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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 Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: Good afternoons, Steelers Nation, It's the Drive on a Friday

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Speaker 2: Here on your twenty four to seven home of the

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Speaker 2: Black and Gold West Jeweler and Matt Williamson with you

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Speaker 2: as we get ready for a big weekend, championship weekend

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Speaker 2: in the NFL.

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Speaker 3: Man little snow too, I.

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Speaker 2: No, I haven't heard.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, apparently we are getting anywhere from six to six

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Speaker 2: hundred inches of snow wherever you get your weather reports.

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Speaker 2: And I think we're not alone in western Pennsylvania. I

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Speaker 2: think that's No, it's crazy as the other area.

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Speaker 3: The countries that aren't used to it are getting it.

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Speaker 3: My sons in Kentucky they might get eighteen They have

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Speaker 3: no clue what.

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Speaker 2: They do, no clue, what the right? They get three

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Speaker 2: inches of snow and it shuts everything down.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, like all the pipes freeze, like the houses aren't

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Speaker 3: ready for Yes. Yeah, I'll take a keg in the

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Speaker 3: snowbank and have fun.

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Speaker 2: Oh, the college kids will be good. The college kids

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Speaker 2: will be just fine. Steal your mattress out of the

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Speaker 2: dorm room as they sled exact and a good time

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Speaker 2: barry some beers in the snow. But yeah, man, it

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Speaker 2: looks pretty nasty in a lot of areas across the country.

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Speaker 2: So everybody be safe out there this weekend. Don't don't

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Speaker 2: try and be a hero. Just hunker down and relax

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Speaker 2: a little bit and enjoy two games which should be

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Speaker 2: hopefully two really good games. On Sunday, we will have

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Speaker 2: really the entire second hour of the show. I feel

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Speaker 2: like we'll focus on those two games, preview those two games, predictions,

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Speaker 2: different storylines, all those different things. But here in the

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Speaker 2: first hour of this program, I want to talk a

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Speaker 2: little Steelers off season with you. We're actually going to

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Speaker 2: in about fifteen minutes talk to Alan Saunders. He covers

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Speaker 2: the Steelers for Pittsburgh. Now. He is down in Texas

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Speaker 2: right now at the Shrine Bowl, at the East West

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Speaker 2: Shrine Bowl, where a lot of these quarterbacks that we've

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Speaker 2: been discussing different prospects are getting going. So we'll catch

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Speaker 2: up with him for a few minutes talk some some

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Speaker 2: quarterbacks and some other prospects.

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Speaker 3: There's a saying the draft starts at the Senior Bowl,

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Speaker 3: and it does for the sort of not super in

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Speaker 3: depth people. But these Shrine Bowls and these other ones

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Speaker 3: are pretty important too.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely absolutely, and so yeah we will. We'll dip

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Speaker 2: our toes into the Shrine Bowl ongoings with Alan Saunders

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Speaker 2: live from down there in Frisco, Texas. But we begin

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Speaker 2: as we will continue to do, with the latest coaching

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Speaker 2: moving and shaking here and Matt, I would be remiss.

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Speaker 2: I think this is probably the lead on every NFL show, network,

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Speaker 2: whatever publication you might tune into today, unless maybe you're

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Speaker 2: in one of the four markets.

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Speaker 3: I'd say, except for game previews, that.

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Speaker 2: Is, you know, unless you're in Denver, New England, Seattle,

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Speaker 2: or LA. I think the NFL story of the day

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Speaker 2: is Philip Rivers interviewing for the Buffalo Bill's vacant head

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Speaker 2: coaching position. So as in Philip Rivers, who just played

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Speaker 2: a couple of games.

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Speaker 3: Guy's been in the news a lot lately, as.

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Speaker 2: In Philip Rivers, who has coaching experience, but it's at

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Speaker 2: high school. In high school, nothing in college, nothing in

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Speaker 2: the pros.

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Speaker 3: Wow wow, is right? So I have great respect for

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Speaker 3: Philip Rivers. I have respect for him coming back. I mean,

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Speaker 3: I think that's a gutsy move. I mean that's a

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Speaker 3: quarterbacks quarterback. I mean that dude will stand in and

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Speaker 3: take hits tough as could be. I mentioned our first

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Speaker 3: Pit Pit Bowl game that I was a part of.

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Speaker 3: We played against River, played against NC State. You know,

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Speaker 3: so I've been a fan. I think he's better than

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Speaker 3: Eli out of that class. You know, I think this.

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Speaker 2: Is bonkers, bonkers.

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Speaker 3: I mean, to me, this is like hiring Jeff Saturday. Yes,

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Speaker 3: you know, like you're not really a coach and some

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Speaker 3: high school experience is not you're really a.

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Speaker 2: Coach, exactly right. We talk a lot on the just

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Speaker 2: the trepidation of hiring a college coach and how in

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Speaker 2: fact how infrequently that works out. This is a guy

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Speaker 2: with a couple years I think two or three years

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Speaker 2: of high school coaching experience and that's it. And the

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Speaker 2: weirdest part is if it was a organization like the

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Speaker 2: Arizona Cardinals or the Raiders. Yeah, yeah, that are in

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Speaker 2: a clear ground zero type rebuild situation, then maybe I

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Speaker 2: would at least understand it a little.

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Speaker 3: Bit, especially if he hires the right staff hundred and

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Speaker 3: then I can maybe I must get behind it, but

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Speaker 3: I could at least you could sell me a little

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Speaker 3: bit on it.

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Speaker 2: When you fire Sean McDermott, who's won eight playoff games

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Speaker 2: in the last six years. The the obvious, The average

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Speaker 2: mantra for the Bills organization is super Bowl or bust.

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Speaker 3: It has to be with Josh Allen's window.

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Speaker 2: You know, how are you going to hire somebody that

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Speaker 2: has zero I'll even throw high level collegiate experience or

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Speaker 2: NFL coaching experience none. When your onus is super Bowl

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Speaker 2: or bust. That just that that would be very confusing

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Speaker 2: to me.

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Speaker 3: I mean, even if it's Luke Keekley or Tom Brady

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Speaker 3: or whoever's considered the smartest of players in recent memory,

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Speaker 3: it's not the same. It's not it's not the same.

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Speaker 3: And being on those sidelines and understanding timeouts and things

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Speaker 3: like that. I'm sure you know he has done, you know,

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Speaker 3: as in a different capacity, but all the stuff during

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Speaker 3: the week and the organizational stuff and getting involved in

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Speaker 3: scouting and blah blah blah blah. So I thought it

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Speaker 3: was a big red flag. Like if I was a

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Speaker 3: Bills fan, I'd be like, man, you pretty and I'm

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Speaker 3: focusing that at Pagol, the owner who you can probably

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Speaker 3: inform fans better. Also owns the Sabers, which are not

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Speaker 3: exactly the best organization, and.

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Speaker 2: There the Sabers NHL playoff drought is kind of similar

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Speaker 2: to the New York Jets NFL postseason drought. Okay, I

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Speaker 2: mean like in a long time since they've been anywhere by.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and they're not by anything close to a model organization.

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Speaker 2: No. Now they are finally a little bit better this

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Speaker 2: year and couldn't make the playoffs this year, but still

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Speaker 2: it's I think it's been like fourteen years, twelve years.

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Speaker 2: Something like that.

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Speaker 3: Pirates vibes from the yes from the Sabers y So, okay,

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Speaker 3: I make sure I'm not out of line there. I

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Speaker 3: don't know my hockey that well, but I knew that

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Speaker 3: they were not exactly a pillar of the community of

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Speaker 3: the organization of the league. But then he picks Bean

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Speaker 3: over McDermott, which was red flag number one to me,

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Speaker 3: like clean house. If you don't think me, Turmay's gonna

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Speaker 3: do it. I would have gone, okay, we're getting two

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Speaker 3: new ones. I would not have kept Bean. I mean,

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Speaker 3: to me, he was part of me. He was much

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Speaker 3: more of the problem than the answer. Team building was

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Speaker 3: not good over the last not a strength. Yeah, and

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Speaker 3: they don't really have good identities either. Side note, and

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Speaker 3: then you do this Rivers thing, It's like that's red

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Speaker 3: flag number two.

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Speaker 2: If they may hire the best guy and it will

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Speaker 2: be fine. Yeah, I mean, but this is and if

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Speaker 2: they hired some guy and Philip Rivers is brought in

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Speaker 2: as a quarterback coach or something like that.

