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

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

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Speaker 2: What's going on Steelers Nation Radio. It's the Drive on

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Speaker 2: the Steelers Audio Network. We was Shooler and Matt Williamson

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Speaker 2: with you here for the next two hours on this Tuesday,

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Speaker 2: as we will have plenty to get to today, a

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Speaker 2: little fantasy football focus, some power rankings our Tuesday rewind.

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Speaker 2: Our buddy Chris Damski going to join us about fifteen

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Speaker 2: to twenty minutes from now. But as always, Matt, we

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Speaker 2: start with the Tuesday Mike Tomlin press conference. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: and I think everybody in Steeler's land waiting anticipating getting

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Speaker 2: some updates on some of these injury concerns, which unfortunately,

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Speaker 2: just two weeks into the season, they're already play Yeah,

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Speaker 2: particularly on the defense. Defense putt on the defensive side

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Speaker 2: of the football. Here are the latest injury updates per

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Speaker 2: Mike Tomlin for this weekend. You can rule out Isaiah

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Speaker 2: Loudermilk and Alex Highsmith. Did sound like some potential better

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Speaker 2: news for high Smith. We'll get to that in a second,

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Speaker 2: but you can rule out louder Milk and high Smith

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Speaker 2: and obviously the guys that are on IR as well too,

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Speaker 2: the Malie Harrison's and the guys that are on irre

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Speaker 2: questionable Deshaun Elliott, Derek Harmon, Joey Porter Junior. Although I will.

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Speaker 3: Say time we've had good news about Harmon.

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Speaker 2: First time we've had good news in that regard. Although

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Speaker 2: I will say it didn't sound the tone and you

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Speaker 2: always got a grain assault with these things. Sure, the

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Speaker 2: tone in Mike Tomlin's voice didn't sound overly optimistic as Harmon,

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Speaker 2: or maybe just not quite as optimistic as some of

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Speaker 2: the other guys, but still listed as questionable. That's better

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Speaker 2: we ago and then being rolled out at this point exactly,

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Speaker 2: and then guys guys who they're gonna have to wait

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Speaker 2: and see, guys who are going to be uh, you know,

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Speaker 2: slow early in the week but could be ready uh

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Speaker 2: for game time. Patrick Queen with an oblique and Darius

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Speaker 2: Sleigh with a shoulder. So that was the latest from

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Speaker 2: Mike Tomlin. The good news though, is that it's not

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Speaker 2: a high ankle sprain for Alex Highsmith. It's just an

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Speaker 2: ankle spray.

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Speaker 3: Good, Okay. I thought his was more promising than louder Milk.

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Speaker 2: So it is, and so he will certainly not play

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Speaker 2: this weekend. And I think we'd probably be surprised even

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Speaker 2: if he played in Dublin in a couple of weeks

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Speaker 2: against the Vikings. But hopefully we'll see him sooner rather

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Speaker 2: than later in October.

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Speaker 3: Okay, might louder mil I'm not that you know the

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Speaker 3: answer to this. I'm just throwing it out there. Might

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Speaker 3: louder Milk end up on ir.

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Speaker 2: Or wouldn't surprise me? Because an it's usually at least

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Speaker 2: four weeks, say.

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Speaker 3: Four seems pretty conservative.

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Speaker 2: That's if Pie and the sky everything goes as well

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Speaker 2: as possible. It's it's normally more like five six weeks.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and really the same and all that good stuff.

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Speaker 2: Too, and so yeah, I think that's a real possibility.

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Speaker 2: We'll ask Kris A. Damski about that here in you know,

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Speaker 2: fifteen minutes or so.

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Speaker 3: This is gonna sound mean, but I think this could

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Speaker 3: be a blessing in disguise. I mean, Harmon would obviously

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Speaker 3: louder Mills has been playing too much for my liking,

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Speaker 3: to be honest with you, But I mean pre injury.

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Speaker 3: I mean we mentioned I cited some of the defensive

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Speaker 3: line snap counts yesterday, and frankly, I think he'd be

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Speaker 3: much closer to the top had he not gotten injured.

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Speaker 3: I mean, the first game he played quite a bit.

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Speaker 3: Second game he got injured pretty early. And he's not

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Speaker 3: the only one to blame, but I think he's been

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Speaker 3: a liability in terms of run defense and he brings

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Speaker 3: the least to the table as a pass rusher of

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Speaker 3: the group. I thought he was a borderline roster guy.

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Speaker 3: I mean we talked a lot about that, yeah, you know,

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Speaker 3: and now all of a sudden he's thrust into starter.

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Speaker 3: I don't think they have any intention to doing it,

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Speaker 3: but I'd love to see Benton in his spot, and

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Speaker 3: like Wally, it knows more or Black, either spot more,

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Speaker 3: you know, just equality more. I think in general would

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Speaker 3: be favorable to me. I'd rather fac Qually on the

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Speaker 3: field than Loudermolk. I know they don't play the exact same.

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Speaker 2: Position, but what they do do is if you make

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Speaker 2: that change, is that allows, as you just mentioned, Keanu

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Speaker 2: Benton to be in a more opportunistic role, a more

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Speaker 2: opportunistic position. It would do it, which at this point

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Speaker 2: might be as important as anything on that defensive line.

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Speaker 2: You have got to get him going. You've got to

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Speaker 2: get something out of him, I know, particularly in the

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Speaker 2: absence of Derek Harmon.

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Speaker 3: That's what I mean exactly. I mean, and Harmon you

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Speaker 3: probably don't want to thrust into an every down role,

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Speaker 3: was a true rookie anyway. So maybe you can shuffle

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Speaker 3: these guys around and get your best three out there

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Speaker 3: in their proper spots and even give Hayward a little

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Speaker 3: bit of a breather. The thing is, too, is what

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Speaker 3: I noticed in the second week, in particular, the snaps

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Speaker 3: Haywards aren't not on the field. They're running the ball

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Speaker 3: like every time too, every time, you know, and they're

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Speaker 3: always going that direction no matter what. When they run

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Speaker 3: the ball, we know that. But when he's not on

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Speaker 3: the field, they're running right at his spot.

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Speaker 2: Yes, and again, like you know, Mike Tomlin talked about

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Speaker 2: this today too. Two games into the season, you're starting

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Speaker 2: to develop trends absolutely, and one of those trends that

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Speaker 2: we highlighted this yesterday, how often teams are running left

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Speaker 2: almost exclusively right over ninety percent of the time, and

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Speaker 2: how often they're targeting the middle of the field.

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Speaker 3: Yes, both those things are getting to be very obvious.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and Matt, I know, like you, you have to

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Speaker 2: bring in the injury situation to this conversation. It's without

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Speaker 2: it's not an excuse, it's a reality. But at the

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Speaker 2: same time, how much time throughout July and early August

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Speaker 2: two did we spend talking about how much we like

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Speaker 2: the depth on this defense? Absolutely, Like I realized it's

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Speaker 2: been a lot early. We outlined the just the the issues,

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Speaker 2: the less than ideal scenario of your top five or

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Speaker 2: six if you want to count Pepper's defensive backs on Sunday,

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Speaker 2: we're all not on your roster last year. And even

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Speaker 2: in the chase of the case of people like Chuck

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Speaker 2: Clark and uh and Peppers, they're hopping on a moving

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Speaker 2: train later in the process. It wasn't like they were

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Speaker 2: with the team to begin training camp. Absolutely in late

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Speaker 2: July in Latrobe. But again, all that really.

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Speaker 3: Quick on that thing is I went and double checked it.

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Speaker 3: Only five defensive backs actually saw the field in that game,

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Speaker 3: which is rare. But they're not a big eleven team

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Speaker 3: and blow up Peppers never never watch stepped out on

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Speaker 3: the field, So it was just those five and none

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Speaker 3: of them worth team. Everyone got a snap like I

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Speaker 3: put it in Matt SATs, every defensive back that got

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Speaker 3: a snap in week two did not play for the

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Speaker 3: Steelers in twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: And that is a much tougher task in week two

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Speaker 2: than it is in week twelve. I don't think I'm

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Speaker 2: breaking into.

