Taylor. You gotta watch

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Speaker 3: Rock Taylor.

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Speaker 4: George Pickens is is now down in Dallas. He's he's uh,

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Speaker 4: he's doing the two step or the honky tonk or

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Speaker 4: whatever they do down there in Texas. Now there's some

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Speaker 4: there's some opportunity for some guys to maybe jump up

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Speaker 4: the depth chart or really get a longer look and

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Speaker 4: you know, maybe he's one of those guys that comes

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Speaker 4: to mind, but there's always something like that, you know,

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Speaker 4: Will Howard's got a greater opportunity while they're still looking

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Speaker 4: to add another quarterback to the roster, some of these

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Speaker 4: undrafted guys at the wide receiver positions and things like that.

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Speaker 4: And I think that's something that's kind of exciting and

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Speaker 4: tangible for us to have this time of year.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think you know a lot of the

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Speaker 2: focus from the media for these sessions will be on

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Speaker 2: who isn't here.

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Speaker 3: Which is sure, you're missing, you're missing the boat, you're missing,

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Speaker 3: you're missing the big picture here because the guys who

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Speaker 3: aren't here.

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Speaker 2: Are usually veteran guys who have something else. These are

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Speaker 2: these are still voluntary sessions until the actual mini camp happens,

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Speaker 2: which isn't voluntary, that is mandatory. These are just sessions,

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Speaker 2: particularly for the young guys, to get that opportunity to

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Speaker 2: show what they can do.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, and you know, back to the conversation about like

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Speaker 3: undrafted free agents, it might be a little greedy to

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Speaker 3: ask for a Bishop or a Warren or a Hilton,

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Speaker 3: you know, every year. Yeah, but I mean, how often

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Speaker 3: do we talk about Dale, about man, all the draft

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Speaker 3: picks they have going forward, fourth round picks, extra fifth

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Speaker 3: round picks, and we do mock drafts, and you're so

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Speaker 3: happy to grab one of those dudes. That's kind of

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Speaker 3: like getting an extra one of those you know, I

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Speaker 3: mean Warren and Hilton in particular, but even a Bishop

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Speaker 3: played a lot of snaps for them like you last year,

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Speaker 3: and there will be one or two that makes the team,

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Speaker 3: and if one of them ends up having a long career,

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Speaker 3: that's just a bonus prize. Man, it starts that. It

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Speaker 3: starts here.

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Speaker 2: Though. Yeah, the guy, the guy that I like right

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Speaker 2: out of the gate to be that guy this year.

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Speaker 2: I know you guys mentioned Rock Taylor. To me, it's

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Speaker 2: Sebastian Castro, no, no question. Yeah, I thought he was

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Speaker 2: a draftable player. I talked to Kirk Farns, the Iowa

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Speaker 2: head coach a few years a few weeks ago, and

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Speaker 2: he's like, you know, we we've put a lot of

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Speaker 2: defensive backs in the NFL over the last you know,

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Speaker 2: over his time there, and a lot of good ones.

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Speaker 2: And he said, look, Sebastian was just as good, if not,

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Speaker 2: but you know, he was right there with all of

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Speaker 2: those guys. You know, I don't know why he wasn't drafted.

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Speaker 2: It could be the age things.

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Speaker 3: He does a five this he didn't blaze a forty,

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Speaker 3: but yeah, he's a strong.

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Speaker 2: He was a four seven right like he was, you know,

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Speaker 2: four to seven or something like that. And when you

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Speaker 2: watch him on tape, he is very sudden.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, down right right right, an abrupt player, throws

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Speaker 3: his body around. I'm sure he'll be a profile as

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Speaker 3: a core special team or yeah, which is obviously all

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Speaker 3: those guys past, you know, playing time and get you know,

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Speaker 3: really making a name for yourself, all those undrafted guys.

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Speaker 3: But Castro was like an extra draft.

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Speaker 2: Pick, really was. I thought he is like a fourth

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Speaker 2: or fifth round guy. And I don't know why he

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Speaker 2: he fell through the cracks, but he did.

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Speaker 3: And unfortunately, you know, Ryan Watts situation opened up a spot. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I had really high hopes for Watt and he's unfortunately

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Speaker 3: had to retire. If people don't know, if they're just

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Speaker 3: kind of tuning into some of these stories late in

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Speaker 3: the process, So doesn't mean there's an open roster spot,

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Speaker 3: but there's one less guy that I thought was gonna

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Speaker 3: make the team. Yeah, you know, fighting for that spot.

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Speaker 2: Wes anybody else you got on?

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Speaker 4: Well, uh, you know, in terms of the udfa's, I mean,

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Speaker 4: I think Sebastian Cashow is obviously the other big one

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Speaker 4: to talk about, and there's there's fun kind of I

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Speaker 4: think ties in there with just the Iowa players now

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Speaker 4: the you know, the the nice handful that we've added

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Speaker 4: this offseason. I wanted to get your guys opinion on

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Speaker 4: for some veteran guys who might be potentially right on

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Speaker 4: that roster. You know, line is something like because because

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Speaker 4: we do obviously like we focus on how much that

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Speaker 4: and rightfully so, how much this means for the Mike

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Speaker 4: Hilton's and the Jalen Warrens and the Ramone Fosters of

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Speaker 4: the world, right right, right, But if you're a guy

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Speaker 4: who be four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten years

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Speaker 4: into the league and are kind of trying to hang

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Speaker 4: on for another year or two on the bottom of

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Speaker 4: the roster, could you argue that this is maybe just

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Speaker 4: as important for those guys to solidify that kind of

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Speaker 4: seniority and that that stuff up on the depth chart.

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Speaker 3: I absolutely think so, and I usually put it. I

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Speaker 3: haven't really done it, but it's easy to you know,

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Speaker 3: come up off the top of your head. There's always

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Speaker 3: four or five crossroads of your career guys going into

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Speaker 3: the next season. That's true for every team. And like

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Speaker 3: guys I kind of singled out a year ago was

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Speaker 3: a louder milk. You know, like you've been your mid round.

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Speaker 3: There's most most of the profile, they're mid round pick.

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Speaker 3: They're not an immediate starter.

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Speaker 4: During like year three or four or four.

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Speaker 3: You take of turn it on y right one the

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Speaker 3: als one for me this year for one hundred. You

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Speaker 3: know that where are you in your career? I mean

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Speaker 3: even Connor Hayward, you know.

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Speaker 4: He's a four year vet compared to the guys that

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Speaker 4: are just coming out of college.

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Speaker 3: Because I'm going to keep drafting your position. D line

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Speaker 3: comes to mind too, that signed some guys D line

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Speaker 3: and O line. There's a lot of names that not

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Speaker 3: everybody might know that they've kind of picked up on

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Speaker 3: the cheap one year deals that really imply they're not

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Speaker 3: guaranteed a roster spot. They're gonna be fighting for that

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Speaker 3: last spot. It can one of those dudes hit and

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Speaker 3: be a high quality player for you. That goes a

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Speaker 3: long way too.

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Speaker 4: No absolutely.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that defensive line with the two draft picks added

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Speaker 2: to it, there's a lot of bodies you got. You

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Speaker 2: got harm in the first round draft pick. You obviously

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Speaker 2: got Hayward and Benton there as well.

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Speaker 3: They're the most snaps.

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Speaker 2: Re signed Loudermilk, you drafted ya Ya Black, Daniel Marvin Leal, Logan, Lee,

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Speaker 2: Dean Lowry, uh Dominic Davis is a guy that's that's

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Speaker 2: been around, Jacob Slade.

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Speaker 4: I mean, it's just it is just loaded with dudes

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Speaker 4: that there's not that many chairs on the on the Titan.

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Speaker 2: They're just starting, so that's gonna be one of the

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Speaker 2: more competitive spots on the roster. And I think they

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Speaker 2: that's that's by choice. They made a distinct decision to hey,

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Speaker 2: we got to get better on the defensive line. So

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Speaker 2: let's let's bring a bunch of guys in here, veteran guys,

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Speaker 2: guys that have been in our system even and see

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Speaker 2: how this whole thing susses out.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, let's draft one high. You know, let's that's maybe

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Speaker 3: a Hayward successor or a to it like replacement, you

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Speaker 3: know that hopefully you know who knows. But you're the

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Speaker 3: first round pick, so he's a high pedigree guy. Black

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Speaker 3: is way different. I mean, he is a massive human being.