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Speaker 3: Okay, we've seen a ton of those Josh mccowns and

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Speaker 3: all those guys, like, hey, they all have millions in

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Speaker 3: the bank, and you know that's not hiring the ga

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Speaker 3: that's worked his way up from running back coach to

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Speaker 3: tight end coach, et cetera. That's a lifetime coach. But okay,

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Speaker 3: I'd love Rivers in my building in some capacity, you know,

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Speaker 3: but not as my head guy.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I completely agree. Crazy, when you are in a

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Speaker 2: Super Bowl or Bust era, you're moving into a new stadium,

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Speaker 2: it's a real crossroads moment for you.

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Speaker 3: That would be you don't have a tough time selling

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Speaker 3: tickets or anything.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you're that's pushing all your all your chips

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Speaker 2: into the center of the table and you don't even

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Speaker 2: know what you have in your hand.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, certainly, Uh, some surprising news across the timeline. Also,

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Speaker 2: those sticking in Buffalo, Mike McDaniel will interview for their

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Speaker 2: head coaching position as well. He of course just signed

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Speaker 2: that deal to be uh Chargers, similar to the Brian

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Speaker 2: Flores in Minnesota that we had talked about.

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Speaker 3: I thought that was the case yesterday when we talked

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Speaker 3: about if.

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Speaker 2: They don't get a head coaching job, Flores will return

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Speaker 2: to Minnesota to return to the Vikings to be defensive coordinator.

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Speaker 2: If Mike McDaniels doesn't get a head coaching job, he

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Speaker 2: will be the Charger's next offensive coordinator, but he will

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Speaker 2: have a formal interview with the Bills as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and he wouldn't be my first hire for that either.

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Speaker 3: To be honest with you, I think he's more coordinator

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Speaker 3: than head coach, and I'd love this personal reasons. I'd

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Speaker 3: love to see him work with Herbert and what that

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Speaker 3: offense would just look like. But I still think, you know,

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Speaker 3: that's the best spot for him if you want to

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Speaker 3: maximize his talents, would be on a good team with

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Speaker 3: a very established head coach. Harbaugh is the OC, But

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Speaker 3: that one at least makes a little more sense to me.

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Speaker 3: I mean I do believe he's a very very good

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Speaker 3: offensive mind. He's their records in Miami weren't that bad.

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Speaker 3: I mean, I mean they weren't like the Giants the

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Speaker 3: last couple of years. I mean, they're not picking the

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Speaker 3: top five every year.

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Speaker 2: He was the first coach there to have back to

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Speaker 2: back winning seasons. I think it was really in a

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Speaker 2: long time, in.

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Speaker 3: A long time. Yeah, And I do believe he's a

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Speaker 3: really good offensive mind, and him and Josh Allen could

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Speaker 3: do great things together. But it's kind of an uninspired

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Speaker 3: hire too.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, someone who was just fired in your division. Yeah, yeah, Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So that's kind of the latest on the national front.

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Speaker 2: Not much really new to report on the Steelers front,

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Speaker 2: except for we know at some point today Friday, it

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Speaker 2: could be happening right now. It could have happened this morning,

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Speaker 2: could could be happening this evening. But Anthony Weaver, Miami

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Speaker 2: Dolphins former defensive coordinator, having a formal interview with the

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Speaker 2: Steelers either, like I said, happening now earlier today, at

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Speaker 2: some point Friday, January twenty third, Yes.

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Speaker 3: And I'm cool with it, you know. I mean, again,

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Speaker 3: some of these assistants that haven't even been coordinators a

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Speaker 3: long time or don't have a head coach background are

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Speaker 3: hard for us to comment on personality wise and all

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Speaker 3: that kind of thing. But he is considered very bright,

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Speaker 3: went to Notre Dame Delyman has some tough guy to

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Speaker 3: him Raven's background. I like that part, you know, so

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Speaker 3: he's a tough guy to comment on, you know, go

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Speaker 3: real in depth about. But I think he'd be a

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Speaker 3: fine candidate.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you mentioned some of the personality and tough

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Speaker 2: guy stuff. I got a I got a clip that

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Speaker 2: I want to play for you. I think I referenced this, Matt.

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Speaker 2: I can't remember if it was earlier in the week

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Speaker 2: when we were told that Anthony Weaver would have a

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Speaker 2: formal interview. I can't remember if it was sometime last

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Speaker 2: week when we were still just kind of covering that

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Speaker 2: that wide range of potential, all the names that were

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Speaker 2: being mentioned. Is the Steelers putting in requests to talk

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Speaker 2: to when the kind of initial phase of this thing

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Speaker 2: really got going. I mentioned a clip about Anthony Weaver

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Speaker 2: that I loved from this past season and him talking

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Speaker 2: about violence from his defense and how much Steelers fans

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Speaker 2: would love it.

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Speaker 3: I'm excited to hear it because I've heard it's good.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're a Steelers fan, even if Anthony Weaver

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Speaker 2: is not towards the top of your wish list, I

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Speaker 2: think you'd love his personality. I think you'd love his attitude.

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Speaker 2: I think you'd love this toughness. I think you'd love

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Speaker 2: this that Anthony Weaver had to say a few months

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Speaker 2: ago about his defense, like, I'm.

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Speaker 3: Old school, I may still up here. I'm a nice guy.

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Speaker 3: I smile at all those things.

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Speaker 4: But all of our problems that we need to solve

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Speaker 4: can be softer violence. Yeah, they want to legislate it

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Speaker 4: out of the game, but we played defensive football, and

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Speaker 4: in defensive football, at some point you draw line the

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Speaker 4: sand and you say, I'm gonna set the edge. I'm

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Speaker 4: gonna stick my homet on this guy's chin and I'm

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Speaker 4: gonna set the edge. I'm gonna violently take the ball away.

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Speaker 4: And that's what we need to do with a steely

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Speaker 4: eyed focus. Would resolve with resiliency, and we're going to

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Speaker 4: stop people. And I'm determined. We're all determined for that

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Speaker 4: to happen.

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Speaker 2: Sounds like a Pittsburgh Steeler.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, I like the approach and don't shy away

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Speaker 3: from it.

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Speaker 2: Sounds like sounds like he could have been part of

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Speaker 2: those steel curtain units or those Blitzsberg units, so he

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Speaker 2: would have played. He would have been just fine with

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Speaker 2: debo and.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah he sure it fit in just fine.

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Speaker 2: And some of those guys, all of our problems can

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Speaker 2: be solved with violence. I'm gonna set the edge of

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Speaker 2: a stick my helmet and some guys hit. They want

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Speaker 2: to legislate this stuff out of the game.

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Speaker 3: Uh So, A real quick note on him too. That

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Speaker 3: just dawned on me. I mean, he was Miami's defensive coordinator.

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Speaker 3: It would he be if he doesn't get ahead job

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Speaker 3: or is he on the open market to be a

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Speaker 3: decordinator somewhere else. I don't know if they're bringing them

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Speaker 3: back or not.

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Speaker 2: Interesting question. I would imagine that depends it's always foggy

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Speaker 2: this time. I would imagine that depends on their next

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Speaker 2: on Miami's next move.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, if that makes sense, I'm sure. If whoever probably is,

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Speaker 3: I think he's under contract like most assistants, for another year.

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Speaker 3: But that doesn't mean they don't they can't move away

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Speaker 3: from Sure.

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Speaker 2: And if the new head coach comes in and says,

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Speaker 2: I want to bring one of my guys. Okay, already

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Speaker 2: hired to gueyther right or did that? Did the Dolphins

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Speaker 2: make their higher I do?

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Speaker 3: I forget that off the top of my head. They did.

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Speaker 2: They hired Uh wait, no they I don't think they

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Speaker 2: made their hire because they're still open. Yeah, because the

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Speaker 2: Ravens hired Jesse Mint. Yeah why I thought, no, Sorry,

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Speaker 2: Jeff Haffley, Yes they did. Hi, they hired a defensive guys,

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Speaker 2: So I was not.

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Speaker 3: Going to be bad.

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Speaker 2: Imagine he's not part of the pan.

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Speaker 3: Okay, yes, I'm just saying maybe he could be a

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Speaker 3: defensive coordinator here or elsewhere. If he doesn't, he's going

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Speaker 3: to be employed. He's good as his job, you.