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Speaker 3: Week twelve in week two. It's a reality, you know, right.

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Speaker 2: But the reality is like, this is life in the

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Speaker 2: National Football League. And while it's hit the Steelers heavy

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Speaker 2: and hard early on, That's also why we talked so

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Speaker 2: much about how confident we were in the depth, particularly

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Speaker 2: of this defense throughout July and August and through training

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Speaker 2: camp in the preseason. And you might that's what I mean.

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Speaker 2: It's not idea, but this needs to be the week

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Speaker 2: that you start figuring it out. Yeah, it doesn't have

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Speaker 2: to be a Mona Lisa this week, but it can't

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Speaker 2: be what we've seen through two weeks exactly.

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Speaker 3: I mean, of course we want improvement, but you might

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Speaker 3: know who can I count on? Who can I not?

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Speaker 3: Who's who those defensive linemen when you are healthier, which

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Speaker 3: you never know if you are, that's one of my

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Speaker 3: favorite things. Oh, we're definitely gonna get healthier. Have you

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Speaker 3: ever watched football, you know, like that's not really how

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Speaker 3: it works. You know, he'll get hurt every week.

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Speaker 2: That's like I said, my wife and I say to

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Speaker 2: each other a couple times a year. Oh, when things

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Speaker 2: slow down, right, things are never gonna slow down.

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Speaker 4: Young kids.

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Speaker 2: Got two young kids. We both got crazy full time

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Speaker 2: all over the place. John's gonna it's gonna get worse

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Speaker 2: if anything.

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Speaker 3: Right, wait till they're like in sports or dance or

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Speaker 3: whatever they choose to do. I mean, you're gonna be

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Speaker 3: carting them all over the place. It's not gonna slow

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Speaker 3: down ever.

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Speaker 2: No, right, well not for maybe another what twenty years,

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Speaker 2: And by that.

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Speaker 3: Point, yeah, my life's starting to slow down because one

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Speaker 3: of them left the house of the other one will

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Speaker 3: a year from now, you know. That's slowing down.

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Speaker 2: Ones and ones in Lexington having fun in college, and

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Speaker 2: the other might be might be joining them here before

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Speaker 2: too much longer.

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Speaker 3: Only do eight podcasts a day or whatever.

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Speaker 2: Don't to prepare quite as much for dinner, you know,

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Speaker 2: without you, without your son, without the eighteen year old

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Speaker 2: boy being in the house.

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Speaker 3: But we are starting to you might learn things, you know,

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Speaker 3: like week ten, Oh, I feel really comfortable putting this

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Speaker 3: guy in the spell Hayward or boy, let's get hulkom

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Speaker 3: in a rotation, or Peppers is a perfect example because

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Speaker 3: he's so new he's a starter now, or he's a

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Speaker 3: out there a lot, or we're playing Big Nickel with him,

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Speaker 3: or he's clearly ahead of Chuck Clark, or you know,

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Speaker 3: might find these things out, you know, Peppers against his

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Speaker 3: old team. I think maybe you get him involved this week.

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Speaker 2: Interesting storyline. Yeah, I would at least expect him to

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Speaker 2: see the field this week. Now. If that's less than

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Speaker 2: ten snaps with it, so be it. I would at

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Speaker 2: least expect him to step between the white lines and

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Speaker 2: not just be in pads on the sideline.

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Speaker 3: Agreed, Matt.

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Speaker 2: Kind of other thing that I wanted to discuss with

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Speaker 2: you from Mike Tomlins prescos.

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Speaker 3: Say what else? Do you saything else?

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Speaker 4: Good?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, before we get to a Damski here in a

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Speaker 2: few minutes. He did not say who will return kicks

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Speaker 2: this week, but he did say that it will not

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Speaker 2: be Caleb Johnson.

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Speaker 3: I think that's such an easy decision.

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Speaker 2: Easy, but but who who is it?

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Speaker 3: Now?

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Speaker 4: Then?

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Speaker 2: Is it Warren? Is that Wilson is a gain? Well,

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Speaker 2: I mean they their average starting field position after a

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Speaker 2: kickoff compared to their opponent's average starting field position after

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Speaker 2: a kickoff is not good. That's another thing Mike tom

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Speaker 2: and acknowledge today. Yeah, you when you got an offense.

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Speaker 3: And I'm trying to find that number, and I can't

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Speaker 3: because real quick, like on DVOA is where I find

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Speaker 3: all that stuff or one of those find that that.

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Speaker 3: But it's always starting field position per drive, so.

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Speaker 2: That includes punts and turnovers.

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Speaker 3: Turnovers screw you up a little bit. I mean, of

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Speaker 3: course the year you get a better feel, but I

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Speaker 3: haven't got and I'll find it probably the next day

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Speaker 3: or two of because I'm really interested how what the

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Speaker 3: discrepancy is of where they start on kickoffs versus where

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Speaker 3: they allow the starting kickoff. I bet it's as big

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Speaker 3: as Eddie Martin.

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Speaker 2: Just off the eye test, just off the vibes test,

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Speaker 2: right back twenty minutes of football. It's bad. It seems

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Speaker 2: like the Jets and the Seahawks were starting every drive

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Speaker 2: at at least the thirty thirty five yard line. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: maybe sometimes even closer to the forty. I mean they're

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Speaker 2: a first down away from midfield.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and you said this the other day they're like

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Speaker 3: two first downs away from kicker for two points. Kickers

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Speaker 3: play down.

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Speaker 2: You play a team that has a good kicker, which

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Speaker 2: most teams in the NFL do, Yeah, you get two

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Speaker 2: first downs, you're in field goal range.

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Speaker 3: Then they made a seventy yarder against them in the preseason.

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Speaker 2: That can't happen. And it would be, especially if it

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Speaker 2: was happening league wide, if the Steelers were doing it too,

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Speaker 2: if they were.

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Speaker 3: Everybody's starting better.

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Speaker 2: They're starting to me.

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Speaker 3: I bet they are, but the Steelers aren't.

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Speaker 2: But the Steelers certainly or not. And again I don't

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Speaker 2: have the exact I'm just going off eye test. I'm

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Speaker 2: just going off vibes. I'm just going off of sitting

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Speaker 2: in the press box for both of those games and

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Speaker 2: the broadcast booth part of me for both of those games,

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Speaker 2: and watching it all go down. It felt like every

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Speaker 2: return for Seattle in New York and they're at the

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Speaker 2: thirty five to forty yard line already, it.

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Speaker 3: Feels like ten yards different, like a whole first down.

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Speaker 2: You have a whole first down difference where the Steelers

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Speaker 2: are starting at the twenty three twenty four. Yeah, and

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Speaker 2: that over the course of eight nine to ten offensive

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Speaker 2: series ends up being a substantial difference and leading to

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Speaker 2: much easier scoring opportunities for the opposition. That's got to change, yep.

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Speaker 3: And last note on that too is their kickoff and

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Speaker 3: kickoff return. They were really good on special teams across

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Speaker 3: the board last year, Like if you just look at

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Speaker 3: PFF special team grade, they're like top five helps.

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Speaker 2: At a time Boswell helps. It was above average punter.

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Speaker 3: They always block an extra kick than most teams or so,

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Speaker 3: which goes an awful long way. The punt coverage unit

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Speaker 3: was really good. Both the specialists were really good, but

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Speaker 3: kickoff and kickoff coverage were their weakness and not the

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Speaker 3: bottom of the league, but weren't great, I mean, and

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Speaker 3: they got worse as the season went on. So this

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Speaker 3: has been a little bit of a theme lately. But

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Speaker 3: starting field position, and that a lot of it's because

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Speaker 3: the turnovers has been one of their secret sauces too.