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Speaker 3: They get you get in the mid rounds because his

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Speaker 3: skill set isn't coveted in the top three rounds because

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Speaker 3: he's not a pass rusher yet. But then all those

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Speaker 3: other dudes you mentioned are competition. You know, let's just

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Speaker 3: play a ton of snaps, battle it out. If we

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Speaker 3: can find one guy out of those remaining names, that's great,

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Speaker 3: you know. Or maybe you even have a surplus you

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Speaker 3: trade one for a six round pick in July or

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Speaker 3: whatever August. You know.

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Speaker 4: So I know that was to use a Matt Williamson.

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Speaker 4: I know that that was not what you asked me

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Speaker 4: the answer that I gave you. But how about though,

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Speaker 4: DJ Thomas Jones out of South Alabama the U d

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Speaker 4: f A. He started at Texas A and M I

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Speaker 4: want to say, bigger SEC school before transferring to to

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Speaker 4: South Alabama. Maybe it was Old Miss, one of those

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Speaker 4: one of those SEC schools. And I think there's so many,

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Speaker 4: all right, and they might add some more by the

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Speaker 4: time we get off air. We've seen in the you know,

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Speaker 4: the two years of Arthur Smith. Now some want to

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Speaker 4: I think have a h BAC type, whether it was

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Speaker 4: some things we saw them trying out in training camp,

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Speaker 4: was some of the stuff that they were trying to

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Speaker 4: do with with a guy like Connor Hayward throughout the season.

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Speaker 4: I think he's got the body type in the athleticism

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Speaker 4: to be a unique kind of tool in that in

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Speaker 4: that backfield.

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Speaker 2: But the key, as it was last year for the

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Speaker 2: the fullback that they took the training camp, you gotta

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Speaker 2: be you gotta show you're a good special teams because

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Speaker 2: quite frankly, you know, even when they've had a fullback,

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Speaker 2: and even teams that use a fullback extensively, you're talking

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Speaker 2: about two hundred and fifty three hundred offensive snaps at

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Speaker 2: most at most, right, you know, Yeah, and so you

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Speaker 2: better have some kind of other skill set that makes

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Speaker 2: you valuable.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it can't be five snaps a game just so

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Speaker 3: you could be a lead blocker. You know, the Dan

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Speaker 3: Crider days are long gone, you know, I mean that's

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Speaker 3: not especially with this team. Some teams do employ a fullback,

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Speaker 3: use check recard, those type of things, but they're multi

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Speaker 3: versatile too. They're not just hammers. I mean, I know

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Speaker 3: ricard is, but he's unique in that he's so huge.

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Speaker 2: And they I mean they run the ball more than anybody.

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Speaker 3: They were more than anybody, right right, So you know,

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Speaker 3: as you guys mentioned, I mean last training camp and

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Speaker 3: then I forget the young man's name, but he almost

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Speaker 3: made the team, it felt like. But that fullback was

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Speaker 3: getting more and more attention on the on the field,

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Speaker 3: you know, running with the ones and twos as camp

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Speaker 3: went along. And then in the end, it's are you

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Speaker 3: a good enough core special team or one of those

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Speaker 3: four or five guys that I can't without on special teams?

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Speaker 3: And the answer was no. So he's gone, you know.

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Speaker 5: Jack Coletto, correct you guys talking about Thomas Jones. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 5: he's he moves, does it? Oh yeah, I was just

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Speaker 5: watching him run some stuff, no scout. But by the way,

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Speaker 5: Hi sparks into your guy King. Nice to see you guys.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 5: I think he's an intriguing guy. Yeah, but didn't They

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Speaker 5: gave him I thick more money than they've ever given

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Speaker 5: any non quarterback college free agent.

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Speaker 3: So that's how you really tell, right exactly. I always

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Speaker 3: tell the story. Like when I was with the Browns,

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Speaker 3: I was in charge of signing three wide receivers and

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Speaker 3: we used the second pick in the draft on Braylan Edwards,

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Speaker 3: you know, like we weren't a real attractive spot. But

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Speaker 3: I had ten grand I gave nine of it to

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Speaker 3: Josh Cribbs and the other guys could fight for whatever.

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Speaker 2: Else we may blame for Josh Kribbs.

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Speaker 3: Yes, I might have given nine and ninety nine of

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Speaker 3: it to Josh Cribbs here in case you couldn't figure

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Speaker 3: that out.

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Speaker 2: But Rob King just sat down here at the table

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Speaker 2: with us, and we are live from these Stealer Ota

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Speaker 2: sessions here at the UPMC Running Sports Complex. I'm Dale,

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Speaker 2: excuse me, I'm losing my breath here. I'm Dale, Lolly.

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Speaker 2: He is Matt Williamson, West Hueiler here with us as well,

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Speaker 2: and guys team working on I'm not giving anything away

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Speaker 2: here now, but they're doing a little seven shots here

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Speaker 2: to kind of kick off the actual practice part of practice,

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Speaker 2: to pull back again, to pull back the curtain away.

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Speaker 2: At the NFL, at least the way the Steelers run

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Speaker 2: their practices, you come in, you do some position work,

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Speaker 2: then you do your team stretch, then you break off

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Speaker 2: into those position groups again and work on fundamentals and

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Speaker 2: that kind of stuff.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, hand placement and burying your feet and that.

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Speaker 2: Usually it usually takes you about an hour before you

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Speaker 2: actually get into the team portion of practice, which is

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Speaker 2: which always kicks off with the seven shots. So now

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Speaker 2: we're getting into the team portion of practice here, and

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Speaker 2: this is what will happen from now until the end

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Speaker 2: of the season in every practice. And so this is

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Speaker 2: why the team has rookie mini camp to kind of

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Speaker 2: get those guys acclimated into Okay, here's what we do.

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Speaker 2: This is how we do it. And now you're marrying

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Speaker 2: everybody together here. Okay, this is what it's going to

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Speaker 2: be like, guys, from now until the end of eternity.

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Speaker 2: This is what a practice is going to look like.

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Speaker 3: And it gets more intense and more sure, you know,

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Speaker 3: more microscope on and this position groups get smaller obviously,

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Speaker 3: and the coaches get more attention to each individual player.

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Speaker 3: But again that's that's the format here. It's time to

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Speaker 3: learn all those things. And the other thing I always

356
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Speaker 3: talk about with these these kind of sessions too, is

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Speaker 3: especially the rookies don't understand what practice tempo is like

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Speaker 3: in the league too, you know, and every team wants

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Speaker 3: to do it differently.

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Speaker 4: But we're not.

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Speaker 3: Smacking each other over the middle. And you know, but

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Speaker 3: we also aren't just walking around either, you know. I mean,

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Speaker 3: you've got to learn the tempo of how to make

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Speaker 3: yourself a good teammate and give yourself, you know, give

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Speaker 3: you your teammates good looks and get better, but don't

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Speaker 3: put them at risk too.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's to thank you. So you're bringing a bunch

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Speaker 2: of guys in from let let's say they have forty

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Speaker 2: five new guys. Yeah, yeah, well they probably ran in

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Speaker 2: some cases someone were the same program. So you're bringing

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Speaker 2: guys who were in forty different systems before and those

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Speaker 2: are different, right, Yeah, everybody does. There's there's no you know,

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Speaker 2: there's different ways to skin the cat here, and so

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Speaker 2: everybody has to get on board with how the Steelers practice.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and what you kind of worry about is there's

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Speaker 3: a lot of those dudes, just to be frank, that

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Speaker 3: have a real long shot of making the team and

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Speaker 3: they know it, and everybody in the building knows it

379
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Speaker 3: that you know, guys to show up or you know,

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Speaker 3: bottom of the roster type dudes, and they know that

381
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Speaker 3: they want to be the next Mike Hilton too, and

382
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Speaker 3: they want to shine and you know, get the coach's attention.

383
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Speaker 3: So maybe they're going a little more aggressively than you'd like.