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Speaker 2: Know, No, absolutely, and so certainly wanted to keep an

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Speaker 2: eye on and as we know, at some point throughout Friday,

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Speaker 2: January twenty third, today he is or will be or

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Speaker 2: has interviewed for the Pittsburgh Steelers vacant head coaching position.

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Speaker 2: And I got to imagine if he if he ends

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Speaker 2: up head coach, part of the staff, whatever, I had

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Speaker 2: a feeling that Clip is gonna end up.

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Speaker 3: Getting playing pretty.

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Speaker 2: At uh in certain circles. But yeah, but that's kind

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Speaker 2: of the today quieter on the coaching carousel front. As

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Speaker 2: we as we reached the end of the week, Uh,

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Speaker 2: there could obviously be breaking the easy for me to say,

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Speaker 2: there could obviously be breaking news throughout the show today,

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Speaker 2: and if if there is, we'll react. But that's kind

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Speaker 2: of where we're at for now. When we come back here,

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Speaker 2: we're gonna go to the phone lines. We're gonna talk

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Speaker 2: to Alan Saunders of Pittsburgh Sports Now. He's down in Frisco,

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Speaker 2: Texas at the Star the Cowboys practice facility for the

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Speaker 2: ongoing East West Shrine Bowl. A lot of these quarterbacks

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Speaker 2: in particular, plenty of prospects, but a lot of these

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Speaker 2: quarterbacks that we've mentioned uh yesterday and really throughout are

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Speaker 2: are some of these guys. More will be in the

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Speaker 2: Senior Bowl, but some are taking the field now at

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Speaker 2: the Shrine Bowl as well. So we'll talk to Alan

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Speaker 2: Saunders get all the moving and shaking as as the

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Speaker 2: off season and the draft process really starts to get

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Speaker 2: going here over the next week or so. We'll talk

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Speaker 2: to Alan on the other side. Just getting started here

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Speaker 2: on the drive on this Fridays, Shouler Matt Williamson on

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Speaker 2: Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network, your Teams.

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Speaker 1: About Drive on your twenty four to seven home of

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

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Speaker 2: Back on the Drive here on the Friday, as we

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Speaker 2: roll along into the phone lines, we go deep to

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Speaker 2: the heart of Texas to talk to Alan Sanders of Steelers.

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Speaker 5: Now.

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Speaker 2: He is there in Frisco for the ongoing East West

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Speaker 2: Shrine Bowl kind of is has Matt joked about, you know,

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Speaker 2: the Senior Bowl. Likes to say the draft starts here

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Speaker 2: in Mobile, but there is plenty going on before we

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Speaker 2: do all turn our attention to Mobile next weekend, and

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Speaker 2: that is all happening in Alan Saunders is there on

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Speaker 2: site covering it all for Steelers. Now, Alan, thank you

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Speaker 2: for taking the time before we get into some you know,

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Speaker 2: some Shrine Bowl specifics we do now know officially. Fernando

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Speaker 2: Mendoza declaring for the NFL Draft is he is he

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Speaker 2: easy nailed on number one overall pick QB one of

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Speaker 2: this class in your opinion.

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Speaker 5: Easily QB one. Nobody else is even close. And honestly,

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Speaker 5: I mean, I don't think he's the kind of quarterback

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Speaker 5: where you'd say, like, yes, he has to be the

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Speaker 5: number one pick, But I don't really see who you

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Speaker 5: would be taking ahead of him at this point. If

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Speaker 5: you're the Las Vegas Raiders sitting there, a team without

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Speaker 5: a quarterback, it just seems like that's a pretty easy projection.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it does, and every mock on the play and

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Speaker 3: it's going to have him going to Vegas, which I

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Speaker 3: totally get. But do you agree that the blue Chippers

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Speaker 3: in this draft aren't usually it's pretty light, to be

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Speaker 3: honest with you, at the top of the draft. Doesn't

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Speaker 3: blow me away.

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Speaker 5: I would say, normally, if I was looking at a

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Speaker 5: quarterback like Mendoza's QB one, I'd be like, Okay, well,

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Speaker 5: who's the best tackle, Yeah, bagh, who's the best defensive tackle?

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Speaker 5: And it just doesn't seem like Ruben Bain was really

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Speaker 5: good in the playoff run for Miami. I would say

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Speaker 5: he's probably gotten himself onto the edge of that conversation.

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Speaker 5: But I don't really feel like anybody's come close to

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Speaker 5: trying to knock off Mendoza from being that kind of

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Speaker 5: obvious guy.

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Speaker 2: Alan, Let's get into some of the other quarterback names.

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

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Speaker 2: this week is just the intrigue around the crop of

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Speaker 2: quarterbacks that this time last year were thought of as

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Speaker 2: being the guys, the nus Meyers of the world, the

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Speaker 2: Alleys of the world, and of course Claikid Club Nick two.

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Speaker 2: All these guys, for different reasons, performance wise, injury wise,

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Speaker 2: whatever it may be, not at the forefront of this

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Speaker 2: draft class as they were thought to be when we

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Speaker 2: were starting, you know, with to preview this group. I know,

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Speaker 2: Kid Clubnick practice number one in the books down there

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Speaker 2: at the Shrine Bowl. What were your takeaways from him

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Speaker 2: and what do you think, you know, what is kind

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Speaker 2: of his highest potential in this draft, Like, what's the

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Speaker 2: highest position you could see himself working his way up towards.

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Speaker 5: Well. I finally looks just okay passing today, sailed a

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Speaker 5: couple over the middle when he really tried to put

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Speaker 5: some mustard on it. We'll see how it goes throughout

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Speaker 5: the week. Obviously his first time throwing. The most of

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Speaker 5: these guys, I really thought the thing that's about to

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Speaker 5: me was just the way he looked in command of

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Speaker 5: the offense. I mean, the first one of these practices,

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Speaker 5: there's false starts everywhere, there's fumbled snaps, there's you get

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Speaker 5: the line of scrimmage and people don't know the play call.

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Speaker 5: That stuff wasn't happening when the club was in there.

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Speaker 5: It was. It was on point. He actually drew the

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Speaker 5: defense off side of the hard count on his very

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Speaker 5: first snap. He was making checks and plana scrimmage, using

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Speaker 5: his eyes to manipulate coverage. The physical tools have always

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Speaker 5: been there. The results were definitely not for him this year.

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Speaker 5: But he just kind of looks the part as a

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Speaker 5: pro quarterback right now in a way that I don't

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Speaker 5: think anybody else here does.

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Speaker 3: I know. He's the biggest name of the quarterbacks, and frankly,

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Speaker 3: I don't even have the roster in front of me.

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Speaker 3: Can you introduce myself and everybody else to the other

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Speaker 3: signal callers down there? Of note, I mean not, you

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Speaker 3: don't have to go into everyone. But who stands out from.

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Speaker 5: That crop, Yeah, Jalen Daniels from Kansas is a yeah.

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Speaker 5: He he can definitely make play with his legs. We'll

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Speaker 5: see where the rest of the job goes from there

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Speaker 5: for him. Mark Ronowski was Mason McCormick's teammate at South

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Speaker 5: Dakota State. Transferred to Iowa last year. He's undersized, but

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Speaker 5: tough kid, throws the ball pretty well when he makes

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Speaker 5: a decision, runs a little bit too. I don't know

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Speaker 5: what his you know, upside is necessarily, but he's got

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Speaker 5: a lot of experience. One national championship at the SES level,

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Speaker 5: and then got into that Iowa offense last year, which

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Speaker 5: is finally starting to implement the forward pass as part

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Speaker 5: of it, reports will after after many years of ignoring it.

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Speaker 5: So he's an interesting guy as well. Karen Drones from

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Speaker 5: Virginia Tech is here, Miller Moss from Louisville, those guys

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Speaker 5: who played a lot of college football. It's not necessarily

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Speaker 5: like a splashy group of guys in terms of prospects,

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Speaker 5: but there are definitely some. James King had a really

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Speaker 5: nice year with Okay.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, he was one of the guys that we talked

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Speaker 2: about a little bit throughout the season, along with Daniels

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Speaker 2: from Kansas. Certainly some names to keep an eye on

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Speaker 2: here throughout the weekend. Alan, Uh, maybe I should have

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Speaker 2: asked you this on the back of the Mandoza question.