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Speaker 3: We know the offense, you know how they always over

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Speaker 3: five hundred's Tomlin magic, Well, they start their field position.

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Speaker 3: Starting is better than most teams over these last few years.

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Speaker 3: A lot of it's because they cause a turnover at

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Speaker 3: midfield or whatever and boom, you know you get three

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Speaker 3: out of that.

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Speaker 2: Matt. If you and I are running the race against

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Speaker 2: each other, we're running the mile and I get a

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Speaker 2: quarter mile head start, that's significant.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, if I get a quarter mile head start, we

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Speaker 3: might tie.

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Speaker 2: I think you're giving me too much credit for being

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Speaker 2: for being in shape, but yeah, it's it's it's significant.

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Speaker 2: It is when you win in the margins, which a

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Speaker 2: lot of winning in the National Football League is winning

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Speaker 2: in the margins. That stuff eight, nine, ten times a

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Speaker 2: game ends up adding up, and I bet.

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Speaker 3: It's ten yards. I mean it feels like a ton.

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Speaker 3: I bet it's ten yards of a.

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Speaker 2: Lot of extra first downs that you're giving that opposition.

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Speaker 2: I like Mike Tomlin acknowledging and addressing that today. I

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Speaker 2: want to see how they start attacking it. On Sunday

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Speaker 2: in Foxborough, we'll talk about all these things, injury updates, concerns,

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Speaker 2: anything and everything in between with our buddy Chris Adamski

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Speaker 2: of the trip and the Steelers Blitz here when we

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Speaker 2: return on the other side, West Shouler, Matt Williamson, it

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Speaker 2: is the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers

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Speaker 2: Audio Network.

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

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

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Speaker 2: Back on the drive. Here into the phone lines we go,

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Speaker 2: welcoming one of the new voices of the Steelers Blitz,

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Speaker 2: one of our new newest Memoers Slitz. Yeah a damn ski.

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Speaker 3: Oh I'm sorry. I thought you thought you were in

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Speaker 3: the Blitz. Okay, yeah, no, I haven't. You haven't done

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Speaker 3: that yet.

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Speaker 2: I haven't done that yet. I've been you know. And

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Speaker 2: now that you speak it into the ether, it's probably.

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Speaker 3: Gonna happen soon slip out of your mouth. Uh.

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Speaker 2: But a a now part of our Steelers Audio Network family.

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Speaker 2: Here host of the Steelers Blitz with Tom Opferman at

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Speaker 2: noon on Steelers Nation Radio every single day. He covers

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Speaker 2: the Steelers for the trip. He is a graduate of

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Speaker 2: the finest high school in western Pennsylvania. He's a Mars

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Speaker 2: Fighting Planet. Chris Damski, Chris, thanks for taking the time.

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Speaker 2: As always, partner plenty that we want to get into

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Speaker 2: with you. Let me start here. Sounds like maybe a

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Speaker 2: little bit more optimistic timeline around Alex high Smith and

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Speaker 2: that ankle injury than we initially assumed, maybe just twenty

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Speaker 2: four hours ago.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it seems like it doesn't seem like IR at least,

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Speaker 4: so that's that's something that's that's a pot. You hear

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Speaker 4: the term high ankle sprain and immediately people assume, or

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Speaker 4: you anybody does, I do assume you hear that that term,

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Speaker 4: it's going to be longer term or at least, you know,

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Speaker 4: talking IR level four games is so you definitely have

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Speaker 4: the overall impression it's overall that the Louder Milk one

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Speaker 4: is more I think Tom literally said that today actually

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Speaker 4: that it's you're more serious and longer term for sure.

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Speaker 4: So if that's the case and they're confident he wouldn't

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Speaker 4: go an IR, then yeah, by by definition, that would

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Speaker 4: be fewer than four games there. So but obviously he's

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Speaker 4: got this week and not something that I used to

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Speaker 4: whether they missed went to down an outside linebacker in

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Speaker 4: Week one, essentially didn't have high Smith for the majority

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Speaker 4: of Week two, So I guess that's why you build

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Speaker 4: up depth. And so Jack Sawyer's a number four. People

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Speaker 4: at the time were like, that's kind of a luxury

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Speaker 4: pick to take him here in the fourth round in

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Speaker 4: a position you don't really need. But already the first

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Speaker 4: three or four games of the season. You need them.

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Speaker 3: Chris, welcome back, Glad. We're doing this every week. Wes

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Speaker 3: and I were just talking about the kickoff situation, kickoff

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Speaker 3: return situation, and I don't think anyone's super shock Caleb

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Speaker 3: Johnson will no longer be doing that. Do you have

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Speaker 3: an inclination of what the deep guys will be the returners?

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Speaker 3: And I wonder, is Caleb Johnson even guaranteed to get

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Speaker 3: a hat on game day this week?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, I wasn't wondering. I mean, you know,

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Speaker 4: you guys for camp and Trace Sermon looked pretty good

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Speaker 4: at camp. He was you know, he has a track

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Speaker 4: record in the league. He was a mid round pick.

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Speaker 4: He've had he'd a big his best game of his

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Speaker 4: careers against the Steers when he's with the Colt So

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Speaker 4: he's he definitely a NFL calumber running back. So you

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Speaker 4: wonder if if they're not going to use caleber returned

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Speaker 4: kicks then and obviously whatever he played three snaps and

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Speaker 4: two games on offense, they haven't used them there that Yeah,

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Speaker 4: So it's it's trending to me as if he'd been inactive,

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Speaker 4: and if that's the case, you don't want to go

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Speaker 4: into a game with only two running backs. So I

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Speaker 4: so that's that would be the one reason why he

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Speaker 4: probably would be active. But then now the new practice

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Speaker 4: squad rules, of course, I think Tray Sermon is definitely

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Speaker 4: an option. It's the question is would Trace Sermon then

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Speaker 4: be a kick returner option or would he would it

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Speaker 4: be more of the gain? Well, how much do you

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Speaker 4: want to expose Jaylan Warren? I thought he had went

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Speaker 4: maybe the best game of his career in terms of

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Speaker 4: a whole, and I know that you know, the gaudy

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Speaker 4: yards number wasn't there and even the yards were carry

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Speaker 4: about his thought. Mike tom And again referenced that he

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Speaker 4: thought he came to play on Sunday. I think you'll

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Speaker 4: start to see that shared judging by the first two

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Speaker 4: weeks and more and more Warren less and less game. Well,

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Speaker 4: so then you want to put Warren back to the

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Speaker 4: return kickoffs. So I don't know, I don't remember now

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Speaker 4: how much Trase Sermon returned kickoffs during camp and how

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Speaker 4: much of an option need to do that, But you

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Speaker 4: would think.

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Speaker 3: But I don't also remember about him is does he

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Speaker 3: help out in any other facets of teams? Did he

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Speaker 3: run down on kickoff coverage or punt. I don't remember

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Speaker 3: any of that. I'm not sure.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I don't either. I mean he was you

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Speaker 4: know those guys I remember talking to him any you know,

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Speaker 4: of course they're going to say at that point, at

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Speaker 4: that point in your career, you know, that's your path.

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Speaker 4: He said, he's willing to do it and happy to

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Speaker 4: do it, and you know, special team because that would

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Speaker 4: be his role. Now you're right, uh, which had.