384
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Speaker 3: And you know what I mean, there's a fine line

385
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Speaker 3: there that that's a beauty of the preseason games is

386
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Speaker 3: unleash hell on those guys you know, but not your

387
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Speaker 3: teammates totally too.

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Speaker 4: You know some some camp bodies that you that you had, Yeah.

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Speaker 3: And they're hanging on for dear life and they frankly

390
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Speaker 3: don't care what it takes to make the team. And

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Speaker 3: I don't think it's the same situation, you know, but

392
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Speaker 3: we also don't need you dive into everyone's needs exactly

393
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Speaker 3: right versus they're right right right.

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Speaker 5: And when you're when you're a guy trying to fight

395
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Speaker 5: for a spot, and I mean think about like if

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Speaker 5: you if you played high school or college or whatever,

397
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Speaker 5: you know where you stand right you're trying to you're

398
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Speaker 5: trying to make an impression, But the last thing you

399
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Speaker 5: want to do is knock down your star running back.

400
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Speaker 2: That's a bad way to make an impression. Yes, or

401
00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:41,040
Speaker 2: I hit the quarterback or something really silly like that.

402
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Speaker 2: Right for sure, guys, we get some breaking news, Oh,

403
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Speaker 2: these Steelers have signed a wide receiver Montana Lamonious Craig.

404
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Speaker 3: Okay, he I have a hunch he's number fourteen because

405
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Speaker 3: he was kind of showing up here late to practice

406
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,360
Speaker 3: and didn't quite know where to be and was kind

407
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Speaker 3: of working out with everybody.

408
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Speaker 2: So former Arizona Wildcat gotcha wide receiver last season seventeen catches,

409
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Speaker 2: one hundred and seventy two yards and a touchdown. Obviously

410
00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:11,919
Speaker 2: a lot of their passes went to Tet McMillan.

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Speaker 4: Tech McMillan, right, right, right.

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Speaker 3: I think they have another guy too from next year from.

413
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Speaker 2: Yeah they got it, Yeah, yeah, yeah, they've got another

414
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Speaker 2: guy who might be drafted higher than McMillan.

415
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think gave another star. But yeah, fourteen was

416
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Speaker 3: late to the party for practice, so they may have

417
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Speaker 3: signed him like five minutes ago.

418
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Speaker 5: And it's like like some coaches and personnel stretching and

419
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Speaker 5: working out while the rest of the team is going

420
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Speaker 5: at it. You know, I don't know if you guys

421
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Speaker 5: have discussed this p since you're talking about wide receiver position.

422
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,800
Speaker 5: I'm really intrigued to see Roman Wilson what he can

423
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Speaker 5: do in this camp and and good to have him

424
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Speaker 5: healthy and you know he I think a little bit

425
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Speaker 5: forgotten for Steelers fans. I mean, it's funny last year

426
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Speaker 5: they had him penciled in as the number three receiver

427
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Speaker 5: and this year he seems to be a little bit forgott.

428
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Speaker 2: I think it's not forgotten. I think it's more written off.

429
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Speaker 2: Do you think so that much, because I'd gotten a

430
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Speaker 2: lot of that, like, well, he's you know, they obviously

431
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Speaker 2: didn't like him. They kep camp like no, he was hurt, right,

432
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Speaker 2: but he was healthy at the end of the season,

433
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Speaker 2: and they didn't activate him. Well yeah, because he was

434
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Speaker 2: a rookie. You missed all a training camp and then

435
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Speaker 2: missed a large chunk of.

436
00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:11,720
Speaker 4: Like that whole hop on a moving train thing we

437
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:12,480
Speaker 4: always talk about.

438
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,240
Speaker 2: You know, we saw what it was like with Mike Williams,

439
00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,680
Speaker 2: who was a veteran guy trying to you know, get

440
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,399
Speaker 2: acclimated to to the you know, to the team, let

441
00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:22,040
Speaker 2: alone being a rookie trying to do that.

442
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:23,520
Speaker 4: You even saw it with someone and I know he

443
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,239
Speaker 4: had some injury stuff involved too, but even someone who

444
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,760
Speaker 4: accomplished as Amari Cooper wasn't ever able to really take

445
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,520
Speaker 4: off mid season and an offense off a quarterback like

446
00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,959
Speaker 4: they have in Buffalo a third round pick for him,

447
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,440
Speaker 4: you know, right, And I think that part of things

448
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,359
Speaker 4: is much more complicated than than just the average person

449
00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:40,680
Speaker 4: wants to realize.

450
00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,960
Speaker 2: Wide receivers a little bit different than adding a running

451
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,840
Speaker 2: back or a defensive back and just you know, you

452
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:47,280
Speaker 2: got him.

453
00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:47,960
Speaker 3: It's a timing and.

454
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,440
Speaker 4: Trust or an edge rusher, right right, Preston Smith, go

455
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,399
Speaker 4: get the quarter quarter It's.

456
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,280
Speaker 3: A timing and trust thing with your starting quarterback. And

457
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,680
Speaker 3: the starting quarterback doesn't have a lot of free time

458
00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:58,320
Speaker 3: in week ten to you know, get a new guy

459
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,480
Speaker 3: involved or whatever. So Dawn, I had a really good

460
00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:05,240
Speaker 3: in depth Roman Wilson segment late last week, and the

461
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,400
Speaker 3: crux of it was he was drafted for the Arthur

462
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,280
Speaker 3: Smith offense. You know, if you watch his Michigan tape,

463
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,879
Speaker 3: you know they just won the national title. Physical a

464
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,959
Speaker 3: physical as smaller, but a lot of his routes are

465
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,560
Speaker 3: inbreakers for first downs, you know. I mean, he's not

466
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:23,600
Speaker 3: just a jitterbug type guy. And you know, we were

467
00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,399
Speaker 3: talking about it two comparing Wilson to this past draft class,

468
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,240
Speaker 3: the rookies that are coming in at the wide receiver position,

469
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,680
Speaker 3: and I argue that he may have been the fiftieth

470
00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,600
Speaker 3: pick in this past draft. You know, like that, that's

471
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,440
Speaker 3: the kind of guy you're getting. It was a weaker

472
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,520
Speaker 3: receiver class. Remember last year was loaded with Neighbors and

473
00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,040
Speaker 3: Thomas and McConkie and Harrison and all these guys. Well,

474
00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:47,800
Speaker 3: this year's a rookie or draft class wasn't nearly as good.

475
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,800
Speaker 3: He may have been wide receiver five, six, seven, eight,

476
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,360
Speaker 3: who knows, you know, and be a second early third

477
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:54,680
Speaker 3: round pick. And that's what you're getting.

478
00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,360
Speaker 2: And Rob, all you need to know about Roman Wilson

479
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,280
Speaker 2: is it. Mike pursued A speaks highly of him. He

480
00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:04,240
Speaker 2: doesn't do to wolver which he does not do with

481
00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,680
Speaker 2: Michigan players. No, that is very telling, right right, That

482
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:09,480
Speaker 2: is very hard for him to do for his future.

483
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 5: We'll look back when we're grading him out ten years

484
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,800
Speaker 5: from now and say, you remember what Mike Perzuda thought

485
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,480
Speaker 5: about him back in twenty twenty five training camp.

486
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:19,560
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, that was the green light for all of us.

487
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,320
Speaker 3: He doesn't give them the benefit of the doubt.

488
00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:22,280
Speaker 2: He does not know.

489
00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:24,920
Speaker 5: That is an interesting position, you know. I think obviously

490
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:29,159
Speaker 5: everyone's waiting for the the shoe with number eight on

491
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:30,119
Speaker 5: it to drop right.

492
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,439
Speaker 4: What you know is Aaron Rodgers going to be here?

493
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,959
Speaker 5: But then I think, you know, Matt and I were

494
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,119
Speaker 5: talking Dale while you and West were busy putting everything together.

495
00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,480
Speaker 5: Matt and I were doing what we do best, which

496
00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:42,880
Speaker 5: you stay away from that in chat.

497
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,240
Speaker 3: Right, you know, stand there and do nothing.

498
00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,600
Speaker 2: And yeah, Matt, actually Matt took a big step today.

499
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,960
Speaker 2: He actually plugged in the headphones. Oh yeah, I was.