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Speaker 2: Not the best order of operations here, but do you

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Speaker 2: have a clearcut QB in this class? In your mind

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Speaker 2: right now, or is are we gonna have to wait

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Speaker 2: and see these Shrine Bowls, Senior Bowls, combine pro days

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Speaker 2: before before you start to make, you know, make the

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Speaker 2: list behind Mendoza.

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Speaker 5: I mean, right now, for me, it's very clearly Ty

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Speaker 5: Simpsons in Alabama. I don't even know who could catch him.

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Speaker 5: And the one guy that maybe could not going to

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Speaker 5: be a part of this as Trinidad Chamblis, who's waiting

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Speaker 5: to see if he's going to go back to Old

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Speaker 5: miss or not. Uh, seems like the latest receive Drews

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Speaker 5: seem like it's trending toward him being able to go

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Speaker 5: back to college. But we're gonna have to wait and see,

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Speaker 5: and he's waiting to see, so he's not taking part

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Speaker 5: in any of the pre draft stuff. I think you

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Speaker 5: have to know by early February, so I guess we'll

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Speaker 5: find out sooner than later. But if it's not him,

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Speaker 5: I don't know who else is gonna catch Ty Simpson.

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Speaker 5: And you know he's a guy I think also not

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Speaker 5: participating in the Tronebol Senior Bowl, or at least has

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Speaker 5: not accepted an invite to anywhere to this point, so

436
00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:03,879
Speaker 5: I would I would probably looking at him as the

437
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,159
Speaker 5: middle of the first round guy. But if he's like

438
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,800
Speaker 5: bolted on quarterback too, then you start to wonder, gee,

439
00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,119
Speaker 5: where does somebody Where does somebody decide we got to

440
00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,840
Speaker 5: have him, especially if Shambles isn't in the class and

441
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,800
Speaker 5: it is just a chasm after him to the next guy.

442
00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, I kind of look at like the Jets won't

443
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:23,960
Speaker 3: take him at two, but they might take him with

444
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,320
Speaker 3: their second pick. Or wouldn't he be a good guy

445
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:28,639
Speaker 3: to sit behind Stafford?

446
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:29,000
Speaker 5: You know?

447
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:30,880
Speaker 3: I mean there's a couple of spots in the middle

448
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,879
Speaker 3: of the first round where Simpson could get pretty attractive.

449
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,800
Speaker 5: Yeah, and team's trading up to that need a quarterback.

450
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,920
Speaker 5: I mean, I think there's if the Steelers won him,

451
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,000
Speaker 5: I mean, I think twenty one would be good value

452
00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:45,640
Speaker 5: for him, But I don't know if they can feel

453
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:47,159
Speaker 5: very good about sitting there and waiting.

454
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 3: We actually brought this up yesterday, Like, as it stands

455
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,360
Speaker 3: right now, would I trade the twenty first pick for Simpson?

456
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:55,479
Speaker 3: I just don't know enough about him, so the answers

457
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,200
Speaker 3: probably know. But I bet when the time comes, you're

458
00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,240
Speaker 3: gonna he's not gonna be there twenty one. It's just

459
00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:01,440
Speaker 3: how the league works.

460
00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:06,240
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean we've seen it. There have been exceptions.

461
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 5: The twenty twenty two year, I felt like teams really

462
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,240
Speaker 5: sat on their hands. But for the most part, I

463
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,560
Speaker 5: mean we were talking about Jackson Dartist, like maybe a

464
00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:15,520
Speaker 5: Day two or Dight three guy. He goes up there

465
00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,080
Speaker 5: in the first round. He saw with Pennix and McCarthy

466
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,840
Speaker 5: and Nicks and mad Class, all those guys got puts

467
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,320
Speaker 5: up in the first round. I just assume that as

468
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,800
Speaker 5: quarterback needy as the NFL is, those guys are going

469
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:27,040
Speaker 5: to go earlier than we all send.

470
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:31,680
Speaker 2: That is almost always the case. Certainly Alan, last one

471
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,480
Speaker 2: I've got for you, quarterback needy. We know that that's

472
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,240
Speaker 2: always the case around the National Football League. It's also

473
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,199
Speaker 2: offensive line needy across the National Football League. And I

474
00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:43,280
Speaker 2: have to ask you about the local guy. There is

475
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,280
Speaker 2: a western Pennsylvania representation, you know, other than the great

476
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,880
Speaker 2: Allen Saunders obviously down there in Frisco, Texas Slippery Rocks

477
00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,000
Speaker 2: Joe Cooper, who played tackle, who played tackle in college

478
00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 2: but has now been moved to guard. Down there at

479
00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,160
Speaker 2: the Shrine Bowl. Did you see anything from him today?

480
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:01,840
Speaker 2: Do you think he has a chance to get drafted.

481
00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,520
Speaker 2: Is he more of a UDFA guy? Just talked to

482
00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,960
Speaker 2: us for a minute about slippery Rocks Joe Cooper slipper

483
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,440
Speaker 2: rock Joe, slippery rock job.

484
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,000
Speaker 5: I thought to Joe yesterday, a great guy I went

485
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,560
Speaker 5: to iup, so I thank him for not like deciding

486
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,280
Speaker 5: to dismember me and just go ahead and do the interview,

487
00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,440
Speaker 5: so that that was appreciated. He's he's six seven, you know,

488
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,679
Speaker 5: three hundred. I think he's over three hundred pounds. A

489
00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,159
Speaker 5: really big guy kicked him into guard. I thought he

490
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,040
Speaker 5: run blocked really well today. Maybe not his natural passet,

491
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,480
Speaker 5: but I mean might have been the very first time

492
00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,320
Speaker 5: he did it. I don't know. But when he got

493
00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,200
Speaker 5: his hands on guys, they moved, and that's what you

494
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 5: really want to see. He didn't look out of place

495
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,840
Speaker 5: at all. There are a couple other local guys. Eli

496
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,639
Speaker 5: Heyden Wright from down the South Hills went the Navy

497
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:54,200
Speaker 5: Is playing running back, and uh Jaden Dugger from Ken

498
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,760
Speaker 5: Hills as a linebacker, ended up at one of the

499
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:01,560
Speaker 5: Louisiana schools, Southeastern. I think it was so there are

500
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,240
Speaker 5: some some local local interest here for sure.

501
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:08,439
Speaker 3: I think Hiden writes a libo guy, last thing I

502
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 3: got for you. We also know that Steelers are heavily

503
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,240
Speaker 3: going to be in the wide receiver market in some way,

504
00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,679
Speaker 3: shape or form. Any standouts at that position, and is

505
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,399
Speaker 3: there a position group that looks quite strong at the

506
00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:21,000
Speaker 3: Shrine game?

507
00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 5: Overall, I came into this week not knowing what to

508
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:26,760
Speaker 5: make in this wide receiver group. And one of the

509
00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:32,000
Speaker 5: guys I really really liked is Stribbling from Old Miss

510
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,840
Speaker 5: and he's not practicing. I assumed dealing with some kind

511
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,000
Speaker 5: of minor injury or something. So I was kind of bummed.

512
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,439
Speaker 5: And then I watched practice today and there were actually

513
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,399
Speaker 5: a number of guys that kind of looked good to me.

514
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,400
Speaker 5: Stirred Event from Florida, Bell from Yukon as a guy

515
00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,200
Speaker 5: kind of knew coming in was going to be a player.

516
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,640
Speaker 5: Also as another Bell from Georgia. There's three Georgia guys

517
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:54,959
Speaker 5: here that are not zach Rye Branch, who was there

518
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,800
Speaker 5: by far their number one receiver, and none of those

519
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,399
Speaker 5: guys got the ball very much. Georgia didn't have the

520
00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,760
Speaker 5: best year passing, but he looks good. It seems like

521
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,000
Speaker 5: there's this is shaping up to be a pretty nice

522
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,760
Speaker 5: wide receiver class. I think there's about five guys in

523
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:12,120
Speaker 5: the first round, and i'm you know, the players I'm

524
00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:16,639
Speaker 5: looking at here mostly you know, pick maybe ninety and below,

525
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,760
Speaker 5: and they look pretty good too. So I'm thinking of

526
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,159
Speaker 5: shaping up to be a nice year to need a

527
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,760
Speaker 5: wide receiver, and the Steelers certainly in that group. One

528
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 5: just way out of nowhere, Michael Wortham from Montana was

529
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 5: a late ad here. He is five eight, so a

530
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,280
Speaker 5: little guy, but man a sudden separator. I mean he

531
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,040
Speaker 5: he got way open a couple of times today and

532
00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,640
Speaker 5: that was interesting to see. Obviously, Steeler's got a Montana

533
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,600
Speaker 5: guy and Dylan Cook. Maybe they'd take another one.