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Speaker 3: A better mind?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, the Danny Smith period. But what's what this

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Speaker 4: way we should I don't think anybody was surprised at

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Speaker 4: this point if if Caleb Johnson isn't inactive and hey

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Speaker 4: he's still a rookie, it's only his third game of

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Speaker 4: his career. We oh, there's been need he needed further

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Speaker 4: marinating for their offensive game. And if people forget too

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Speaker 4: you know, this gap is one thing. But you know

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Speaker 4: he fumbled week one on a kickoff return and you

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Speaker 4: know it wasn't a loss fumble, so there was no harm,

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Speaker 4: no file. People got to forget about it, and it

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Speaker 4: wasn't like he was at a you know, a long

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Speaker 4: history at Iowa of returning kicks or you know, had

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Speaker 4: a couple explosive plays against the Jets or something. They're

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Speaker 4: just really it just makes sense at this point to

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Speaker 4: sit him off a little bit and st certainly in

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Speaker 4: Madstick of the Game, Chris.

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Speaker 2: One of the things that Matt and I discussed yesterday

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Speaker 2: was mentioned by Mike Tomlin today. I guess great minds

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Speaker 2: think alike, and that's that all five players who took

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Speaker 2: snaps in the Steelers secondary, whether it be a corner

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Speaker 2: or safety on Sunday, we're not on the team last

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Speaker 2: year obviously. The only two guys that were Deshaun Elliott

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Speaker 2: and Joey Porter Junior, are still dealing with injuries. Listed

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Speaker 2: as questionable today by Mike Tomlin. How do you feel

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Speaker 2: about the status of that secondary and the potential to

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Speaker 2: maybe get some reinforcements Sunday in New England?

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Speaker 4: It is wild, you know When he said that. I mean,

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Speaker 4: obviously it's it makes sense and you think about it.

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Speaker 4: But I remember Mike tom In a couple of weeks

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Speaker 4: ago said something to the effect of somebody asked, was

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Speaker 4: this the plan?

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Speaker 3: You know?

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Speaker 4: Redid your your defense in a lot of ways and

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Speaker 4: secondary certainly, And he said, if I remember, we did

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Speaker 4: a kind of peace. Mentally, It wasn't as if you know,

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Speaker 4: nobody went into the offseason thinking they're gonna get Jayan

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Speaker 4: Ramsey in June thirtieth in a trade right and trade

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Speaker 4: Mike if it's Patrick for necessarily, So you couldn't have

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Speaker 4: You couldn't have mapped that out, no matter how you

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Speaker 4: know you're looking ahead or thinking that way. But yeah,

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Speaker 4: so they all kind of came. Wasn't like they signed

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Speaker 4: five guys March thirteenth or whatever. It was the first

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Speaker 4: day of free agency, and you think, wow, how can

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Speaker 4: this just remain secondary? But then you kind of realize

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Speaker 4: it happens every time, and this so happened to two

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Speaker 4: returneys that are starters. And I mean thinking by that

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Speaker 4: truck Clark wasn't even on the roster until after camp started,

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Speaker 4: and he played every single snap defensively in Week two.

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Speaker 3: I mean, how many times we brought on Peppers who

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Speaker 3: just got here a minute ago, you know, yeah.

436
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, and so Peppers is an option too, So it

437
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:06,720
Speaker 4: is it's you know, I guess overall, you know, you're

438
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,920
Speaker 4: not happy with the defense where it's at, So that's

439
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,440
Speaker 4: part of the defense. Certainly, there's been aspects of almost

440
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,400
Speaker 4: everybody's game that you think could be better that there's

441
00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,560
Speaker 4: also been plays made in the secondary, I mean positive

442
00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,320
Speaker 4: plays made in the secondary too, So yeah, it will

443
00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,080
Speaker 4: I guess the Peppers thing is the most what I'll

444
00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:26,840
Speaker 4: be trying to watch and practice these next couple of

445
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,840
Speaker 4: days here to see how much, if at all, he's

446
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,199
Speaker 4: assimilated to the defense or they are they happy with

447
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,040
Speaker 4: what they did and part of it could be not

448
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,760
Speaker 4: such specific and everything that you know, you would think

449
00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,440
Speaker 4: maybe Truck Clark against a high volume run team like

450
00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,879
Speaker 4: the Seahawks and and we'll see. I guess really, you know,

451
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,240
Speaker 4: the Patriots aren't all that you know, don't like the

452
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,159
Speaker 4: Patriots and winging around or whatever sort of a passing offense,

453
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,800
Speaker 4: So you know that's that's that was the reasoning behind that,

454
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,359
Speaker 4: or just because Pepper showed up five days before you

455
00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:58,800
Speaker 4: couldn't put him on the defense. But it is crazy

456
00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,160
Speaker 4: too that you know, the depth for the secondary being

457
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,240
Speaker 4: tested like this, uh, this early in the season.

458
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,639
Speaker 3: Like this, and Pepper's obviously pretty familiar with the Patriots

459
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,520
Speaker 3: and all their you know, he's gone against their receivers

460
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,800
Speaker 3: and Hunter Henry and all those dudes too, So I

461
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,159
Speaker 3: think that's kind of an interesting wrinkle. Two guys, you know,

462
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,960
Speaker 3: to focus on the defense run defense clearly has not

463
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,000
Speaker 3: been good enough. Two guys in the front that it

464
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:27,240
Speaker 3: wouldn't break my heart if their role expanded would be Hulcombe,

465
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,600
Speaker 3: but especially Equalley. Did you see any of that going on?

466
00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,680
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was kind of surprised that Equality didn't play

467
00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,119
Speaker 4: more even in week one or that wasn't part of it,

468
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,240
Speaker 4: especially of course with Harmon not playing. I thought we'd

469
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:41,880
Speaker 4: see a lot more equality. I thought he might even

470
00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:44,040
Speaker 4: in the term start. You know, you know, I don't

471
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:45,879
Speaker 4: say who cares. I mean, people do care about it,

472
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,400
Speaker 4: but it's it's not a right, you know. Louder Milk

473
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 4: wasn't necessarily the you know, the number three or what.

474
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,280
Speaker 4: But but if you go by even snaps, the quality

475
00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:55,240
Speaker 4: barely played in week one. I was surprised by that,

476
00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,320
Speaker 4: and I thought he was going to have a bigger

477
00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,240
Speaker 4: role again, especially whenever they were down. And man, I

478
00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,120
Speaker 4: guess part of that was, you know, they probably didn't

479
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 4: depend on a fiffront pick why Black being good enough

480
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,679
Speaker 4: to use him as much as they would so I

481
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,000
Speaker 4: think you would. Yeah, I guess the you know, the

482
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,239
Speaker 4: elephant in the room. Then is you know what what

483
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,600
Speaker 4: do you do with Benton? I mean, do you do

484
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,720
Speaker 4: you start just to fight in playing time away from him?

485
00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,760
Speaker 3: A weird him, move the more of an end, A

486
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,840
Speaker 3: three four end. I don't think he's a nose, but

487
00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:25,920
Speaker 3: you don't want to move his position in the middle

488
00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,320
Speaker 3: of the season either. I mean, I'd love to see

489
00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:32,040
Speaker 3: Black get more incorporated at knows a Walley hold down

490
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,560
Speaker 3: the Ford, it knows Benton start to play more end,

491
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:37,600
Speaker 3: and I think all three of them would be in

492
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,719
Speaker 3: their best role. But that's hard to do on a

493
00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:40,280
Speaker 3: moving train.

494
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,520
Speaker 4: Yeah, I get this point. And I don't know if.

495
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,520
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously we're talking a guy who's been scratched,

496
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,640
Speaker 4: and I don't I don't know what. But you know, Damo,

497
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,199
Speaker 4: I thought, was you know good enough at camp? I

498
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:52,840
Speaker 4: was gont you know, I thought, you know, he made

499
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,719
Speaker 4: the team and he'll be in there, almost assuredly at

500
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,639
Speaker 4: just the extra body instead of Louder and Mike. I

501
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,639
Speaker 4: wonder he's not big to play a nose type position,

502
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,320
Speaker 4: and but he's I guess he's an option there too.

503
00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:07,480
Speaker 4: And I mean, Matt, do you think that's what I mean?