500
00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:52,359
Speaker 3: I'm certain I was doing it right.

501
00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,040
Speaker 4: But there's only one way to find out, right, that's

502
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:55,679
Speaker 4: I mean, you know.

503
00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 3: They're going to ask me to do something else. I

504
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,119
Speaker 3: keep that up, guys, exactly. You have a mask, got

505
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,000
Speaker 3: that niff that in the butt, right.

506
00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,120
Speaker 5: Yeah, so you know the old teacher man to fish.

507
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,600
Speaker 5: But you better get that line tangled, Matt, right, You

508
00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 5: know you don't want to be doing.

509
00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,320
Speaker 3: That, so master of it in my household. I don't

510
00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 3: know how to doubt. Just mess that up.

511
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,800
Speaker 5: I think I think the the receiver position is interesting

512
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,600
Speaker 5: to me. I think that in terms of maybe an addition,

513
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,440
Speaker 5: maybe an addition. I mean, obviously you're waiting for quarterback.

514
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:25,920
Speaker 5: I mean I think it was clear from the way

515
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,040
Speaker 5: they operated last year. You know, if there's enough reports

516
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:31,720
Speaker 5: you know, you got to figure there's some fire where

517
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,240
Speaker 5: that's where there's there that smoke and they're they're kind

518
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,960
Speaker 5: of in a similar position. It would seem this year

519
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,680
Speaker 5: you have that number one type receiver. You felt like

520
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,320
Speaker 5: you had that with Pickings, you're trying to add to that.

521
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,639
Speaker 5: That's gonna be interesting between now and then and you know,

522
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,320
Speaker 5: hopefully the start of training camp, but maybe even before

523
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:51,000
Speaker 5: the start of the regular season. You know offensive line,

524
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:52,959
Speaker 5: uh that that's going to be interesting too. I think

525
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:54,000
Speaker 5: to look at throughout.

526
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:58,240
Speaker 2: Camp absolutely, guys, well, we will continue to talk about

527
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,920
Speaker 2: all these uh pressing issues for the Pittsburgh Steelers when

528
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,240
Speaker 2: we come back. I am Dale Lolly here with Wes

529
00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:08,119
Speaker 2: Uler and the Matt Williamson. Rob King sitting in with

530
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,960
Speaker 2: us as well here today because that's just the kind

531
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,720
Speaker 2: of guy that he is. He just jumps on with

532
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,159
Speaker 2: us and we appreciate it. As always. We're gonna get

533
00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 2: to a break here. We are live from Steelers Ota

534
00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,720
Speaker 2: Sessions here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex here on

535
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,959
Speaker 2: Steelers Nation Radio. We will be back with more right

536
00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:26,399
Speaker 2: after this.

537
00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:34,639
Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

538
00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,280
Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven, home of the Black

539
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,159
Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

540
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,639
Speaker 2: Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly here with Matt Williamson

541
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,280
Speaker 2: and Wesley Yuler. I don't know where Rob got to.

542
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:53,520
Speaker 2: He just hops in and out.

543
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:55,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's the King.

544
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,840
Speaker 2: Kinger can do it whatever he wants to do. And

545
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 2: that's fine. It's Kinger's world. We all just live in. Anyways,

546
00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,719
Speaker 2: we are live from these Steelers Ota sessions here at

547
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,160
Speaker 2: the upmc rooney Sports Complex on the South side. Team

548
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:11,320
Speaker 2: breaking off into some.

549
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,760
Speaker 3: Eleven on eleven here right now, Yeah, right in front

550
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:14,480
Speaker 3: of us, right.

551
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,119
Speaker 2: In front of us. It's a great thing. But guys, uh,

552
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,640
Speaker 2: we mentioned some of those positions and players that we're

553
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,680
Speaker 2: going to look at here. Mason Rudolph making his return

554
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:26,359
Speaker 2: to Pittsburgh.

555
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,000
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, and currently the number one quarterback because number

556
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:34,720
Speaker 3: two is number one right now. I'm a fan. I mean,

557
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:40,520
Speaker 3: I think he is consistently taking small steps forward in

558
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,359
Speaker 3: his career, even with the Titans last year in a

559
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,600
Speaker 3: really bad environment. And we remember those last handful of

560
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,680
Speaker 3: games when he was here. He was the most productive

561
00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:50,840
Speaker 3: quarterback of that season.

562
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,919
Speaker 2: You know, Steelers don't they don't develop quarterbacks, Oh right, right,

563
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,639
Speaker 2: They had developed. They didn't develop Mason Rudolph at all.

564
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:03,600
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, it makes me consain. They've had two first

565
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,399
Speaker 3: round quarterbacks I think since Terry Bradger Mark Malone, and

566
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,480
Speaker 3: one of them worked out to be a Hall of Famer,

567
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,840
Speaker 3: and one of them is bouncing around the league. So

568
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,840
Speaker 3: they're not good at developing quarterbacks. Okay, but anyway, I'm

569
00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,640
Speaker 3: a Rudolph fan. I mean, I think he's a high

570
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:23,800
Speaker 3: quality number two. He's gonna fit the system well. He's

571
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,359
Speaker 3: exactly what you know, what you're getting, and there's a

572
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 3: lot of value in that. I mean, he's big, strong

573
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:30,639
Speaker 3: guy that moves around better than you know. It's one

574
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,359
Speaker 3: of the things I mentioned, Like when they drafted him,

575
00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:33,639
Speaker 3: I thought he was kind of a stiff in the

576
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,080
Speaker 3: pocket and Oklahoma State he did not move around much.

577
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,960
Speaker 3: It was just a you know, drop back fire the ball,

578
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:43,040
Speaker 3: and he's good at it. But he's much more mobile,

579
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 3: lighter on his feet. I think his arm strength improved,

580
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:47,560
Speaker 3: his body's better. I mean, every year I see him,

581
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:49,960
Speaker 3: he's more and more impressed. And this is the first

582
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,360
Speaker 3: time I've seen him since he's been back.

583
00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:54,919
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's rocking a nice goatee. I mean, he's actually

584
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:56,639
Speaker 4: trimmed that off. Did he I was looking?

585
00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,240
Speaker 2: I know I was looking for far away when he

586
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,159
Speaker 2: first came on. Did he shave off?

587
00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,600
Speaker 4: They should have put my contacts in today here? But no,

588
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 4: I think everything Matt said there is spot on. And listen,

589
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,320
Speaker 4: you guys like like this is how Motes describes it

590
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:11,920
Speaker 4: a lot, and I think it's a pretty good analogy.

591
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,560
Speaker 4: There's thirty two teams in the NFL. You need to

592
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,800
Speaker 4: at least be confident that if something happens, we can

593
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 4: go to our backup. We can get out of this

594
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,000
Speaker 4: stadium with a win, right right. That means on any

595
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,639
Speaker 4: given Sunday, you need sixty four competent quarterbacks around the

596
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,280
Speaker 4: National Football League. And it seems like there's two trains

597
00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,680
Speaker 4: of thought. Either that like Mason Rudolph is criminally underrated

598
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 4: a lot of people in the fan base, right like

599
00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:36,480
Speaker 4: you could you could go to an AFC championship game

600
00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,440
Speaker 4: with Mason Rudolph, or he stinks and he doesn't belong

601
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,800
Speaker 4: on a football field. When I think in reality, I

602
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,200
Speaker 4: think he's kind of the perfect blend in the middle.

603
00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:48,600
Speaker 4: He's got a nice long expansive list now of games

604
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,600
Speaker 4: started and experience as having to be the guy in

605
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,240
Speaker 4: the National Football League as well as kind of being

606
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,639
Speaker 4: thrown in there on you know, a drop of a

607
00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,440
Speaker 4: hat injury type scenario. He's been in this league for

608
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,720
Speaker 4: a long time. No different offensive coordinator, but a lot

609
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,119
Speaker 4: of familiarity in this organization, still a lot of the

610
00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,600
Speaker 4: same teammates. If you know, if that is your kind

611
00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:11,800
Speaker 4: of your ace in the hole, I think you can.