534
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,800
Speaker 2: Great stuff, Alan Saunders, make sure you're checking out all

535
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,760
Speaker 2: of his Shrine Bowl coverage Steelers Now dot com. Wait

536
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:54,399
Speaker 2: real quick, Allan, before we let you go, because I

537
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,159
Speaker 2: just saw this on your Twitter account. Tweeted about Wataburger

538
00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,679
Speaker 2: being better than in and Out, which I agree with.

539
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,960
Speaker 2: Actually I like both, but I am with you on that.

540
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,080
Speaker 2: How does Waaburger compare to Culver's, where we'll all be

541
00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:07,000
Speaker 2: going in a few weeks on our way out to

542
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:08,640
Speaker 2: Indianapolis for the NFL Combine.

543
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:15,760
Speaker 5: That's tougher that's a tougher choice. I'm a well I

544
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:18,680
Speaker 5: wrote when I went to LA and I tried to

545
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,040
Speaker 5: buy a T shirt and they did not have any

546
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,439
Speaker 5: I liked in a double XL, Like, don't trust the

547
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,120
Speaker 5: burger opinion of a place that doesn't have enough fat

548
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,400
Speaker 5: people to stock double XL T shirt Like that's Texas.

549
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:36,480
Speaker 2: I love it. I love it. Great stuff, Alan, Thank

550
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:38,040
Speaker 2: you for taking the time, partner, and we'll talk to

551
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 2: you soon. Have fun down there, see boys, there he goes.

552
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,679
Speaker 2: Great stuff, Alan Saunders, deep in the heart of Texas.

553
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,119
Speaker 2: There in Frisco at the Shrine Bowl.

554
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:48,640
Speaker 3: I meant to ask him if he's going to Senior

555
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,080
Speaker 3: Bowl or not. See so many, so many of them

556
00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:52,240
Speaker 3: just make the track straight over.

557
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:54,960
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure he's driving because he Actually you'll laugh

558
00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,879
Speaker 2: at it. He did like a Taylor Swift style tour

559
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,240
Speaker 2: announcement as off season tour, and it was like his

560
00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,560
Speaker 2: driving routes to Frisco, Texas and then to the Senior

561
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,840
Speaker 2: Bowl and then back home and then to the Combine.

562
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,040
Speaker 2: So I do think he'll be there next week. Maybe

563
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,159
Speaker 2: we'll catch up with him next week again from them

564
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:14,679
Speaker 2: from the Senior Bowl. Yeah, but good stuff.

565
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:14,920
Speaker 3: There.

566
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,760
Speaker 2: And yeah, I mean once we once we get through

567
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,040
Speaker 2: these final three NFL games to this weekend the super Bowl,

568
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:23,560
Speaker 2: and then obviously once we you know, the ink drives

569
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 2: on the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, we

570
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,280
Speaker 2: will be completely diving into off season and draft mode.

571
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,240
Speaker 3: And free agency and all that good stuff.

572
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 2: And and and certainly that is right around the corner,

573
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 2: but we're starting to dip our toes into that pond

574
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 2: a little bit this week. With that, Matt, I want

575
00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,400
Speaker 2: to just have some some off season roster plans, off

576
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,359
Speaker 2: season roster conversation with you to kind of piggyback off

577
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 2: some of that stuff we just talked about with Alan

578
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,320
Speaker 2: when we return on the other side, we'll do that.

579
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,200
Speaker 2: To close down the first hour, u'ler Williamson, it's the

580
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,159
Speaker 2: Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

581
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,200
Speaker 1: You were twos about Drive on your twenty four to

582
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,479
Speaker 1: seven home of a Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.

583
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,840
Speaker 2: All right, Matt, let me peel back the curtain here

584
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:19,879
Speaker 2: for you for just a second. During the regular you know,

585
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,000
Speaker 2: from the time that we get to Latrobe really so

586
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:27,760
Speaker 2: so kind of start of training camp through whenever the

587
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,280
Speaker 2: Steelers play their last game. Yeah, it's very easy to

588
00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,040
Speaker 2: come up with our rundown every single day.

589
00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:35,960
Speaker 3: Every Wednesday is the same, Every Thursday the same. I

590
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,240
Speaker 3: mean switches a little bit if they're playing a Thursday

591
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,440
Speaker 3: night game, but in essence we still Matt stats here

592
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,320
Speaker 3: and recap the game and right.

593
00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:48,240
Speaker 2: Around campus and exactly Rob kings on my Yes, my

594
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,320
Speaker 2: friends and family who kind of sometimes asked me the

595
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,360
Speaker 2: ins and outs of this job, they'll laugh when I'm like,

596
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,200
Speaker 2: I do way more prep in the offseason than I

597
00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,440
Speaker 2: do in the regular season, because in the regular season

598
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:00,680
Speaker 2: it's just watching games and yeah, you know, kind of

599
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,880
Speaker 2: the order to find. Off season it's a lot of

600
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,920
Speaker 2: free agency stuff, draft stuff, just trying to come with

601
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,760
Speaker 2: content pieces that aren't spoon fed to us in the

602
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:12,600
Speaker 2: course of the NFLS.

603
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,720
Speaker 3: Hoping something pops up between today and the next game. Exactly.

604
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 2: So this time of year, sometimes I'm guilty of I'll

605
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,240
Speaker 2: look at something and I'll go, hey, we'll talk like

606
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:25,560
Speaker 2: that's evergreen, Like we can talk about that next week,

607
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,280
Speaker 2: We can talk about that in a couple of weeks.

608
00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,600
Speaker 2: But few things are because stuff changes so rapidly this time.

609
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,480
Speaker 2: Just when you think, oh, we can wait a week

610
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,240
Speaker 2: to talk about that. Then something happens and all of

611
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,560
Speaker 2: a sudden you miss the front end and you only

612
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:41,440
Speaker 2: get the reaction on the.

613
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 3: Back exactly one piece of the equation, isn't there anymore?

614
00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,360
Speaker 2: So with that, again, peeling back the curtain for ever

615
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:50,920
Speaker 2: since the season ended, I was like, at some point,

616
00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,480
Speaker 2: sooner rather than later, Matt and I need to go

617
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:58,520
Speaker 2: through some of the roster decisions for the Steelers, And

618
00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,320
Speaker 2: part of me is like, wait till the next head

619
00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:04,040
Speaker 2: coach is named, you have a clearer picture. But again,

620
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,160
Speaker 2: I also think I'm guilty of kicking things too far

621
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 2: down the road. When we can discuss them now, we

622
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,320
Speaker 2: can discuss them later, we can discuss them as they happen.

623
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,080
Speaker 3: And we'll probably haven't it. Probably this won't have it

624
00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 3: the first and last time for this conversation.

625
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,760
Speaker 2: Either, exactly right. So with that, I want to do

626
00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,640
Speaker 2: a lot of different roster type decisions for the Steelers,

627
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 2: for Omar Khan, for the next head coach, for everybody involved,

628
00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:29,440
Speaker 2: and just your thoughts as we sit here towards the

629
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:34,880
Speaker 2: end of January, before the draft, before free agency, keep

630
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,120
Speaker 2: you want this guy on the roster in twenty twenty six,

631
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,520
Speaker 2: release this guy, look to trade this guy? You know,

632
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,520
Speaker 2: just kind of your your thirty thousand foot view thoughts

633
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:44,120
Speaker 2: at this point.

634
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 3: Okay, And I don't need people coming back to me

635
00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:49,320
Speaker 3: in three weeks saying, well you said this, yeah, Mike,

636
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:50,600
Speaker 3: well he doesn't fit the new scheme.

637
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:55,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, I always I always love it when that happens.

638
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:57,440
Speaker 3: Right, But I thought you loved him. I loved them

639
00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,080
Speaker 3: for what I thought the defense was going to be.

640
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:00,800
Speaker 3: And you know that I don't love them for this

641
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:01,920
Speaker 3: or vice versa.

