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

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

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Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: And welcome to the Drive. I am Dale LOLLI he

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Speaker 2: is the Matt Williamson. And it is a Monday in Pittsburgh.

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Speaker 2: And what was a late night Steeler fans and the

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Speaker 2: Steelers in general Sunday night. The rains came in. We

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Speaker 2: talked about that last week, about that possibility, and I didn't.

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Speaker 3: Realize like that though, like delay the game type rains

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Speaker 3: and what weather.

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Speaker 2: The rain is not the problem. Yeah, he played through

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Speaker 2: the rain. It's the lightning that was in the area

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Speaker 2: that was the issue. And that will stop a game

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Speaker 2: every single time. That's what I was worried about. I

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Speaker 2: don't care about rain. Players can get.

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Speaker 4: Wet and that's football weather.

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Speaker 3: I'm just so happy to be a night game, which

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Speaker 3: means everybody's sleepy today.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, little tired, little slow in the get up today.

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Speaker 3: Didn't know my cause at all. By the way, this

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Speaker 3: was a week where you get up early for the

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Speaker 3: quadruple header because of the England game too. That was

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Speaker 3: I guess. Someone said it was like fifteen hours from

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Speaker 3: kickoff to the final whistle of NFL football.

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Speaker 4: Yes, is that all it was?

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Speaker 3: It seemed like thirty eight.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, because by the time I got to bed, it

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Speaker 2: was about twenty hours after all that stuff happened.

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Speaker 4: But the Steelers lose.

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Speaker 2: Twenty to seventeen to the Dallas Cowboys. Such a strange

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Speaker 2: game because the Steelers defense in the first half gets

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Speaker 2: three stops in the red zone, not just stop stops,

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Speaker 2: but don't even let the Cowboys get on the board, right, yeah, takeaways,

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Speaker 2: They force two turnovers, they get a block field goal,

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Speaker 2: and then the Steelers come out on the opening drive

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Speaker 2: of the second half, go right down the field and

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Speaker 2: score a touchdown all of a sudden, Now it's ten six,

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Speaker 2: and you're like, oh, if you're Dallas, you're like, boy,

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Speaker 2: we left a lot of opportunities on the field in

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Speaker 2: the first half.

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Speaker 3: And my halftime notes were like, Dallas better we could themselves, Yeah,

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Speaker 3: and it might come back to haunt them. And it didn't.

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Speaker 4: Even at that it still could have. Oh you know

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Speaker 4: this stay allowed.

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Speaker 2: The game goes back and forth, change the lead changes

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Speaker 2: hands a couple of times.

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Speaker 4: In the fourth quarter, Dallas.

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Speaker 2: Goes down the scores Steelers respond and come back and

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Speaker 2: get a touchdown on their own to go up seventeen

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Speaker 2: thirteen with just under five minutes left, and you're like, okay,

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Speaker 2: the defense needs to get a stop here, and they

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Speaker 2: you know, they got the fourth down in that situation.

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Speaker 2: They had the fumble on second down that that Landon

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Speaker 2: Roberts forced at the goal line.

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Speaker 3: That was that.

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Speaker 2: You know, you give Dak Prescott credit for that because

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Speaker 2: a lot of quarterbacks if you do the handoff on

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Speaker 2: that and you carry out your fake or you just start,

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Speaker 2: you know, running back away from the from the pile,

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Speaker 2: you're not in position to recover that fumble.

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Speaker 4: And there were game yeah, and.

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Speaker 2: There were Steelers there who could have recovered the fumble

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Speaker 2: he got. He happened to get there first, just the

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Speaker 2: way the ball bounces and they get the fourth down

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Speaker 2: play that. You know, Deshaun Elliot didn't have bad coverage.

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Speaker 2: He almost you know, he tried to strip the ball

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Speaker 2: out of there on that one. If he forces an

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Speaker 2: incompletion there, it would be oh a lot a great

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Speaker 2: play by you know, Deshaun Elliott.

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Speaker 4: But it didn't happen.

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Speaker 3: No, it didn't happen. And there are concerns I mean,

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Speaker 3: I don't think the Steelers played well as they didn't.

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Speaker 3: I mean absolutely.

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Speaker 2: They felt much differently about this one than I did

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Speaker 2: the Indianapolis game because the defense in the Colts game,

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Speaker 2: the first two possessions were like, okay, they went down

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Speaker 2: the field and scored, but then after that it wasn't

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Speaker 2: quite the same. There were some three and outs there

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Speaker 2: were right this one, Dallas consistently moved, moved the ball.

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Speaker 3: Moved the ball, and they had some long drives. And

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Speaker 3: then the fourth quarter, which inevitably happens to every defense.