612
00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:13,280
Speaker 4: I think you're in a very good spot. I think

613
00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,440
Speaker 4: you can do much worse if he ends up happen

614
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,679
Speaker 4: to maybe you know, till you lack of a better term,

615
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,679
Speaker 4: like punch above his weight class a little bit too.

616
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:21,879
Speaker 4: I think he's about as prepared as anybody in that

617
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:23,800
Speaker 4: position could be in this setting.

618
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,320
Speaker 2: And Wes Matt and I talked about it last week

619
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:32,000
Speaker 2: with with Mason. I think Pro Football Focus had credited

620
00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:37,320
Speaker 2: him with twenty big time throws in his career. Here's

621
00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 2: the thing. In twenty nineteen, when he started eight games

622
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,040
Speaker 2: and played in ten, they weren't asking him to make

623
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,840
Speaker 2: big time throws. They were asking him to make game

624
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,280
Speaker 2: manager of the games. Yes, because that was his second

625
00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 2: year in the league, was his first time playing in

626
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:58,680
Speaker 2: the league. When he steps in in the Detroit game

627
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,720
Speaker 2: when Ben Rotha Burger covid, covid the night before the game.

628
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,760
Speaker 2: They're not asking him in the rain to go out

629
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,600
Speaker 2: there against the you know that Lion teams, Hey, go

630
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,000
Speaker 2: out there and win us as football game. No, they're saying,

631
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,800
Speaker 2: go out there and manage the game here. So you're

632
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,960
Speaker 2: not asking him to do those things. Now at the

633
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,920
Speaker 2: end of the twenty twenty three season.

634
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:20,960
Speaker 4: Yes, they're saying, hey, we gotta win these three games.

635
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,480
Speaker 2: Win these three games. Go out there and do what

636
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,640
Speaker 2: you do, what you can do, be a starter. Yeah,

637
00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:25,800
Speaker 2: and he performed well.

638
00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:26,640
Speaker 3: They did it. Yeah.

639
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 2: You know even last season with Tennessee. Now they were

640
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 2: a bad football team. They had the number one to

641
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,080
Speaker 2: one pick. No, they earned the draft, and they earned it.

642
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,360
Speaker 2: He still completed sixty four percent of his passes. Now,

643
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,400
Speaker 2: there were nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, which you don't like.

644
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:45,520
Speaker 3: That, But he was also behind one of the worst

645
00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:46,240
Speaker 3: offensive line.

646
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,120
Speaker 2: Offensive lines in the league. I'll be honest with you,

647
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,720
Speaker 2: I haven't watched all nine interceptions to say, oh, that

648
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 2: one tipped off the receiver's hands. Sure, that one the

649
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,600
Speaker 2: receiver r Yeah, So I don't know.

650
00:29:58,160 --> 00:29:59,960
Speaker 3: But but I think we know his profile well enough

651
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,800
Speaker 3: to be like, he doesn't haphazardly throw interceptions down there.

652
00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,040
Speaker 3: I mean, I think he values the football quite well,

653
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,200
Speaker 3: which is huge for number two. Yeah, I don't want

654
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,040
Speaker 3: your number two to be Jameis Winston where it's a

655
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:11,000
Speaker 3: roller coaster. You know.

656
00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,200
Speaker 2: I look back to again his last couple of years

657
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,040
Speaker 2: here now, his first year, he had a three point

658
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:21,719
Speaker 2: two interception percentage in that in that what was essentially

659
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,840
Speaker 2: his rookie season, two point three, the next year, one

660
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:27,920
Speaker 2: point seven the year after that. Now that those are

661
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,440
Speaker 2: limited playing time in forty three and fifty eight passes

662
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 2: those two years, that stretch. At the end of the

663
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:41,080
Speaker 2: twenty twenty three seasons, seventy four passes, no interceptions, you know, So, yeah,

664
00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,880
Speaker 2: you can you can do things with this guy. You

665
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,560
Speaker 2: can he can quote unquote manage the game, but he

666
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,320
Speaker 2: can also do more than that, particularly with guys like

667
00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:51,680
Speaker 2: DK Metcalf on the roster.

668
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:54,840
Speaker 3: And he prepares like a starter and understands the league

669
00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,040
Speaker 3: and you know, as coach says, he's been in the

670
00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,800
Speaker 3: ben in stadiums and all those type of things start

671
00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,400
Speaker 3: up playoff, that's what you're looking for from strong too,

672
00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:02,760
Speaker 3: you know.

673
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,680
Speaker 4: And let's not forget too. You hope that your offensive

674
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:07,960
Speaker 4: line is much improved from where it was when he

675
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:09,800
Speaker 4: was here two years ago. You hope your running game

676
00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:11,840
Speaker 4: is improved from where it was when he was here

677
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,400
Speaker 4: two years ago. If both of those things come true,

678
00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:16,880
Speaker 4: and that's a, that's a that's a nice place to be.

679
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:23,440
Speaker 2: I think, just be frank about it. He gave them,

680
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,840
Speaker 2: post Ben's retirement prior to last season, their best quarterback

681
00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 2: play over an extended stretch. Yeah, of anybody that they played,

682
00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,680
Speaker 2: they had, it was for Bisky and other.

683
00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 4: Than that little stretch from Russell Wilson last year, that's

684
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,520
Speaker 4: been the best that we've seen bost Ben Roethlisberger, I

685
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:46,320
Speaker 4: think without a doubt. And yeah, again, familiarity some some

686
00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,520
Speaker 4: some moving parts, as there obviously is when you're gone

687
00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,320
Speaker 4: for a year. But he's not jumping into this wondering

688
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,600
Speaker 4: where do I park and where's the locker room? And

689
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:55,640
Speaker 4: where do I go to meet with my coaches after

690
00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,000
Speaker 4: practice and all those things. There's already a lot of

691
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,240
Speaker 4: who are these guys on Stealers Nation Radio that want

692
00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,120
Speaker 4: to talk to me for seven minutes after practice?

693
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,800
Speaker 3: I wonder too, what did he learn going to a

694
00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,200
Speaker 3: different organization. He wasn't there long, but they obviously were

695
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,680
Speaker 3: a very poor football team, and I'm sure he learned,

696
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,200
Speaker 3: you know, a different way of doing things, for better

697
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:19,200
Speaker 3: or worse. And I'm not saying they're a bad coaching staff.

698
00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:20,600
Speaker 3: They just don't have a lot of good players, you know.

699
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,480
Speaker 3: I mean, they took over a pretty bad team. But

700
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,600
Speaker 3: I'm sure he learned some don'ts too, you know, like, man,

701
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,000
Speaker 3: that's that's that's a tough way to survive trying to

702
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:30,720
Speaker 3: win that way. Or I mean, I'm sure it was

703
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 3: a very good learning experience for him too.

704
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:38,440
Speaker 2: Absolutely, And that was a coaching staff in offensive philosophy

705
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,280
Speaker 2: that was coming from Cincinnati, you know, does he now

706
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:47,560
Speaker 2: have a better idea of you know, I'm sure Callahan

707
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:49,360
Speaker 2: was sitting down the way, here's what I did when

708
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:49,920
Speaker 2: I had Joe.

709
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,440
Speaker 4: Burrow, of course, right, that's great when you have Joe Burrow, right, right,

710
00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,920
Speaker 4: But it's not many of those guys around the league, And.

711
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 2: It just gives you a little bit more insight, you know,

712
00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:02,920
Speaker 2: into a an opponent in the in the conference, but

713
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,960
Speaker 2: be insight into one of the best quarterbacks into in

714
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:06,440
Speaker 2: the league.

715
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,240
Speaker 3: And Burrow's processing is so good, and I'm sure that

716
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:12,840
Speaker 3: they use teaching tape of Burrow, and I'm sure they

717
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,000
Speaker 3: will with cam Wart, you know, I mean, like this

718
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,200
Speaker 3: is how you execute this play to perfection. Oh okay,

719
00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:19,320
Speaker 3: that's a great way looking at it.

720
00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:22,360
Speaker 2: I mean, poster's what Joe was looking at, you know,

721
00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:24,760
Speaker 2: pre snap. And here's what you know where we told

722
00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 2: him to go with the.