504
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:07,919
Speaker 3: Benton?

505
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,840
Speaker 4: You know that the liabilities sometimes you're seeing Benton is

506
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,160
Speaker 4: more playing in an interior. If you move him out more,

507
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,480
Speaker 4: he can be better. You know what we what you

508
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,639
Speaker 4: see in him, and what you what you have in him,

509
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,119
Speaker 4: and what the what the skill set is that you

510
00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:21,440
Speaker 4: can be a better player out there.

511
00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:24,040
Speaker 3: I guess yeah, I mean, I still think he's highly

512
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,680
Speaker 3: useful in the nickel with two defensive tackles on the field,

513
00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:29,840
Speaker 3: especially with Harmon out of the mix. You don't want

514
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,159
Speaker 3: Black to be that guy. You don't want Lee to

515
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,680
Speaker 3: be that guy. Louder Milk maybe got some refs there,

516
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:38,240
Speaker 3: but probably shouldn't have. That's just probably because you know,

517
00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 3: default injury stuff. But I just think Benton isn't stout

518
00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,840
Speaker 3: enough to handle nose tackle duties in the run game.

519
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,159
Speaker 3: And I think he's a big reason they were not

520
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,760
Speaker 3: getting more production from the inside linebackers because he's in

521
00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:54,560
Speaker 3: their lap a lot.

522
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 4: Yeah, and the whole Yeah, I'd like to kind of

523
00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,280
Speaker 4: go back and watch and see how much I mean,

524
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:03,000
Speaker 4: they obviously are gradually moving out. Was that because he

525
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,240
Speaker 4: just you know, in terms of game shape, hadn't played

526
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,720
Speaker 4: in the game in twenty two months until here n

527
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,080
Speaker 4: got the preseason games or whatever. He didn't play at

528
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,879
Speaker 4: all on defense. In Week one he played more than that.

529
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,880
Speaker 4: Was Was that more on necessity because the both Queen

530
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:17,639
Speaker 4: and Wilson were out for a little bit banged up,

531
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:19,840
Speaker 4: and Wilson was, you know, the illness and things like that.

532
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 4: Was that the only reason, Like, I'm curious that that's

533
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,600
Speaker 4: the only reason Holkham played. They were in like a

534
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,880
Speaker 4: there was enough fourth and ones or third and one

535
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,840
Speaker 4: short yardage that there was that you know, kind of

536
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,639
Speaker 4: goal line package that I thought, maybe hope it was

537
00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,240
Speaker 4: just part of in general, So that's why he got

538
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,600
Speaker 4: some play this time. I am curious and wondering because

539
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,719
Speaker 4: I don't really know, like I you know, watching practice.

540
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 4: Is he the same player he was two years ago

541
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,840
Speaker 4: when they found a pretty you know, diazable contract to

542
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,320
Speaker 4: be a play making you know, if he doesn't get hurt.

543
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:48,119
Speaker 4: I mean, think of the domino of fact, there probably

544
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,159
Speaker 4: isn't Patrick Queen and this team that probably isn't a

545
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:52,320
Speaker 4: draft pick of Peyton Wilson. There's a lot of things

546
00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:55,480
Speaker 4: that happened when he gets hurt. But remember how high

547
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,200
Speaker 4: of regard they held in him, and he was pretty

548
00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:58,840
Speaker 4: good the first half of that season two years ago.

549
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:00,960
Speaker 4: So is he one of the answers or one of

550
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,960
Speaker 4: the things that can help in the run defense.

551
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:03,760
Speaker 3: That's a big question.

552
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:05,440
Speaker 4: I don't know if I, you know, know the answer.

553
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:06,760
Speaker 4: I don't know if the Steelers know the answer. But

554
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:08,000
Speaker 4: it might be an option worth.

555
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,280
Speaker 3: Looking at, especially because Wilson was struggling medically or however

556
00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:13,679
Speaker 3: they wanted to call it. I mean, it looked like

557
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,440
Speaker 3: he was not himself in that game.

558
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, so that's so I might So I'm just

559
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:20,720
Speaker 4: I just don't know if the only reason whole complained

560
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,200
Speaker 4: was because of that, or if they're trying, if they're, hey,

561
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,560
Speaker 4: this guy, he's he's who we thought he was. He's

562
00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,840
Speaker 4: still a starting linebacker. And if and you know, we

563
00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,280
Speaker 4: see whether however they do it a snapshare or however

564
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,280
Speaker 4: it might be, or you know, situationally, you know, game

565
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,880
Speaker 4: plan how much Holcom could be in there, because yeah,

566
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,159
Speaker 4: and that's one of the things I'm definitely curious to

567
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,119
Speaker 4: watch us for this week and going forward.

568
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,840
Speaker 2: Chris Adamski covers the Steelers for The Trip, hosts the

569
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:46,879
Speaker 2: Steelers Blitz with Tom Odd from in Here on the

570
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,520
Speaker 2: Steelers Audio Network. He's our guest on the Drive, Chris,

571
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,640
Speaker 2: I wanted to run something past you that I saw

572
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,200
Speaker 2: you tweet out yesterday. I saved this for our conversation today.

573
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,919
Speaker 2: Yesterday you posted the Steelers Aaron Rodgers has the lowest

574
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,800
Speaker 2: average completed air yards of any quarterback in the NFL

575
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:07,040
Speaker 2: at three point three yards per pass, that via NFL

576
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,960
Speaker 2: Next Gen Stats. What's the what's the reason behind that?

577
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 2: Is it the inability to protect him? Is it the

578
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:20,120
Speaker 2: lack of maybe playmaking and separating from his wide receivers

579
00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 2: and his tight ends. Is that just going to be

580
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,359
Speaker 2: a function of the Steelers offense no matter who's at quarterback.

581
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,720
Speaker 2: How do you, you know, through one hundred and twenty

582
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,359
Speaker 2: minutes of football, kind of explain or or or dissect

583
00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:32,760
Speaker 2: that one.

584
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,399
Speaker 4: It's kind of like if you're a Steelers fan, like

585
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:39,560
Speaker 4: the I don't want to say fear because I mean

586
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 4: that that team made the playoffs and I know, but

587
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,200
Speaker 4: it's like the Bends last year or whenever that was.

588
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:46,879
Speaker 4: I don't know what the number was for that, but

589
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,200
Speaker 4: I bet you he'd was last in the league or

590
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,159
Speaker 4: you know, had to finish last per completion, Yeah, and

591
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,240
Speaker 4: that was That's kind of what you you know, like,

592
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,359
Speaker 4: oh boys, that what this is turning into here because

593
00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,600
Speaker 4: of the you know, whether it be you know, a

594
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,080
Speaker 4: quarterback back in his final season or you know so

595
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,639
Speaker 4: projected for him it was for Bendon, or whether it

596
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,680
Speaker 4: be a lack of confidence the offensive line. Is he

597
00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,040
Speaker 4: is he you know, have the you know, to the

598
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,919
Speaker 4: gift that's not the right word, but is he Is

599
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,440
Speaker 4: he cognized of that? Or is art the Smith cognis

600
00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,240
Speaker 4: of that? And you know some of those things are

601
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,280
Speaker 4: you to shovel passing there? And you know, two weeks

602
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,040
Speaker 4: sample size, maybe it's maybe it's.

603
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:20,920
Speaker 3: Not so much.

604
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,960
Speaker 4: I mean they have but every what is like John

605
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,760
Speaker 4: new Smith even forget where he's catching these passes. He's

606
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:29,520
Speaker 4: averaging like three yards to catch or something. It's kind

607
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:31,240
Speaker 4: of crazy how that that that's happened. He had a

608
00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,080
Speaker 4: couple you know, first down catching a uh and a

609
00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:38,080
Speaker 4: touchdown and within that, but is that we did right now?