642
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 2: You shared it on Twitter and pumped my tires a

643
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,840
Speaker 2: little bit a few days ago. Back on August ninth,

644
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:11,560
Speaker 2: I tweeted, like, Fernando Mendoza write that name down or

645
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:16,960
Speaker 2: you know Forza buy stock now on Twitter? Right, if

646
00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,920
Speaker 2: in the end of September Mendoza stunk in Indiana was

647
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,160
Speaker 2: two and two, like okay, I wouldn't be saying watch

648
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:24,760
Speaker 2: that for Nanda Mendoza.

649
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,760
Speaker 3: Gay exactly right, right, we don't have crystal balls, right.

650
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,000
Speaker 2: And I also think in any walk of line in life,

651
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,080
Speaker 2: this is much bigger than a sports conversation. But you

652
00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:33,680
Speaker 2: should be open to changing your opinions and adapting as

653
00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:34,480
Speaker 2: new information.

654
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,040
Speaker 3: I kind of think, it shows a lack of intelligence

655
00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:40,000
Speaker 3: if you don't same here, right, you know, to be

656
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:41,960
Speaker 3: very honest with you're right same here. You think you

657
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:42,720
Speaker 3: know everything, well.

658
00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,240
Speaker 2: You think you know everything. You think nothing ever changes.

659
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,560
Speaker 2: How many of us hated tomatoes and mushrooms and onions

660
00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:50,920
Speaker 2: when we were kids, and now we love them. I

661
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:53,840
Speaker 2: wasn't a coffee drinker twenty years ago, right. You know,

662
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:59,320
Speaker 2: if something different advances and technology and science and stuff

663
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,280
Speaker 2: like that across the word world change your opinion on

664
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:05,120
Speaker 2: certain things. Different coaching hires change your opinion on certain things.

665
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,120
Speaker 2: So I'm glad you mentioned that too. This is as

666
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:11,840
Speaker 2: we sit here today, Friday, January twenty third, Cam Heyward.

667
00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,480
Speaker 2: Let's start with the lion king himself. He will turn

668
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:20,960
Speaker 2: thirty seven in May, and let's see here. I believe

669
00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,120
Speaker 2: that do a yes is do a nearly thirteen million

670
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:26,920
Speaker 2: dollars just a little under thirteen million dollar roster bonus

671
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:27,960
Speaker 2: in mid March.

672
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 3: Okay, I wont him back a thousand thousand Yeah, that's

673
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,640
Speaker 3: an easy one, yes, because I don't want to lose

674
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 3: some of the great culture that was built here that

675
00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,240
Speaker 3: started probably with Joe Green.

676
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:44,160
Speaker 2: You know, absolutely, I don't want to lose that.

677
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 3: I definitely think no matter who's coaching the offense, defense,

678
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,720
Speaker 3: defensive line, calling the plays on defense, they're still and

679
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,040
Speaker 3: should always be a Steeler way of doing things that

680
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,400
Speaker 3: starts or maybe doesn't start, but it is certainly involved

681
00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 3: in the locker room, in grain the rain. Yeah, I mean,

682
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,800
Speaker 3: it's in the fiber of the walls and the paint

683
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,600
Speaker 3: and the carpet and all that, and he embodies that

684
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,480
Speaker 3: more than anybody. He may have been the best player

685
00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:12,160
Speaker 3: on the whole team this year. Really he probably was.

686
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:13,640
Speaker 2: Probably he was the only All Pro.

687
00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:19,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, he probably was, which is amazing, And I would

688
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:24,160
Speaker 3: love to not have to replace him this year, like

689
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,280
Speaker 3: it would create a void. I mean, I still think

690
00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:30,160
Speaker 3: they should probably add a defensive lineman of note and

691
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:32,160
Speaker 3: probably more of a nose. But I don't know what

692
00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:35,480
Speaker 3: their scheme is. But if he leaves, you can't run

693
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,080
Speaker 3: back with what you have and feel comfortable completely. I

694
00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:39,760
Speaker 3: mean you you can't line up in Week one with

695
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:41,760
Speaker 3: who's under contract minus a word.

696
00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:43,920
Speaker 2: The only way it would become a conversation for me

697
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,040
Speaker 2: is if someone's like offering you a first round pick,

698
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:49,800
Speaker 2: but I don't see who's gonna offer a round, and

699
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,560
Speaker 2: why would I want to cut him? He's completely worth

700
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:54,560
Speaker 2: what you're paying them. Yeah, I think that's a pretty

701
00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,200
Speaker 2: easy decision. And the bigger picture stuff, as you mentioned,

702
00:33:57,680 --> 00:33:58,400
Speaker 2: is number one.

703
00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:02,280
Speaker 3: So this applies to him, but others more so on

704
00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:08,319
Speaker 3: the team. Hypothetically, you're the season doesn't start well, you know,

705
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,720
Speaker 3: or you make a huge youth movement and you're breaking

706
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,439
Speaker 3: in Ty Simpson in week one and he's in over

707
00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:20,000
Speaker 3: his head and you're two and five. Maybe a contender

708
00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,240
Speaker 3: will give you a pick of the trade deadline. That's different.

709
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,400
Speaker 3: You know, you go to Cam and he deserves us

710
00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,680
Speaker 3: respect and be like, well, you know team X is

711
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:29,239
Speaker 3: the Lions are tearing it up.

712
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:31,239
Speaker 2: Do you want to go try to win a ring

713
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:32,480
Speaker 2: the Chicago?

714
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,360
Speaker 3: He's like, I got one year left, you know, and

715
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:36,920
Speaker 3: we can get a pick out of it, and you.

716
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:38,719
Speaker 2: Want to go. You want to go drink macho with

717
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:41,000
Speaker 2: Caleb Williams in the Windy City for a few months,

718
00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:42,120
Speaker 2: try and win a Super Bowl.

719
00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:44,160
Speaker 3: We both know you have ten to twelve games left

720
00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:46,799
Speaker 3: in you do you want to move? If you say yes,

721
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:48,880
Speaker 3: then we'll do it for you, you know, totally. So

722
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,600
Speaker 3: I mean that's also could be a you know, probably unlikely.

723
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:55,480
Speaker 3: I mean, I think he's a one helmet guy. But

724
00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:57,359
Speaker 3: you know, I'm just sorting it out that doesn't mean

725
00:34:57,880 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 3: if you give him the bonus and he comes to camp,

726
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:02,359
Speaker 3: you could still make moves. Yeah, I mean, that's how

727
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:02,959
Speaker 3: the league works.

728
00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:03,759
Speaker 2: Absolutely.

729
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:05,719
Speaker 5: T J.

730
00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 3: Watt, this one's tough. I don't think he's the elite,

731
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:21,080
Speaker 3: elite defensive player of the year player that he once was. Right, right,

732
00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:23,839
Speaker 3: he's still massively impactful.

733
00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,040
Speaker 2: Three more years left on his contract.

734
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,160
Speaker 3: Three more years left on his contract. Trading him would

735
00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,880
Speaker 3: not be all that prohibitive to your cap. From what

736
00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:36,840
Speaker 3: I understand, you actually free up twelve million in cap space,

737
00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,000
Speaker 3: but you got to carry thirty million of dead money,

738
00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,080
Speaker 3: which basically just means you're paying him to do to

739
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:47,040
Speaker 3: play for somebody else, which nobody likes. But sure in

740
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:53,319
Speaker 3: this league that's not uncommon. You know a lot. I mean,

741
00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,279
Speaker 3: are you playing, And rarely do I even bring this

742
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:58,399
Speaker 3: up anymore. We just talk about every day you run

743
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,279
Speaker 3: into four to three, you run three four. But he's

744
00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,520
Speaker 3: good enough edge setter that I think he can do

745
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,319
Speaker 3: whatever you ask of him. Well, the new guy move

746
00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:07,439
Speaker 3: him around a lot more.

747
00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:10,200
Speaker 2: You know again, you want to play for the new guy.

748
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:14,919
Speaker 3: Right or right? Yeah, But I absolutely do not want

749
00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:18,279
Speaker 3: her Big ever leaving or leaving whenever his contract's up.