723
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,760
Speaker 3: Football post Ben. The Steelers really haven't had a lot

724
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,680
Speaker 3: of those guys in the quarterback room. Wilson had success,

725
00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:34,280
Speaker 3: but he has a real unorthodox style of play too,

726
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,000
Speaker 3: for better or worse, even when he's in his best

727
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:41,520
Speaker 3: years in Seattle. So he didn't have the man. Look

728
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,800
Speaker 3: at Burrow paint that picture perfectly as we drew it,

729
00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 3: you know, I think I'm sure, I'm sure he picked

730
00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:47,320
Speaker 3: something up with that too.

731
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,880
Speaker 2: Guys, looks like the weather is going to hold off

732
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,160
Speaker 2: today that which is nice. Yeah, but a little cooler

733
00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:58,360
Speaker 2: out here today that I'm sure Mike Tomlin would would

734
00:33:58,400 --> 00:33:59,480
Speaker 2: appreciate at this point.

735
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:01,840
Speaker 4: He like that warm weather. Get the guys out here

736
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 4: and the heat and.

737
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:04,000
Speaker 2: Work up a good ladder.

738
00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:05,920
Speaker 4: I guess I guess the good news for that is

739
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,359
Speaker 4: right A preseason game in Jacksonville, As will certainly help

740
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:10,120
Speaker 4: you in that regard.

741
00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,719
Speaker 3: But yeah, this Carolina won't be too chili either.

742
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:14,640
Speaker 4: Right, It's been a couple of years since I've been

743
00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:19,479
Speaker 4: down here for OTAs because uh oh, wife, wife, wife,

744
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,880
Speaker 4: and I have in children in the time in the

745
00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,600
Speaker 4: in the timing of it. But yeah, it is. It's

746
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:26,640
Speaker 4: a little bit chillier than usual. But I think you're

747
00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:28,400
Speaker 4: right deal compared to how the weather has looked for

748
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:30,480
Speaker 4: the last week. Man, you'll take this today. At least

749
00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,399
Speaker 4: it's in the sixties and overcast and not pouring down rain.

750
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,120
Speaker 3: And they want to use these fields too. You don't

751
00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,600
Speaker 3: want to do these indoors in terms of rain and yeah,

752
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 3: that type of thing too. It's just a much better environment.

753
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,080
Speaker 3: There's more room to operate. They can get more done.

754
00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:45,239
Speaker 3: I'm sure they have a somewhat different script written when

755
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:48,160
Speaker 3: they have to go inside. You can't squeeze as many

756
00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:48,799
Speaker 3: people in there as well.

757
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just a smaller area to work with, and

758
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,560
Speaker 2: so everything kind of gets condensed, you.

759
00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:55,920
Speaker 3: Know, split up the field different for individuals and all

760
00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:57,160
Speaker 3: the different things you do, you know, like.

761
00:34:57,360 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 2: You see little things like what's gonna go on. Now,

762
00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,239
Speaker 2: where you get a guy like making Fitzpatrick out here

763
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:08,320
Speaker 2: working with the quarterbacks at times, you know, just catching

764
00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:11,080
Speaker 2: passes from them and they're drilling and just working on

765
00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:15,600
Speaker 2: ball skills and things of that nature. There's always fine

766
00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:19,959
Speaker 2: tuning of the game that goes on. We talk about

767
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,640
Speaker 2: Fitzpatrick in his all the time met I'll bet he

768
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:28,000
Speaker 2: catches over the course of a practice, two hundred footballs.

769
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,720
Speaker 3: I would think, so. I bet he's a one hundred

770
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,239
Speaker 3: on the judge guy, if not more. Every day, that

771
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,640
Speaker 3: type of thing, always doing something on the side. He's

772
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,200
Speaker 3: one of my favorite watches of all the players, you know,

773
00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:40,719
Speaker 3: since we've been coming to all these camps. Just what's

774
00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:43,280
Speaker 3: he doing in his free time, what's he doing after practice?

775
00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,719
Speaker 3: Because he's always got something going on. Antonio Brown was

776
00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:48,320
Speaker 3: another one that way. Yeah, I mean, say what you

777
00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,000
Speaker 3: want about him, but man, he was always busy to

778
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:52,919
Speaker 3: get better, and he got better.

779
00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:02,759
Speaker 2: The offensive line guys, looking at that unit, we're gonna

780
00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:06,640
Speaker 2: see Broderick Jones move over to the left side, Isaac

781
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,160
Speaker 2: say Imlo is going to be the guy at left guard,

782
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,680
Speaker 2: left guard, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and then Troy Faltano.

783
00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:20,000
Speaker 2: So you've got five returning guys. They didn't all play

784
00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:22,399
Speaker 2: together at one time last year.

785
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:23,960
Speaker 3: There's some youth and youth there.

786
00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,600
Speaker 2: Jones and file Atana were never on the field together

787
00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,759
Speaker 2: at the same time last year, So there's some newness there,

788
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,560
Speaker 2: but the expectation that those guys should hit the ground

789
00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:34,399
Speaker 2: running this year.

790
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:37,120
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's some newness, but there's also a good amount

791
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:43,200
Speaker 3: of experience considering their relative their ages. And I don't

792
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,040
Speaker 3: know that there's many teams in the league that don't

793
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,120
Speaker 3: have a new starter inserted, yeah, on their on their

794
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,319
Speaker 3: front five. So these guys at least all know each other.

795
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,680
Speaker 3: They've been in the position rooms together, you know, they

796
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,720
Speaker 3: they there is a familiarity even if they haven't played together.

797
00:36:57,400 --> 00:36:59,520
Speaker 3: And I'm much you know, I think I'm allowed to

798
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:03,920
Speaker 3: say this, but I was just watching center to right tackle,

799
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:08,560
Speaker 3: you know, I mean Fraser McCormick and for Atanu just

800
00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:11,759
Speaker 3: running outside zone stuff, you know, against air quickness off

801
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,480
Speaker 3: the ball. As a three man unit, they really move well.

802
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,640
Speaker 3: Those guys are quick and they're agile, and they are

803
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:21,759
Speaker 3: really adapt in space for this zone blocking scheme.

804
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:24,440
Speaker 2: And three hundred pounders are not supposed to move on

805
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:25,160
Speaker 2: n right.

806
00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:27,480
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean we've talked a lot about Caleb Johnson

807
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,560
Speaker 3: fitting this scheme more than nausey. But they've been drafting

808
00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:32,880
Speaker 3: for this scheme for a couple of years, and I

809
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:34,840
Speaker 3: think it could really pay off with athletes.

810
00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing we've we've seen

811
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,920
Speaker 4: the investment, right, yeah, right, I mean before this draft,

812
00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:44,600
Speaker 4: five offensive linemen in the previous two correct, we've seen

813
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,960
Speaker 4: them for a couple straight off seasons. Their biggest signing

814
00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:51,080
Speaker 4: in terms of the dollar amount values not necessarily name

815
00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:53,600
Speaker 4: it wise, but they're but they're value in terms of

816
00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:55,160
Speaker 4: the money. They were given out A lot of times

817
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,640
Speaker 4: it was I say, Isaac Sayamalu, James Daniels, the type

818
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,560
Speaker 4: of guys that were signing the biggest free agent tracks.

819
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,640
Speaker 4: They've really made that investment. Now, I think, as you

820
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:05,960
Speaker 4: said too, you add a guy like Caleb Johnson who

821
00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:09,200
Speaker 4: feels like he fits what you're asking, you know, square peg,

822
00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:12,239
Speaker 4: square hole, round peg, round hole type thing, and it's

823
00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:14,200
Speaker 4: it's really a time for them to take off.

824
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:14,640
Speaker 2: Yeah.

825
00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:18,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, And a huge thing I've been harping on. I

826
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:20,239
Speaker 3: have these two goals on each side of the ball

827
00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 3: is that you know they're gonna run the ball a lot.

828
00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:25,920
Speaker 3: I mean that that's the nature of the team. But

829
00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:28,920
Speaker 3: you can't be at four point zero yards per carry.

830
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,239
Speaker 3: That's like twenty eighth, twenty ninth. You know, you got

831
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:33,960
Speaker 3: to get to four to two, four to three, and

832
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:36,480
Speaker 3: you wouldn't think that's much, but over the course of that.