610
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:39,720
Speaker 4: Then it's like, yeah, two weeks sample side, But that's

611
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 4: also two weeks. That's not one week. It's not like

612
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,919
Speaker 4: it's one game or anything like that. But yeah, I mean,

613
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,240
Speaker 4: I mean it's well documented the protection issues and in

614
00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,199
Speaker 4: week one and I'm sure that was part of you know,

615
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:52,320
Speaker 4: you like to see. I mean, how about that thora

616
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,760
Speaker 4: Rogers made the fro that was a free play. That's

617
00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:58,200
Speaker 4: why he maybe felt that maybe that's telling the right.

618
00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 4: He had a free play, he knew it, he winged

619
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,119
Speaker 4: it down the field. And if there's not a free play,

620
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,480
Speaker 4: he hasn't been as open to do it. But you

621
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:08,080
Speaker 4: see his arm is still there. You'd like to take

622
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,280
Speaker 4: advantage of that more one way or another, whether it

623
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,680
Speaker 4: be the metcalf or to Austin or Jonny Smith or

624
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,960
Speaker 4: whoever it might be. So we haven't seen much down

625
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,000
Speaker 4: the field passing or at least not part of the scheme.

626
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:24,080
Speaker 4: And what is the reason for that? Is it that

627
00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:26,159
Speaker 4: you know that there's kind of kind of cover for

628
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,679
Speaker 4: the protection right now? That that's probably it because I

629
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,200
Speaker 4: mean he'd go out that one throw alone. But I

630
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:34,800
Speaker 4: mean we saw at a camp too. I mean Rogers

631
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:36,680
Speaker 4: still has still has his ing on his arm, that's

632
00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 4: for sure.

633
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,040
Speaker 3: Chris. Do you see Jalen Warren maybe taking more of

634
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 3: a bell cow roll with the workload in the backfield?

635
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,280
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's what you know. I came away. I know

636
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,440
Speaker 4: people are still and I get it. Like the their

637
00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:52,880
Speaker 4: yards per carry and the production the run. And I've

638
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 4: warned a lot of his damage. Essentially there's a run

639
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,680
Speaker 4: play right for functionally in terms of his you know

640
00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:00,440
Speaker 4: what he's doing with the ball and every think I

641
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,200
Speaker 4: get it's not exactly, but I thought it was. To me,

642
00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:08,479
Speaker 4: it kind of answered the question. You know, I if

643
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:10,680
Speaker 4: there's one thing you didn't see, even they letting Augie

644
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,960
Speaker 4: Harris go and they're never what he never played a

645
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:14,800
Speaker 4: game without Nujie Harris, right, He never had played a

646
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,440
Speaker 4: game without the guy who was the first round pick

647
00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:19,560
Speaker 4: and was that buck out and that was as long

648
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,080
Speaker 4: as those two were together, that was gonna be Harris's role,

649
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 4: and I was gonna be a Warren's role. And you

650
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,680
Speaker 4: were ever gonna see a you know, a fourth quarter

651
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 4: with the sewers of the league. You're gonna turn around

652
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,520
Speaker 4: here to bowl to Warren, you know, ten times in

653
00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,400
Speaker 4: the quarter or whatever it is. It never is gonna happen.

654
00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:33,440
Speaker 4: I know they didn't have won the game scenario here,

655
00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,640
Speaker 4: but I felt like that was the most game where

656
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,880
Speaker 4: you sat and watched woll okay, you felt like that's

657
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,360
Speaker 4: that's the number one back he was, you know, the

658
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,200
Speaker 4: break tackles and making people miss the you know, the

659
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,360
Speaker 4: runs in first and second down. It wasn't just you know,

660
00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:50,560
Speaker 4: draw plays or whatever on third down. I came away

661
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,280
Speaker 4: personally and like I said, a lot of people down

662
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,240
Speaker 4: on the running game, and I get it to it.

663
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:59,520
Speaker 4: But that I feel is most confident watching Moren in

664
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:01,880
Speaker 4: that game, that you can have belief that he can

665
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,800
Speaker 4: be that. And also the other side of that coin is,

666
00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,240
Speaker 4: you know, again, gain Well can do a lot and

667
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:10,040
Speaker 4: I still think he can be a good part of

668
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,280
Speaker 4: the Heck, he was for four years with a really

669
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,160
Speaker 4: really good team in Philadelphia, and Arthur Smiths still likes him.

670
00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 4: And if you use him in the right way, he

671
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,320
Speaker 4: can be a dynamical little part of the offense too.

672
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,720
Speaker 4: But you know, he hasn't really done that, especially in

673
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,080
Speaker 4: the first and second downs in the first two weeks.

674
00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,360
Speaker 4: You've been seen that explosiveness out of him or whatever.

675
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,360
Speaker 4: So you had those two things up and then of course, yeah,

676
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 4: we are a conversation about Caleb Johnson. He's not going

677
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,400
Speaker 4: to be a big part of the offense for sure,

678
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,320
Speaker 4: So you know, those things together and yeah, I definitely

679
00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,240
Speaker 4: think that Moren, you know, he might what was his

680
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:42,520
Speaker 4: career high as eighteen carries, so you know how many

681
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:44,160
Speaker 4: touches he have this game he had he had the

682
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 4: sixteen carries and or fourteen carries and six catches, so

683
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,520
Speaker 4: you know again you know, twenty plus games, a twenty

684
00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:51,280
Speaker 4: plus touch game.

685
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,200
Speaker 2: Chris Adamski, make sure you're reading all his work in

686
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,320
Speaker 2: the trip listening to him right here on the Steelers

687
00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,560
Speaker 2: Blitz on the Steelers Audio Network Buzz. Great stuff is always, man,

688
00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,840
Speaker 2: Thank you for taking the time and a rs yes, yes,

689
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,920
Speaker 2: all right, baby fighting plants. A tough one against Alan

690
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:12,080
Speaker 2: quipp on Friday, but we're gonna bounce back against whoever

691
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,840
Speaker 2: we got this Friday.

692
00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 4: But well you're the other blue and old gold. I'm

693
00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:18,720
Speaker 4: a mad you have it. I've had a good weekend.

694
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:20,840
Speaker 4: It made up for that whatever happened Friday night.

695
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,080
Speaker 2: Oh that's exactly right. It's like Friday never even happened

696
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,920
Speaker 2: to Damski. Thanks buddy, we'll see you soon, all right,

697
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,760
Speaker 2: take care, guys. There he is Chris Adamski. Good stuff

698
00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,360
Speaker 2: from him, as we're excited to have him as part

699
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:35,640
Speaker 2: of the Steelers Audio Network gang here and talking to

700
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 2: him every single Tuesday. And make sure you're checking out

701
00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:40,880
Speaker 2: all his work in the trib and of course him

702
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:43,880
Speaker 2: and Tom op froman now the hosts of the Steelers

703
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:47,040
Speaker 2: Blitz at noon on the Steelers Audio Network, and of

704
00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,440
Speaker 2: course wherever you get your podcast as well too. A

705
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,720
Speaker 2: little Tuesday rewind when we return. On the other side,

706
00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:56,479
Speaker 2: some observations from the Seattle loss that Matt and I

707
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:58,880
Speaker 2: did not get to yesterday. We'll close down the first

708
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,520
Speaker 2: hour with that. On the other side, you are listening

709
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,800
Speaker 2: to the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers

710
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:04,520
Speaker 2: Audio Network.

711
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,320
Speaker 1: Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven

712
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:28,800
Speaker 1: home of the Black and Goal. Steelers Nation Radio.

713
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,200
Speaker 2: Posted down the first hour of the Drive here on

714
00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:37,640
Speaker 2: a Tuesday afternoon, West Shooler and Matt Williamson. Matt, it's

715
00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:41,720
Speaker 2: time for our Tuesday rewind. It's kind of quite simply

716
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:46,440
Speaker 2: a continuation of Monday's game reaction and game conversation, but

717
00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 2: maybe with just a couple additional points notes, things that

718
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,640
Speaker 2: we noticed that we didn't, you know, really have at

719
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,480
Speaker 2: the forefront of our mind, yea, and our kind of

720
00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 2: first initial reactions that we give on Monday some time

721
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,520
Speaker 2: to think about it, sometime to watch the game again.