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Speaker 3: When you're that spent and you've been out there that long,

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Speaker 3: you get beat up on, you know, I mean too

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Speaker 3: much defense or lot.

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Speaker 2: Dallas ran seventy five plays, yeah, fifty one for the Steelers,

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Speaker 2: a couple of long drives late, and all of a

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Speaker 2: sudden they found their running game.

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Speaker 3: And well there's something to be said for that, because

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Speaker 3: the Steelers they're dragging in there on their were running

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Speaker 3: out of edge guys and you know, on the field

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Speaker 3: way too long, which is complimentary football. I mean, when

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Speaker 3: the Steelers run the ball well, get first downs and

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Speaker 3: are easier on their defense, the defense plays better. I mean,

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Speaker 3: the best defense is less defense. I believe that wholeheartedly,

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Speaker 3: but I think the defense was as much to blame

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Speaker 3: for all that as the offense. Yeah, you know, like

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Speaker 3: you said, the Colts, the first couple of drives, Steeers

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Speaker 3: defense didn't play well, but then they tightened up and

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Speaker 3: looked like the Steelers D. This didn't look like the

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Speaker 3: Steelers D for most of the day.

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Speaker 2: No, and so they had eighteen carries for seventy yards

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Speaker 2: in the first half.

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Speaker 3: The Steelers serious.

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Speaker 2: Okay, they finished with twenty six carries for ninety two yards.

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Speaker 2: They couldn't complete passes in the first half. Justin Fields

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Speaker 2: was four of nine throwing the football in the first half,

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Speaker 2: So you know, even though you were running the ball effectively,

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Speaker 2: you weren't converting first downs. They were one for seven

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Speaker 2: on third downs in the first.

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Speaker 3: Once again, third downs in general were a nightmare for

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Speaker 3: the entire game. Yeah, both sides of the ball.

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Speaker 2: You know, they finished up three of twelve on third downs,

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Speaker 2: but two of those came on the final touchdown drive,

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Speaker 2: so at one point you know, they were they they

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Speaker 2: were one for ten on third down conversions, and you're

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Speaker 2: just not going to win football games doing that. You're

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Speaker 2: not going to help your defense out doing that, you

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Speaker 2: have to at least convert forty percent.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, and again it's just a tough way to live.

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Speaker 3: The running game is not you know, creating explosives or

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Speaker 3: consistency for that matter. And I know everyone thinks, boy,

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Speaker 3: this offense is so conservative it's hard to watch.

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Speaker 4: They took shots, they took shots. They didn't complete any.

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Speaker 3: I didn't complete any I mean, but they took six

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Speaker 3: deep balls, I think, and they roll for six on

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Speaker 3: anything past twenty zo. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: The leading receiver in the game in terms of yards,

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Speaker 2: well in terms of receiving yards for the Steelers was

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Speaker 2: Najie Harris.

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Speaker 3: Can happen?

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Speaker 2: That can't happen. He had the one explosive play that

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Speaker 2: they had basically, you know, before Kyle Allen came into

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Speaker 2: the game and had a nineteen yard completion to Pat

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Speaker 2: Freyermouth over the middle, justin field.

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Speaker 4: Shots were the shots that he did take.

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Speaker 2: Now, there was one that you know, Connor Hayward couldn't

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Speaker 2: couldn't come down with down the sideline.

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Speaker 4: But it wasn't particularly good throw.

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Speaker 3: No, no, it wasn't.

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Speaker 2: It would have been a been a really nice I

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Speaker 2: had immediately telling me people because I said, you know,

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Speaker 2: he overthrew him on that one. Oh no, that was

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Speaker 2: a perfect pass. Hayward's got to catch that. Okay, Hayward,

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Speaker 2: you're you're an NFL player. You can't You're allowed to

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Speaker 2: catch that one. But it was overthrown. I'm watching it

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Speaker 2: when he threw it. I'm like, oh, Heyward's not going

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Speaker 2: to get a hand on that one. It's overthrown. He

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Speaker 2: was wide open.

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Speaker 3: This is the first you and I have talked about

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Speaker 3: any of this, and I had I typed the exact

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Speaker 3: same thing. I'm like, far from a great throw could

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Speaker 3: have been caught, would have been a really nice play

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Speaker 3: by Hayward, you know, but that that has to be completed.

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Speaker 2: And then right after that, you had to seam pass

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Speaker 2: to your six foot seven tight end on a six

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Speaker 2: foot one safety and you throw it so high that

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Speaker 2: he can't he barely gets a fingertip on it. Like

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Speaker 2: put that where he can where he can, like where

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Speaker 2: he can haul it in at you might get an

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Speaker 2: interference call because the dB is going to try to

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Speaker 2: make a play on the ball.