750
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 3: I think high Smith's still very valuable. So there's a

751
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,200
Speaker 3: scenario I'm not saying got to trade him. There's a

752
00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:29,839
Speaker 3: scenario that I would listen to offers. Yeah, and particularly

753
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,239
Speaker 3: like we talked about at the deadline, if things are

754
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:37,920
Speaker 3: going poorly, edge rushers are super valuable, you know, like

755
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 3: Jalen Phillips got a third and TJ would get a

756
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,520
Speaker 3: lot more, and they wouldn't you know, they rented Phillips

757
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:46,279
Speaker 3: for you know, ten weeks or whatever.

758
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,799
Speaker 2: You acquiring TJ. Yeah, you've got some term on that

759
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:49,600
Speaker 2: deal still.

760
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:53,239
Speaker 3: Exactly, you know. So I would listen and give a

761
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,440
Speaker 3: chunk of his money to Herbig. I'm not letting her

762
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,600
Speaker 3: Big leave no matter what. He's just too good and

763
00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,279
Speaker 3: the third round com pick or fourth round compick just

764
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,240
Speaker 3: isn't enough, and I want to get him on the field.

765
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:05,480
Speaker 3: But I could, I could at least make an argument

766
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,719
Speaker 3: of I would consider trading Watt could also make probably

767
00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,480
Speaker 3: a stronger argument he should be a one one helmet

768
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:14,760
Speaker 3: guy too, for culture and all those things too, because

769
00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:15,280
Speaker 3: that matters.

770
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:20,280
Speaker 2: That's we are in both of these in lockstep. Yeah,

771
00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:22,479
Speaker 2: if someone's calling me and wants to talk about TJ. Watt,

772
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:23,320
Speaker 2: I'll answer the phone.

773
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:24,000
Speaker 3: Yeah.

774
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:25,800
Speaker 2: You obviously are gonna have to have a conversation with

775
00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:26,800
Speaker 2: him about his future.

776
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:27,160
Speaker 5: Yeah.

777
00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:29,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, how many years do you think you got left?

778
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:29,800
Speaker 3: What's your plan?

779
00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 5: You know?

780
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:32,360
Speaker 3: Yes, and you would have got more for him a

781
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 3: year ago than now.

782
00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:37,680
Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh, his his stock price was higher the last

783
00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:40,080
Speaker 2: couple off seasons than it is now. But that's not

784
00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,280
Speaker 2: to say that his stock price is tanked either.

785
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:44,759
Speaker 3: You think the Lions would like that, TJ. Watt, Yes,

786
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,040
Speaker 3: they would like that TJ. Watt.

787
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:49,239
Speaker 2: Yeah, this to me is a real interesting one, maybe

788
00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:50,960
Speaker 2: the most interesting in this conversation.

789
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:56,720
Speaker 3: Jalen Ramsey, maybe you can dig this up while I'm chatting.

790
00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,839
Speaker 3: I think he's a twenty million dollar cap hit.

791
00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:00,960
Speaker 2: Little over seventeen.

792
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:06,040
Speaker 3: Okay, Okay, I knew it was extreme. That's a tough

793
00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:11,799
Speaker 3: one too, because he's so new to safety. People forget this,

794
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:15,279
Speaker 3: you know, Like I know he played coming out of

795
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:16,920
Speaker 3: high school, but that's not that day.

796
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:17,440
Speaker 5: You know.

797
00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:19,960
Speaker 2: That's the same Philip Rivers conversation that we just had.

798
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:24,160
Speaker 3: That's not the same. Yeah, right, So he did take

799
00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,439
Speaker 3: some angles and things of that nature that I'm sure

800
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,319
Speaker 3: would improve with more safety play.

801
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:34,880
Speaker 2: Off season in film study, and yeah, just comfortability right now.

802
00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 3: A priority I'm going to bring up with this secondary

803
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,480
Speaker 3: in general is I think they need more team speed

804
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:45,560
Speaker 3: Compared to other secondaries. They're on the slower end, and

805
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:49,000
Speaker 3: as athletic as he's been in his career, he's more

806
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,240
Speaker 3: on the slow side than the fast side. As free

807
00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:58,839
Speaker 3: safeties go, and certainly as slot corners go. We've talked

808
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:06,680
Speaker 3: about this a lot that the ms dejene Pe Trees, Hamilton's,

809
00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:12,200
Speaker 3: these big slot safety linebacker types are probably is what

810
00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:16,439
Speaker 3: most defenses really want, and I don't think he's that guy.

811
00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:20,359
Speaker 2: He'll be thirty two before Halloween. Week before Halloween, he'll

812
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:20,919
Speaker 2: be thirty two.

813
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,440
Speaker 3: You know, Elliott's going to be one of your safeties.

814
00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:28,160
Speaker 3: The rest of the safety room's pretty barren, a lot

815
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,520
Speaker 3: of spare parts. Eighteen million cash bas goes a long way.

816
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:32,719
Speaker 2: That's my biggest thing.

817
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:34,640
Speaker 3: That's the thing, is he worth the money?

818
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,120
Speaker 2: If you are going to pay him close to what

819
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:41,760
Speaker 2: Mega Fitzpatrick was making to be a safety, he needs

820
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:45,560
Speaker 2: to be in that absolute upper echelon of NFL safeties, right.

821
00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,400
Speaker 2: If you think he can be one of the top

822
00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,320
Speaker 2: ten safeties in the league, then.

823
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:52,440
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, it kind of has to be.

824
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:54,399
Speaker 2: He has to be. Yeah, for that kind of money

825
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,520
Speaker 2: for a safety, you need to be bordering on all

826
00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:58,960
Speaker 2: pro pro bol real good.

827
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:00,920
Speaker 3: Do you think he could maybe be a pro bowler

828
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,879
Speaker 3: next year? If the answer is no, then I think

829
00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:06,279
Speaker 3: you say, sorry, we went the money. If you think

830
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,640
Speaker 3: maybe he can be a pro bowler not all pro,

831
00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:11,680
Speaker 3: then I think the answer is probably yes, assuming he

832
00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:12,600
Speaker 3: fits the scheme.

833
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 2: That's you know, that's I think you play a lot

834
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:15,880
Speaker 2: of too high.

835
00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,239
Speaker 3: You don't need to those those teams don't invest as

836
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,120
Speaker 3: much in safety. You know, if he's playing Menka's single

837
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,239
Speaker 3: high stuff, well you need a really good one, you know.

838
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:24,880
Speaker 2: If he's going to be just good for you, you

839
00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:27,880
Speaker 2: can find a lot of just good safeties for less

840
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:29,200
Speaker 2: than half of that price tag.

841
00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:31,560
Speaker 3: And I don't think it's to the Watt or certainly

842
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:33,880
Speaker 3: the cam level, But I do like his attitude, like

843
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:36,800
Speaker 3: him being around. Sure a few of these are knocks

844
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,320
Speaker 3: on the player defensive basket.

845
00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,080
Speaker 2: All quick they do they do? You know, and again

846
00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:48,080
Speaker 2: it's I believe in his ability to move to safety, Yes,

847
00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:51,600
Speaker 2: but to what level? To a to a seventeen to

848
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,040
Speaker 2: eighteen million dollar which would make him one of the

849
00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:56,879
Speaker 2: higher paid safeties in the league. If he moves into that,

850
00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,080
Speaker 2: you know, salary cap scale.

851
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:01,920
Speaker 3: Cayle Hamilton's gonna be making that kind of money, you

852
00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:02,239
Speaker 3: know what I mean.

853
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,880
Speaker 2: I need more than just good Yeah, I need a

854
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:05,760
Speaker 2: lot of impact plays.

855
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:06,759
Speaker 3: I need to take the ball away.

856
00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:09,000
Speaker 2: Yes, one of the best half dozen guys in.

857
00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:11,719
Speaker 3: The league, right and at least for this year.

858
00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:12,400
Speaker 2: Yeah.

859
00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:16,239
Speaker 3: I also think there's a misconception that he has no

860
00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,640
Speaker 3: value as an outside corner. That's not true, you know,

861
00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:22,279
Speaker 3: Like he didn't get toasted every time he tried to

862
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,600
Speaker 3: guard somebody. It just it's not what he does best,

863
00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:28,000
Speaker 3: you know. Like, and I only say that because I

864
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,080
Speaker 3: mean he's had to do it once or twice since

865
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,560
Speaker 3: he's moved to safety, that he can get you out

866
00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:35,200
Speaker 3: of a game at corner. You have two corner injuries

867
00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,920
Speaker 3: on game day against the Bengals. All right, well you

868
00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:40,040
Speaker 3: got T Higgins. You know, it's not what we wanted

869
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:42,480
Speaker 3: to do originally, but at least he has that in

870
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:44,919
Speaker 3: his back, you know, in his bag.