722
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:05,560
Speaker 2: All that stuff. I've got one good, one optimistic, and

723
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:09,640
Speaker 2: one pessimistic, one good, one bad. Which would you like first?

724
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:10,960
Speaker 3: Give me the bad news?

725
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,720
Speaker 2: Okay. It's something that you tweeted out, ok and really

726
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 2: stands out when you go back and watch the game.

727
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:20,160
Speaker 2: The Steelers offense had a thirty three point nine percent

728
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:25,400
Speaker 2: success rate. That's in the ninth personnel or ninth percentage

729
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,520
Speaker 2: part of it in the lead. Yeah, that means ninety

730
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,360
Speaker 2: one percent of the NFL teams are having more sss

731
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:34,000
Speaker 2: right right than you. That is, needless to say, not good.

732
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,280
Speaker 2: Break that down for us exactly what that means, what

733
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,320
Speaker 2: success rate means, and how and where the Steelers are

734
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:42,400
Speaker 2: struggling in that department.

735
00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 3: Basically, it's a consistency metric that is very popular right now.

736
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,280
Speaker 3: EPA and success rate are kind of dominated in there.

737
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:54,920
Speaker 3: Not that any stat like that is perfect, but success

738
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,160
Speaker 3: rate is. And it's the same for the defense. You

739
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,840
Speaker 3: know how successful are you know you can use the

740
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,800
Speaker 3: way and basically the rules of it are you get

741
00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:06,640
Speaker 3: four yards or more on first down. I know the Wolf's.

742
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:10,080
Speaker 2: Man, we want four yards or more on first down.

743
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:12,240
Speaker 3: If you can do that on first and ten schedule,

744
00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:14,799
Speaker 3: Boom you know, that is a successful play no matter

745
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,840
Speaker 3: how you do it. On second down, you have to

746
00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,560
Speaker 3: get half of the down and distance. I mean, if

747
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:23,120
Speaker 3: it's second and fifteen, you gotta get seven and a half.

748
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:25,560
Speaker 3: I mean if it's second and one, you gotta get.

749
00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:27,279
Speaker 2: Half, you know, And so makes sense.

750
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, and put yourself in situation to get the converted

751
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,480
Speaker 3: on third down, which is that is considered a successful

752
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 3: play on third downs.

753
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:37,319
Speaker 2: Is just simply converted six.

754
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:42,600
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, so basically, and it just kind of dawned on.

755
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:45,200
Speaker 3: I mean, maybe that changes a little if you're a

756
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:48,560
Speaker 3: team that goes forward a ton on fourth, third and

757
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,080
Speaker 3: eight becomes a rundown like the Eagles, I think about

758
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,799
Speaker 3: a lot like they some matchup advantages, the Lions, the

759
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:57,080
Speaker 3: whole planet. Those are going to go for third and six.

760
00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,600
Speaker 3: They might run the ball to Saquan or Montgomery and

761
00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:02,799
Speaker 3: they might think it's successful if they get five because

762
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,600
Speaker 3: now I'm in toush push land and I'm gonna get

763
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,760
Speaker 3: it or whatever. But anyways, that's how the metric works,

764
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,600
Speaker 3: and it's basically a measure of consistency. You know, the

765
00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,799
Speaker 3: bigger body of work you really start to feel, is

766
00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,719
Speaker 3: this team successfully moving the chains. And that's a big

767
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,520
Speaker 3: complaint I've had about the offer or the team as

768
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,960
Speaker 3: a whole, is I think down to down offense and defense,

769
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,720
Speaker 3: they haven't been the better team in either game. Now,

770
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:33,200
Speaker 3: some splash will go a long way, or giving them

771
00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:36,320
Speaker 3: seven points on a kickoff return, or you know, losing

772
00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:40,320
Speaker 3: the splash world could go a long way, but down

773
00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:45,520
Speaker 3: to down they're not consistently successful. And you know, I

774
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,919
Speaker 3: was shocked it was that low. I mean, that's pretty low.

775
00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:51,200
Speaker 2: I think most people if we would have just blind,

776
00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:53,960
Speaker 2: you know, blind quiz pot quiz, what do you think

777
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,439
Speaker 2: the Steeler's success rate is on offense? I would guess

778
00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,040
Speaker 2: that their answer would be not good, bottom third. But

779
00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:01,120
Speaker 2: not that it was in the autumn ten percent of

780
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:02,640
Speaker 2: the right, you know, not that it's one of the

781
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:05,000
Speaker 2: worst three or four teams in the league.

782
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 3: Pretty brutal.

783
00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:08,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think we all knew that this offense

784
00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:10,480
Speaker 2: was going to take time. I think I don't think

785
00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:13,160
Speaker 2: anybody should have expected this offense to look as good

786
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:17,279
Speaker 2: as it would by Halloween as it does in September.

787
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,200
Speaker 2: I mean, there's a realistic timeline there.

788
00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:20,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, but it's.

789
00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:22,480
Speaker 2: Got it's got to be better than thirty four. But

790
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:24,239
Speaker 2: it's got to be better than one out of three

791
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 2: plays you're having success.

792
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, it needs to be consistent. Yeah, I mean,

793
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,400
Speaker 3: and again, a lot of that to me just reflects

794
00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:34,319
Speaker 3: losing it to line of scrimmage. Now, if you win

795
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,080
Speaker 3: at the line of scrimmage and ordinary back can get

796
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,640
Speaker 3: you those four yards on first down, or get you

797
00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:42,799
Speaker 3: half of the down and distance on second, or an

798
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,759
Speaker 3: ordinary quarterback gets an extra half second to complete a

799
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,440
Speaker 3: pass or wait for a we'route to develop. But I'm

800
00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,000
Speaker 3: not saying the Steelers skill guys are ordinary necessarily, But

801
00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:54,280
Speaker 3: it's just if you win at the line of scrimmage,

802
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,359
Speaker 3: changes everything, basic stuff. I mean it, it has an

803
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,440
Speaker 3: avalanche effect of everything being easier for everybody involved.

804
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,240
Speaker 2: And that's where I wanted to go. That transitions nicely

805
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:08,040
Speaker 2: to some good news upon further review, upon our Tuesday

806
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:13,160
Speaker 2: rewind and rewatching the game on Monday night, I thought

807
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:18,200
Speaker 2: Roderick Jones looked much better. I'm not saying he was

808
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,320
Speaker 2: an a plus. I'm not saying he was a pro bowler,

809
00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:23,719
Speaker 2: but I thought he looked more confident. I thought he

810
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,560
Speaker 2: was moving better. I thought he was picking up stunts

811
00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:30,960
Speaker 2: and disguised coverage or disguise blitzes a lot better. He

812
00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:34,520
Speaker 2: just looked more comfortable, Matt and again not saying that

813
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:38,800
Speaker 2: it was a valedictorian type performance, but what really encouraged

814
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:42,080
Speaker 2: me is that even on the reps where he wasn't

815
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,839
Speaker 2: at his best, it still was not the like we

816
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,319
Speaker 2: talked about last week. It's one thing to have a

817
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:53,640
Speaker 2: c REP. It's completely another to fail it. He did

818
00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:57,839
Speaker 2: his lowlight. His low light tape has been pretty bad

819
00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,319
Speaker 2: and was bad against the Jets. His low life tape

820
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,280
Speaker 2: against Seattle was a couple Sea reps.

821
00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:06,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, right, you can that position so importantly.