833
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,360
Speaker 4: Probably puts you, what twelfth in the league, fourteenth in

834
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:38,680
Speaker 4: the league.

835
00:38:38,719 --> 00:38:40,359
Speaker 3: I need to be average there, you know. I mean,

836
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:43,640
Speaker 3: and these backs over the years, you're not gonna have

837
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,239
Speaker 3: Saquon taking it eighty yards to kind of inflate some

838
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,920
Speaker 3: of those numbers, but it's a huge sample size. And

839
00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,680
Speaker 3: if there's five hundred carries over the course of the

840
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:53,560
Speaker 3: year and you're not gonna have the fields carries this year,

841
00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:55,759
Speaker 3: that number has to go up. And it doesn't seem

842
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 3: like much. You're fighting over four point one verse four

843
00:38:58,200 --> 00:38:59,680
Speaker 3: or four is the zero verse four to two?

844
00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:04,440
Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think as you said, especially when you

845
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:06,240
Speaker 4: are a team that wants to predicate yourself on running

846
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:08,600
Speaker 4: the football, and everything's gonna start going to be volume, right, Yeah.

847
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they ran at five hundred and thirty

848
00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:15,080
Speaker 2: three times last year, which was you know, one of

849
00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:18,120
Speaker 2: the most. You know, that was fourth in the league.

850
00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:20,000
Speaker 2: There was one behind Detroit.

851
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, all right, you know the only two teams.

852
00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 2: Ahead of them were Philadelphia and Baltimore, who both had

853
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:27,560
Speaker 2: quarterbacks who took large chunk of that.

854
00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:31,319
Speaker 3: And the other thing too, is Detroit Baltimore Philly. They

855
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 3: ran out a lot of leads in the fourth quarter too.

856
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,560
Speaker 3: I mean they're playing for him in front with the

857
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:39,080
Speaker 3: lead handing the ball off to Henry Barkley, you know, Montgomery.

858
00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:42,759
Speaker 2: To your point, Matt, Philadelphia averaged four point nine yards

859
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,520
Speaker 2: per carry. Yes, Baltimore was at five point eight, which

860
00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:46,440
Speaker 2: is just and.

861
00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:50,080
Speaker 3: Lamar helps still. I mean, that's a massive difference. That's

862
00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:51,879
Speaker 3: number one in the league versus number thirty one.

863
00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:56,080
Speaker 2: But Detroit gets nothing out of its quarterback four point

864
00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:57,080
Speaker 2: seven yards per carry.

865
00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,640
Speaker 3: It's a huge difference. Yeah, it's why you were playing

866
00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:00,640
Speaker 3: with Lee over in.

867
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:03,000
Speaker 2: The Steelers average four point one. That's over half a

868
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,040
Speaker 2: yard more per carry, and they ran the ball one

869
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,000
Speaker 2: more time than you did right over the course of

870
00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:15,239
Speaker 2: the season. What that works out to again, one more carry. Yeah,

871
00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:18,680
Speaker 2: Detroit ran for twenty four hundred and eighty eight yards.

872
00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,399
Speaker 2: The Steelers ran for twenty one hundred and sixty six,

873
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:26,520
Speaker 2: so all over three hundred yards three hundred yards rushing

874
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:28,359
Speaker 2: over the course of the seventeen game season.

875
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:29,480
Speaker 4: Good would have visualize it is.

876
00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:32,480
Speaker 2: A significant amount. Detroit average one hundred and forty six

877
00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,480
Speaker 2: point four yards rushing per game. The Steelers are at

878
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:38,360
Speaker 2: one hundred and twenty seven point four. It's almost twenty

879
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,800
Speaker 2: twenty more yards rushing per game just by averaging a

880
00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,200
Speaker 2: half yard per carry more.

881
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:45,239
Speaker 4: And I know that that again to some might not

882
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:47,000
Speaker 4: sound okay, Well, that's one if they would have one

883
00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,160
Speaker 4: extra fifteen to seventeen eighteen yard run a game. But

884
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,520
Speaker 4: they did it, and that's a big difference. If they

885
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:55,879
Speaker 4: would have had that extra play per game. Your third

886
00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:58,840
Speaker 4: down percentage is better, Your your offensive numbers across the

887
00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:01,759
Speaker 4: board are better. You're red zone percentage is probably in

888
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:02,360
Speaker 4: the third.

889
00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:03,960
Speaker 3: And three instead of third and five, and you know

890
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:04,839
Speaker 3: all those different things.

891
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:06,560
Speaker 4: There's a real trickle down effect to all that.

892
00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:09,200
Speaker 3: Again, this is a volume conversation too. I mean this

893
00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:10,960
Speaker 3: is yards for carry over the course of a year.

894
00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:12,680
Speaker 4: It's like if you buy a new car, right and

895
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,359
Speaker 4: one gets twenty seven miles to a gallon, and one

896
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:18,080
Speaker 4: gets twenty two miles to a gallon right, not in

897
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:19,920
Speaker 4: a month. That might not make a huge difference, but

898
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,480
Speaker 4: if you drive that car for seven eight years, it

899
00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:22,960
Speaker 4: adds up.

900
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:25,200
Speaker 3: You figure out what I saved. It's a huge saying.

901
00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:26,759
Speaker 4: This is someone who just bought a new car for

902
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:28,839
Speaker 4: the first time in eight years a couple weeks ago.

903
00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:31,640
Speaker 2: Guys, let's get to another break here before we finish

904
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,319
Speaker 2: up our number one of our live coverage here from

905
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:38,000
Speaker 2: OTA's at the upmc rooney Sports Complex here on the

906
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:41,440
Speaker 2: south side. I'm Dale LOLLI he is Matt Williamson and

907
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,520
Speaker 2: West Hueler also here with us. We'll be back with

908
00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:51,040
Speaker 2: more right after this. Lea.

909
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,319
Speaker 1: He's the drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williams Sish

910
00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:56,839
Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black

911
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,720
Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

912
00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:06,840
Speaker 2: And we are back. I am Dale Lolly here with

913
00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:11,120
Speaker 2: Matt Williamson and Wesley Muler and also a Rob King

914
00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,920
Speaker 2: sitting in here with us and guys to continue that

915
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:18,279
Speaker 2: conversation we were just having about the running game. The

916
00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,640
Speaker 2: Green Bay Packers also averaged four point seven yards per carry.

917
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,120
Speaker 2: They were the fifth highest rushing volume team. They had

918
00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:29,080
Speaker 2: five twenty six carries compared to the Steelers five hundred

919
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:31,919
Speaker 2: and thirty three. They rushed for almost twenty five hundred yards.

920
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I mean one of the best. You're talking

921
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:36,480
Speaker 3: about the best teams in the league here, you're talking

922
00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:38,439
Speaker 3: about the Lions, You're talking about the Ravens, you're talking

923
00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:38,960
Speaker 3: about the.

924
00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:42,799
Speaker 2: Commanders were five yards per carry. The Cults were at

925
00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,799
Speaker 2: four point seven. That's Richardson, but that was a lot

926
00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:48,200
Speaker 2: of Richardson. Taylor actually did really well at the end

927
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:50,600
Speaker 2: of the season too. But you start looking at these

928
00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:52,480
Speaker 2: the best teams in the league, Yeah, that average. There

929
00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:54,200
Speaker 2: were a bunch of teams that were right around four

930
00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:56,879
Speaker 2: point one yards per carry, the Steelers being one of those.

931
00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:02,600
Speaker 2: But it was Cincinnati, Denver, Tennessee, Cleveland, the Chargers, the Steelers,

932
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,080
Speaker 2: and Vikings so good. There were some good teams in.

933
00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:10,000
Speaker 3: There, Yeah, but not great teams, right. I mean, Minnesota

934
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,440
Speaker 3: is the one that stands out, is you know, a

935
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:15,000
Speaker 3: higher end team of that group. But that was another

936
00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,680
Speaker 3: big problem the Bengals had is they're so reliant on

937
00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:20,000
Speaker 3: the passing game, which is unbelievable, and it's easy to

938
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:20,800
Speaker 3: blame the defense.

939
00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:22,759
Speaker 2: They had three hundred and eighty carries last year, the

940
00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:24,320
Speaker 2: Steelers had five hundred and thirty.