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Speaker 3: I love the play call too. If the big guy

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Speaker 3: were rolling down downhill and big target and just lay

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Speaker 3: it up there. Let him go be big, But.

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Speaker 4: You threw it.

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Speaker 2: You threw it five feet over the six foot seven

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Speaker 2: guys head.

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Speaker 3: Now, everyone listening, no reason to lose their mind here.

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Speaker 3: We're not just blaming justin Fields that he was the

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Speaker 3: whole reason they lost. But the deep shots were there,

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Speaker 3: and they were dowed up on purpose against heavy boxes.

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Speaker 3: And I think there's an argument that, well, maybe you

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Speaker 3: should try him to Pickens or Austin, not Washington or Hayward. Okay,

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Speaker 3: I'll listen to that, But they also suspect those things more. Right.

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Speaker 3: I don't think Fields was the reason they lost by

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Speaker 3: any stretch of the imagination. But we're just talking about

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Speaker 3: those deep balls. There were shots to be had, There

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Speaker 3: were big plays to be had that weren't made.

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Speaker 2: And he missed some open guys as well that were

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Speaker 2: yeah there. You know, when you're you know, people want

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Speaker 2: to go back and watch y' all twenty two, you'll

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Speaker 2: see guys running open that he didn't throw it to.

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Speaker 2: It wasn't his best game, no, no, no, no, it wasn't

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Speaker 2: anyone's best game. Right.

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Speaker 3: The run game, to me is still the biggest problem. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: I mean the inefficiency with the run game. I read

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Speaker 3: your ten thoughts, which everyone should do, and I didn't

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Speaker 3: know it exactly until I read it, but you know,

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Speaker 3: you laid it out. They that was their fourth out

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Speaker 3: of five games where they've had a new starting five

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Speaker 3: offensive lineman, and a great portion of them of either

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Speaker 3: spend their first start or second start. You know, like,

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Speaker 3: that's a hard way to live, man, and no matter

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Speaker 3: what you're doing, let alone installing a new scheme and

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Speaker 3: playing as much outside zone as they do, which frankly

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Speaker 3: I have a little bit of problem with. I don't

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Speaker 3: think Nausey is much of an outside zone runner. He

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Speaker 3: doesn't get to the edge as fast as what you

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Speaker 3: need at that position. And these aren't excuses, he's just analysis. Oh,

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Speaker 3: some of the cluster injuries are starting to catch up.

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Speaker 5: You know.

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Speaker 3: Originally it was O line and they kind of overcome it,

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Speaker 3: but BOYD looked different. If they could have started their

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Speaker 3: the five they wanted to from the start, or even

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Speaker 3: just one injury. And then you see the edge outside

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Speaker 3: linebacker cluster, which hopefully I rectifies itself before Vegas because

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Speaker 3: you can't play Moon a lot of snaps. I mean,

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Speaker 3: that's not going to cut it. And so you three

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Speaker 3: guys all go down short amount of time from high

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Speaker 3: Smith to le Al and Herbig and then I'm sitting

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Speaker 3: there watching that game, going wish they had cordor Patterson

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Speaker 3: or Warren. Yeah, the cluster injuries are running back just

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Speaker 3: one of the two, you know.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, there's no dome.

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Speaker 2: I mean you just again he had he had eighteen

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Speaker 2: carries for seventy yards in the first half of that game,

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Speaker 2: and to me, like they came out kind of as

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Speaker 2: I expected, with some designed runs for justin fields and

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Speaker 2: then they completely went away from it. And I don't

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Speaker 2: know if you know some of the hits that he took.

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Speaker 3: He did take a couple of shots.

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Speaker 2: Took a couple of shots, and I wonder if they thought, well,

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Speaker 2: let's not do that. We don't want to put him

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Speaker 2: in jeopardy here.

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Speaker 3: But I understand that line of think, yeah, but you

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Speaker 3: gotta in the game too, you know, right.

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Speaker 2: And you know, if you thought that was something that

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Speaker 2: was going to work, then stick with it a little bit.

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Speaker 2: It just it was too disjointed offensively, Yeah, and that

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Speaker 2: hurt them in the first half because again, your defense

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Speaker 2: got three stops in the red zone.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and one of them the interception to me was

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Speaker 3: just wasn't a great play by the Steelers. It was

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Speaker 3: just a gift on the Cowboys, right, or miscommunication or whatever.