822
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:07,960
Speaker 2: You can live with that. That was the encouraging part

823
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:09,640
Speaker 2: to be Like we talked about how like eight or

824
00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:13,359
Speaker 2: nine year nine reps for Broderick are fine, but it's

825
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,720
Speaker 2: the other one or two that are just complete zero's

826
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,000
Speaker 2: complete fs. Yeah, he eliminated those one or two f's

827
00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 2: from his game on Sunday, and that to me is encouraging.

828
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:26,720
Speaker 3: And unfortunately for the position he plays, no one's talking

829
00:38:26,719 --> 00:38:29,480
Speaker 3: about it well, right, and he's probably filled with that,

830
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:32,880
Speaker 3: but the average fan is always going to remember the

831
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,960
Speaker 3: zero play. What on earth happened there? Not the c

832
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:39,359
Speaker 3: rep that he still kind of gets the job done.

833
00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,080
Speaker 3: The ball comes out and his O line coach is like,

834
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:44,040
Speaker 3: you could have done this better, but no one knows.

835
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:47,920
Speaker 2: You fight another day, no I noticed. The ultimate example

836
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,200
Speaker 2: of that to me, mat is there was that matchup

837
00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,799
Speaker 2: in what would it have been like two thousand and

838
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:56,120
Speaker 2: seven or whatever, when the Jets played the Patriots and

839
00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:59,879
Speaker 2: it was prime. It was Randy Moss just absolute king

840
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,719
Speaker 2: the world against against Revas Island, and that was like

841
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:07,160
Speaker 2: the hyped one of the most individual hyped matchups in

842
00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:09,600
Speaker 2: a football game I can remember in my life. And

843
00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:12,200
Speaker 2: early on in the game, Randy Moss torched reevs and

844
00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:14,520
Speaker 2: went for like a forty yard touchdown and that clip

845
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,719
Speaker 2: still gets posted on social media and stuff like that.

846
00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:20,080
Speaker 2: That's what everybody saw and everybody talked about.

847
00:39:20,239 --> 00:39:21,600
Speaker 3: When he goes and when he went in the Hall

848
00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,279
Speaker 3: of Fame, well, Randy Mosko beat.

849
00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:25,600
Speaker 2: What they didn't talk about or see was that that

850
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 2: was I think one of two. The rest of the game,

851
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:29,359
Speaker 2: Randy Moss had like one reception for three.

852
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,200
Speaker 3: Yards and probably the rest of the season gave up.

853
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 2: But everybody, everybody just look at this, Randy Moss cooked

854
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,800
Speaker 2: Reevus when the other fifty nine and a half minutes

855
00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:40,839
Speaker 2: of the game, Revis clearly got the better of him.

856
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,120
Speaker 2: That's kind of life as a cornerback. That's kind of

857
00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,040
Speaker 2: life is a left tackle as well too.

858
00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:46,720
Speaker 3: And famers exactly.

859
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:51,160
Speaker 2: That's best to ever do it, re positions if Broderick

860
00:39:51,239 --> 00:39:53,960
Speaker 2: Jones that that's where it needs to start, is eliminating

861
00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:58,000
Speaker 2: those those f reps, those zero reps. Get that low

862
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,400
Speaker 2: light tape out of your game. Then we'll stabilize and

863
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,080
Speaker 2: we'll go from there. I thought Sunday was encouraging in that.

864
00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:05,879
Speaker 3: I think you're one hundred percent right. I'm glad we've

865
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:08,759
Speaker 3: we spend enough time on him last week. Let's spend

866
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,279
Speaker 3: a little bit of time on him this week. I mean,

867
00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:10,879
Speaker 3: let's be fair.

868
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 2: You know, your praise should be as loud as your criticism.

869
00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:16,799
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, And hopefully by Thanksgiving or so we might

870
00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:19,120
Speaker 3: be like, yeah, he had a pretty bad week one, right,

871
00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:21,840
Speaker 3: I haven't really thought much about him since.

872
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,719
Speaker 2: Hopefully we're saying Thanksgiving they're going to pick up his

873
00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:24,400
Speaker 2: fifty year options.

874
00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, right, right, right, I mean I think that's not insane.

875
00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,480
Speaker 2: I don't either, And in fact, that would be one

876
00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:33,400
Speaker 2: of the more encouraging developments of the season. Oh yeah,

877
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:36,480
Speaker 2: aside from as we all know, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers.

878
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,160
Speaker 2: Every season is about content. It's about right right, running

879
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,680
Speaker 2: double digit games, competing for a division title, getting into

880
00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:43,320
Speaker 2: the playoffs, all those things.

881
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,080
Speaker 3: That's important on so many level and the.

882
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,440
Speaker 2: Big picture Roger Jones and that stability at left tackle,

883
00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:51,200
Speaker 2: and as we've highlighted, what that would allow you to

884
00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:53,560
Speaker 2: do in prioritizing a quarterback in the first round of

885
00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:55,800
Speaker 2: this draft as well too, and not having left tackle

886
00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,120
Speaker 2: as a position of need as well.

887
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,480
Speaker 3: You don't want those two positions to be your two

888
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,160
Speaker 3: biggest position. Indeed, no first round.

889
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:05,920
Speaker 2: Because those are the two positions where you have to

890
00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:08,440
Speaker 2: almost get them in the first round and the exceptions

891
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,680
Speaker 2: are few and far between. Aside from wins and losses

892
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:13,319
Speaker 2: and how the season ends and all that stuff and

893
00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:17,840
Speaker 2: postseason success, Roger Jones' development might be the biggest story

894
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:19,440
Speaker 2: of the season in terms of the bigger picture for

895
00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:22,760
Speaker 2: the Steelers. Right did not look good Week one, moved

896
00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:25,160
Speaker 2: certainly in the right direction Week two thousand percent.

897
00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:27,160
Speaker 3: Yeah again, I'm glad we brought him up in a

898
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,600
Speaker 3: positive manner. I hope we don't bring him up but

899
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,040
Speaker 3: one bit next week and the first one we talked

900
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:34,920
Speaker 3: a lot. This week, we talked a little less but

901
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,839
Speaker 3: good stuff. Next week. Maybe we don't even mention his name.

902
00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:39,439
Speaker 2: That'd be great, that would be great.

903
00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:41,440
Speaker 3: And they got another stiff test. Boy, these guys can

904
00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:44,759
Speaker 3: rush the pass or two, you know, so another I

905
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,239
Speaker 3: know later in the week we start previewing things. But

906
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:48,440
Speaker 3: this is the third week in.

907
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,800
Speaker 2: A row good defensive front where I'm gonna.

908
00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:52,239
Speaker 3: Tell people, I know, you don't know a lot of

909
00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:54,399
Speaker 3: these defensive linemen. You know a lot of people didn't

910
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,560
Speaker 3: know Boye, Mafey and and like. But it's a really

911
00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:00,440
Speaker 3: good group or McDonald and the three of them, most

912
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,160
Speaker 3: understated but really good defensive fronts.

913
00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:09,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, they are certainly capable in New England in that department,

914
00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:12,839
Speaker 2: particularly with the addition of Milton from Philadelphia in the offseason.

915
00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 2: I mean, they it's gonna be another substantial challenge for

916
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:17,880
Speaker 2: those guys up front. That's something we'll spend plenty of

917
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:19,839
Speaker 2: time on here in the back half of the week,

918
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:22,759
Speaker 2: halfway home here on the drive for today when we

919
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,400
Speaker 2: return an hour number two, some fantasy football poke Folk

920
00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:27,680
Speaker 2: fam ba bit ba bit bit bit easy for me

921
00:42:27,719 --> 00:42:31,080
Speaker 2: to say, some fantasy football focus, some power ranking, some

922
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:33,480
Speaker 2: Monday Night football thoughts. All of that and more as

923
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:36,000
Speaker 2: we roll along West Huler and Matt Williamson. It's the

924
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 2: Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.