871
00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:47,439
Speaker 2: You could do much worse for break glass in case

872
00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:48,160
Speaker 2: of emergency.

873
00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. You know most safeties have no chance to

874
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:52,239
Speaker 3: do that with you know.

875
00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:54,839
Speaker 2: Last one on the defensive side of the football mat

876
00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,400
Speaker 2: before we do a couple on the offensive side of

877
00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:59,600
Speaker 2: the ball, linebacker, Patrick Queen.

878
00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:03,560
Speaker 3: Again, I should be more on top of seventeen million.

879
00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:06,719
Speaker 2: Seventeen million against the cap in twenty twenty six. You

880
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,719
Speaker 2: can save fourteen million if you release him before the

881
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:10,480
Speaker 2: end of March.

882
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:14,640
Speaker 3: These are big numbers, but people need to realize inflation

883
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:15,640
Speaker 3: and salary cap.

884
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:19,880
Speaker 2: Yes, yesterday's price is not today's price. Like Patrick Mahomes'

885
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,480
Speaker 2: contract doesn't look that bad all of a sudden, He's

886
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:23,640
Speaker 2: a few years removed.

887
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:29,680
Speaker 3: Total Total Warran. I thought Peyton Wilson would be further

888
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:33,560
Speaker 3: along than he is. I still have high hopes. I

889
00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:37,000
Speaker 3: still think he's a second contract guy. But I thought

890
00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:40,840
Speaker 3: you'd be really comfortable right now saying he's the green

891
00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:44,640
Speaker 3: dot every down linebacker, and at least the last coaching

892
00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:47,600
Speaker 3: staff never got to that point. You know, there's a

893
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:50,360
Speaker 3: lot of Harrison mixed in. There was a lot of

894
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:53,960
Speaker 3: Roberts mixed in before that, and that implies you know,

895
00:42:54,080 --> 00:43:01,200
Speaker 3: run versus pass. Of course I probably bring back. He's

896
00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:05,320
Speaker 3: another tone setter, and personality wise I think is strong.

897
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:10,439
Speaker 3: He is never gonna be a great take on blocker guy.

898
00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:12,279
Speaker 3: But that's not as important as it used to be.

899
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:19,640
Speaker 3: Athleticism is there misses a lot of tackles. I would

900
00:43:19,719 --> 00:43:22,839
Speaker 3: have to study the linebacker market better, yeah, because I mean,

901
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:24,280
Speaker 3: all these things create needs.

902
00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:26,400
Speaker 2: That's the biggest.

903
00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:28,799
Speaker 3: That's the thing, no doubt. You know, like I'm going

904
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:33,040
Speaker 3: to line somebody up and I like Hulcombe, but I

905
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,600
Speaker 3: am not going with just Wilson and Hulcomb and saving

906
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:38,719
Speaker 3: the fourteen million. And you know what, am I using it?

907
00:43:38,719 --> 00:43:39,200
Speaker 2: For sure?

908
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:41,200
Speaker 3: Because the other thing, and this would be a big

909
00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,160
Speaker 3: theme these next couple of weeks. Whatever you need on

910
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,040
Speaker 3: the cap space isn't as valuable as it used to be,

911
00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:51,600
Speaker 3: except to keep your own because every the CAP's going

912
00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:54,320
Speaker 3: up so fast. All these teams are not letting quality

913
00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:56,560
Speaker 3: players hit free agents. Yes, so when we start really

914
00:43:56,560 --> 00:43:59,360
Speaker 3: digging into the free agent list, we might be like

915
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:00,680
Speaker 3: Queen's way, all these.

916
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:03,319
Speaker 2: Guys, it's not what it was, right, right, right, seven, eight, nine,

917
00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:03,960
Speaker 2: ten years ago?

918
00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:04,439
Speaker 5: Right?

919
00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:07,680
Speaker 3: Okay, I saved fourteen million and I give twelve to

920
00:44:07,719 --> 00:44:12,080
Speaker 3: this other linebacker who's eighty percent the player, It's.

921
00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:14,600
Speaker 2: Like, not worth it, Yeah, right, what I gain? He

922
00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,880
Speaker 2: not worth? I mean, and you did a good breakdown

923
00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:18,359
Speaker 2: at some point. I forget when it was, I think

924
00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:21,560
Speaker 2: before the season started. Of how as the cap balloons

925
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:24,200
Speaker 2: and balloons and balloons. Edge rusher is the only position

926
00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:25,719
Speaker 2: whose salary is ballooning with it.

927
00:44:26,239 --> 00:44:30,319
Speaker 3: And quarterback, quarterback, right, quarterback. Yeah, everyone's like, boy, these

928
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:31,440
Speaker 3: salaries are going crazy.

929
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:33,320
Speaker 2: Well, not compared to inflation.

930
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:36,360
Speaker 3: Not compared to inflation though, right, I mean, and this,

931
00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:40,040
Speaker 3: I'm sure it'll start to correct itself. But since COVID,

932
00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:43,720
Speaker 3: when the cap actually went backwards, which has never happened,

933
00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:46,239
Speaker 3: so when it started ballooning again, I don't think, what's

934
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:49,399
Speaker 3: that been three off seasons, it's gone up, Like I'm

935
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:51,279
Speaker 3: pulling these numbers out in there. I know I'm wrong,

936
00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 3: but it's something like thirty percent. Well the average top

937
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:57,600
Speaker 3: edge rusher guy, and this was when they paid what

938
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:01,520
Speaker 3: is also going up like thirty one. Quarterback was like

939
00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:05,879
Speaker 3: thirty two percent. The other other positions have not gone

940
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,920
Speaker 3: up thirty percent. They're all getting raises, you know, like

941
00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:12,320
Speaker 3: ten million dollars tight ends are common now and they weren't,

942
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,000
Speaker 3: but that's still not thirty percent more than they made

943
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:18,160
Speaker 3: three years ago. Yeah, everyone's like, boy, we're we really

944
00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:20,120
Speaker 3: pulled one over on these owners. They're paying the bill

945
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:24,080
Speaker 3: like you really didn't, Not really, you really didn't.

946
00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:28,719
Speaker 2: I'm laughing and my microphone falls down here. Yeah. No,

947
00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:32,120
Speaker 2: that's the that is well said and well stated, And

948
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,680
Speaker 2: that's kind of the backdrop of all these conversations. And

949
00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:35,680
Speaker 2: you have to keep in mind.

950
00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:37,920
Speaker 3: And again, I have a lot more offseason homework to do,

951
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,880
Speaker 3: Like if there's this happens to be an awesome linebacker class,

952
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:44,480
Speaker 3: totally free agents because draft linebacker. The other thing about

953
00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:45,200
Speaker 3: the draft.

954
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,640
Speaker 2: I don't want to plug and play draft linebacker, right, That's.

955
00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:50,759
Speaker 3: Why if I trusted Wilson Hulk, them can hold on

956
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:52,680
Speaker 3: the fort and I'm going to use a high pick

957
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:55,960
Speaker 3: on it. But young backers don't do well. Schwessenger is

958
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:56,719
Speaker 3: a anomaly.

959
00:45:56,800 --> 00:45:59,399
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a Kurt Signetti. Yeah, yeah, he ain't find

960
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:01,840
Speaker 2: in those grown up on trees. Okay, here's what I

961
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:03,200
Speaker 2: want to do. I do want to run a couple

962
00:46:03,239 --> 00:46:04,880
Speaker 2: offensive names past you, but we got to get to

963
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:07,359
Speaker 2: break to close down the first hour here. Hour two

964
00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:10,799
Speaker 2: is going to be championship hour, but let's start with

965
00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:13,960
Speaker 2: some offensive guys here, sure, and then we'll turn our

966
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,000
Speaker 2: focus to the AFC and NFC championship games. In hour

967
00:46:17,080 --> 00:46:18,799
Speaker 2: number two. We'll do all that and more as we

968
00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:21,480
Speaker 2: roll along. Andrew Destin from Seattle going to join us

969
00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:24,680
Speaker 2: in our number two. It's all happening here on the

970
00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:27,880
Speaker 2: Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network