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Speaker 3: They're yelling each other on the sidelines, Lamb and Dack

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Speaker 3: and that was a gift. But if you have two

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Speaker 3: red zone takeaways and a block kick, you should win

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Speaker 3: ninety should win games.

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Speaker 4: They won the turnover battle three nothing.

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Speaker 3: They didn't play the eighty five Bears either, right, I

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Speaker 3: mean this wasn't a powerhouse team.

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Speaker 2: But offensively, they just didn't do enough. Again when when

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Speaker 2: they had I think of like ten ten different guys,

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Speaker 2: well it's about eight different guys actually caught footballs in

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Speaker 2: that game yesterday, but only two of them were in

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Speaker 2: double Like we're over ten.

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Speaker 4: Yards per catch.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you didn't.

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Speaker 2: Challenge the defense enough down the field. And both of

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Speaker 2: these guys one was Naji Harris, the other one was

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Speaker 2: Connor Hayward, who lined up in the backfield half the time.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, playing like full back type role.

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Speaker 5: Right.

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Speaker 2: You know, these are situations where defenses in the league

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Speaker 2: will let you you can beat us.

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Speaker 3: Throwing to Connor Hayward and Najie Harris, I mean, you're

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Speaker 3: doing us a favor.

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Speaker 2: You know, at the same time, So on the pregame show,

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Speaker 2: I said, look, you can't if I'm the Steelers defensively

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Speaker 2: in this game, you can't let Ceedee Lamb and Jake

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Speaker 2: Ferguson beat you.

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Speaker 4: It's got to be somebody else and Jalen Tolbert.

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Speaker 3: Beata beat you right right right. So I hesity to

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Speaker 3: say that I'm want to go down this road because

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Speaker 3: it's bothering me. But I absolutely think, and we did

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Speaker 3: this in the preview, don't let Pickens beat you. Don't

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Speaker 3: let Lamb beat you. You know, friar Mouth and Ferguson

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Speaker 3: as well, you know, like, Okay, we're gonna scheme around

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Speaker 3: those guys. And if Van Jefferson, Tolbert Hayward, except et

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Speaker 3: cetera are the guys that are most productive in this game,

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Speaker 3: I'll roll the dice and see where they land. But

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Speaker 3: I thought the Steelers did the Cowboys a massive favor.

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Speaker 3: And I don't understand the usage of George Pickens. And

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Speaker 3: maybe he's in trouble or he's in the doghouse or

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Speaker 3: whatever the heck's going on, But when there were two

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Speaker 3: receivers on the field, he was only out there for

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Speaker 3: one of those snaps. It's hard to win that way.

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Speaker 2: You know, I understand that. Yeah, so let me just

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Speaker 2: get through you this analogy. And I don't know what

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Speaker 2: happened with George.

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Speaker 3: No clue, but I just know it does don't you win?

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Speaker 2: So I'm watching, I'm piring a game on Saturday, okay,

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Speaker 2: and the pitcher can't throw a strike. He's fourteen. These

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Speaker 2: are fourteen year olds. Can't throw a strike. After he

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Speaker 2: walks the bases loaded, takes the ball, slams it on

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Speaker 2: the ground, walks off the mound, goes and the coach

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Speaker 2: comes out of the dugout and he's you know what's

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Speaker 2: going on?

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Speaker 4: You know what's going on. I'm done pitching.

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Speaker 3: Okay.

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Speaker 2: They only had nine guys, And the coach is like, well,

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Speaker 2: you got to go back out there. And I immediately

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Speaker 2: my thought went to if if I saw if a

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Speaker 2: kid that I was coaching did that, I'd go My team's.

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Speaker 4: On the field, I'm playing with eight.

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Speaker 3: With the center field.

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Speaker 4: I'm not gonna I'm not gonna.

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Speaker 2: Put up with that kind of attitude. There comes a

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Speaker 2: point for every coach where you reach a tipping point

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Speaker 2: with the player, where a line has to be drawn

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Speaker 2: in the sand, and if you lose the game because

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Speaker 2: of that, you got to live with it, because one

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Speaker 2: player can't be bigger than the team.

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Speaker 3: I agree with that as well. And so if Michael Jordan, if.

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Speaker 2: Mike Tomlin made a decision that George Pickens was being

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Speaker 2: a horse's ass and decided you're not playing unless we

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Speaker 2: absolutely need you in three receiver sets, I got no

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Speaker 2: issue with that. And if that cost him the game,

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Speaker 2: so be it. Because you can't allow the player to

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Speaker 2: dictate the behavior you have to online in the sand.