941
00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:26,000
Speaker 3: Right, but they just don't run the ball much because

942
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,480
Speaker 3: it's you know, it would lighten the load on that defense,

943
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:29,680
Speaker 3: and they don't do it very well.

944
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:31,920
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think there's something to be said, and I'm

945
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:35,799
Speaker 5: jumping into maybe the end of the conversation. You're for volume, right, like, oh, yeah,

946
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:37,759
Speaker 5: I think volume is good, but I think they want

947
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,279
Speaker 5: to be more efficient. And you know, look, Jalen Warren

948
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 5: was hurt from the very beginning of the season. If

949
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:47,040
Speaker 5: you know, Naji did what Naji had done under previous regimes,

950
00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:50,400
Speaker 5: under previous systems. And you wonder, now if Caleb Johnson

951
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:53,279
Speaker 5: and a healthy Jalen Warren in that running back group

952
00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:55,440
Speaker 5: are going to lead you to get closer to that

953
00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:57,879
Speaker 5: four point seven yards a game you guys you're talking about,

954
00:43:57,880 --> 00:43:59,600
Speaker 5: because I think that, yes, they want to run it

955
00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:03,359
Speaker 5: a lot, and that might you know, ultimately hurt as

956
00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:05,839
Speaker 5: teams stack up against you, hurt your yards per carry.

957
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,400
Speaker 5: But I think they wanted to be more than what

958
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:07,759
Speaker 5: it was.

959
00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:11,919
Speaker 3: And contrary to popular belief, they did, you know, rip

960
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 3: off more than their share of ten to twenty yard

961
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:17,920
Speaker 3: game rights. They don't have eighty yarders, but they have

962
00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,680
Speaker 3: quite a few of ten to twenty yard games. When

963
00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:23,200
Speaker 3: it's well blocked, those guys will get chunk yardage. And

964
00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:25,800
Speaker 3: I think Johnson will do that even better than Harris.

965
00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:29,360
Speaker 3: So everyone always talks about explosives in this league, and

966
00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:33,040
Speaker 3: you would think with aj Brown and DeVante Smith, I mean, man,

967
00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:35,920
Speaker 3: they're explosive passing game. Their explosives come in the run

968
00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:38,440
Speaker 3: game in Philadelphia and Barkley is I'm not saying that

969
00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,279
Speaker 3: this team has Barkley or the best line in the

970
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:43,440
Speaker 3: league in an explosive quarterback, but if you're gonna get

971
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:46,560
Speaker 3: lighter boxes, you got to hit explosive runs. You get

972
00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:49,560
Speaker 3: chunk runs. And I know Johnson didn't run a great

973
00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,960
Speaker 3: forty time, but he ran. He had a lot of

974
00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:53,600
Speaker 3: explosive runs at the college level.

975
00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:53,920
Speaker 4: Yeah.

976
00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:55,880
Speaker 5: I think the other thing too, is, man, I mean

977
00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:59,400
Speaker 5: we talk so much in the NFL and the margin

978
00:44:59,719 --> 00:45:03,560
Speaker 5: is oh slim that you know a system fit right?

979
00:45:03,719 --> 00:45:06,120
Speaker 5: Are you the you know the zone the zone one

980
00:45:06,239 --> 00:45:08,600
Speaker 5: cut runner? Are you more of a hey, you know,

981
00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:11,520
Speaker 5: lineup in the I formation kind of guy right dancering

982
00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,279
Speaker 5: the whole? And I think Caleb Johnson, I think they

983
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:18,319
Speaker 5: ran a lot of of of one cut sort of zones.

984
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:20,239
Speaker 3: Almost exclusively, and they were great at it right, and

985
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:21,960
Speaker 3: the whole world knew it was coming because they had

986
00:45:22,080 --> 00:45:24,800
Speaker 3: no passing game in ioway, like the worst passing.

987
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:28,759
Speaker 4: Nine passing touchdowns on I mean, that's a good fit

988
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:30,960
Speaker 4: and that could be worth a little bit of yards

989
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:31,880
Speaker 4: per carrier or whatever.

990
00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:34,279
Speaker 3: And I'm sure even if and I think he's been

991
00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:37,840
Speaker 3: interviewed to Arthur Smith saying well, I these are the

992
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,719
Speaker 3: ingredients I was given as a first year coordinator, so

993
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:43,200
Speaker 3: I didn't run as much outside zoned as I would

994
00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:46,839
Speaker 3: prefer to, which is has a ripple. I mean all

995
00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:48,359
Speaker 3: coaches have to deal with that. I mean you don't

996
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:50,520
Speaker 3: always have the ideal personnel. I mean, would be great

997
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:53,160
Speaker 3: to have Pro bowlers across the board. But I do

998
00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:56,880
Speaker 3: think you're going to see more Arthur Smith's stuff in

999
00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:00,480
Speaker 3: all aspects run and pass game this year because it's

1000
00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:02,840
Speaker 3: guys that are there they've handpicked for that reason.

1001
00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:05,000
Speaker 5: And the other ingredient, of course, is if they're at

1002
00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:09,320
Speaker 5: another receiver and that receiver makes you have to have

1003
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 5: more respect for the passing game. That's gonna loosen things up,

1004
00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:14,919
Speaker 5: and that like every little bit is going to help

1005
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,520
Speaker 5: you get from say four to four point one to

1006
00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:20,239
Speaker 5: four point four to four point five something that you're

1007
00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:23,440
Speaker 5: more comfortable with. And I think another receiver look, and

1008
00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:26,400
Speaker 5: if you get a you know obviously the Aaron Rodgers

1009
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:28,279
Speaker 5: rumors flying around, but you get him, you get another

1010
00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:30,480
Speaker 5: receiver in do you really want to sell out against

1011
00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:32,640
Speaker 5: the run if you're a defensive.

1012
00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:36,040
Speaker 3: Team right like as currently constructed. You know, Dale and

1013
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:38,319
Speaker 3: I talked about this ton like you're gonna see light

1014
00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:41,160
Speaker 3: boxes with pickens and metcalf, you know, I mean, and

1015
00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:43,080
Speaker 3: now one of those is gone. Can you find a

1016
00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:46,360
Speaker 3: replacement where you can lighten the load on the running

1017
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:48,279
Speaker 3: game because last year they ran into a lot of

1018
00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:49,160
Speaker 3: stack boxes too.

1019
00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:54,560
Speaker 2: That's right, absolutely, guys. And you know this this OTA

1020
00:46:54,719 --> 00:46:58,080
Speaker 2: session here should be starting to wrap up soon here,

1021
00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:01,279
Speaker 2: but we're gonna continue on the air here live on

1022
00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:06,440
Speaker 2: Steelers Nation Radio and Fox Sports Pittsburgh ninete seventy. You

1023
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:09,320
Speaker 2: just heard Rob King there the voice of the Steelers.

1024
00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,320
Speaker 2: Have you gotten used to hearing people say say that

1025
00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:11,719
Speaker 2: about you?

1026
00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:13,200
Speaker 4: I like the way it sounds.

1027
00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:19,360
Speaker 2: He is Wes Yuler, That is Matt Williams, and I

1028
00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:23,560
Speaker 2: am Dale Lolly Matt and I, the crew from the

1029
00:47:23,719 --> 00:47:27,480
Speaker 2: Drive West, coming over from the Blitz, the Blitz, the

1030
00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:31,400
Speaker 2: Steelers Blitz checking Arthur moch. You can hear us all

1031
00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:34,840
Speaker 2: on the Steelers Audio Network, of course throughout the course

1032
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,560
Speaker 2: of the NFL season. But let's get through a break here.

1033
00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:40,080
Speaker 2: That's going to do it for our number one of

1034
00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:43,240
Speaker 2: our live coverage here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex.

1035
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:46,080
Speaker 2: The guys and I will be back with our number two,

1036
00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:50,560
Speaker 2: and our number two will include some special guests here

1037
00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:52,120
Speaker 2: as the Steelers come off the field, so you won't

1038
00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:54,520
Speaker 2: want to miss that. We'll be back with more right

1039
00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:54,920
Speaker 2: after this