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Speaker 2: And again I know nothing about this. I did talk

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Speaker 2: to some guys in the locker room. I talked to

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Speaker 2: Pat Fryarmouth after the game and he mentions I mentioned

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Speaker 2: to him. I said, hey, you and George only had

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Speaker 2: two combined targets in the first half of that game.

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Speaker 2: Picking said two, Fiarmouth had none. I said, you guys

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Speaker 2: are the two leading receivers on.

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Speaker 4: His team, you know.

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Speaker 2: And he didn't say anything had happened, but he did

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Speaker 2: allude to, Hey, I'm out there, I'm doing my job.

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Speaker 2: That's part of being a you know, a leader on

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Speaker 2: this team. If they throw me the football, they throw

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Speaker 2: me the FOOTBA if they don't, I'm not gonna. I'm

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Speaker 2: not going to, you know, raise a big fuss about it.

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Speaker 3: It is something like it was about being a good teammate.

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Speaker 4: It's about being a good teammate.

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Speaker 2: So if if you are a jerk and you start

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Speaker 2: yelling at teammates consistently about not getting the football, if

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Speaker 2: I'm the head coach, I'm not gonna.

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Speaker 4: I'm not gonna put up with that behavior. I'm just not.

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Speaker 2: And this is the kind of stuff that you know

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Speaker 2: in the past, when Mike Tomlins dealing with Antonio Brown.

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Speaker 3: I'll say, who might have judged someone that handled it

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Speaker 3: ab as well as he did?

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Speaker 5: Right?

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Speaker 3: I get that, you.

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Speaker 4: Know, George Pickens ain't Antonio Brown.

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Speaker 3: No, no, no, right.

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Speaker 4: So you you're not bigger than the team.

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Speaker 2: And if so, if if Mike Tomlin decided to draw

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Speaker 2: a line in the sand, and that was his line

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Speaker 2: in the sand, all right, we're gonna We're gonna put

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Speaker 2: you out there when we need you, but you're not

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Speaker 2: gonna be out there all the time. I got no

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Speaker 2: problem with that.

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Speaker 3: And I bet that's how it went. I mean, I

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Speaker 3: understand he's a vall little dude. There is a difference

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Speaker 3: between fourteen year olds and paid professional athletes. And your

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Speaker 3: only job is to win and not teach kids lessons.

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Speaker 3: But there's also a lot of value. Sometimes you have

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Speaker 3: to do what's best for your locker, for the whole locker. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: without question. That's about to say, is there's a bigger

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Speaker 3: picture thinking here too, that if I let this guy

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Speaker 3: slide and then the next one, well, I'm not get

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Speaker 3: enough pas rush opportunities. I'm not getting enough carries. Wheren't

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Speaker 3: I playing in gold on?

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Speaker 4: What's happening with Romeo, Dobbs and Greenberry?

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Speaker 3: Right right right?

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Speaker 2: You know I'm not gonna dude, you're the leading targeted

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Speaker 2: player on the team. Yeah, same thing with pickets here.

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Speaker 2: Why why are you raising a fuss about this? You're

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Speaker 2: not bigger than the team. My point though, is I

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Speaker 2: frankly don't care about why. But it made you easier

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Speaker 2: to play against for sure, you know, and I lack it.

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Speaker 4: Bubble matter again, if you have to draw that line

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Speaker 4: in the sands.

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Speaker 3: It might pay off in the playoffs. I mean, like,

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Speaker 3: there's a bigger picture thinking here, without question. But didn't

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Speaker 3: help them win on game day, you know, at the.

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Speaker 2: Same they had the opportunity to win the game. It

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Speaker 2: was there, much like the game against the Colts, but

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Speaker 2: in both instances, the game was there to win.

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Speaker 4: You just needed to make.

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Speaker 3: It play the final play, which is bonkers, you know,

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Speaker 3: and you didn't make They played poorly, you know. Again,

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Speaker 3: I think that we're gonna talk to Rob Kingson and

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Speaker 3: I had a brief conversation with them earlier about the

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Speaker 3: difference between the Colts game and the Cowboys game. It

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Speaker 3: was a lot like you said, like there was a

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Speaker 3: large portion of the Colts game where I thought the

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Speaker 3: Steelers was a better team this one. I never felt

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Speaker 3: like they were ever in control of the game or

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Speaker 3: look out, here comes the pass rush, or boy, we're

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Speaker 3: gonna shut down whatever you want.

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Speaker 4: And when we do this, boys offense was going to

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Speaker 4: be a handful.

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Speaker 3: Dak's good.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's why they pay him fifty million dollars a year. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: or sixty or whatever it is.

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Speaker 3: They they once he got you tired, you're in trouble, yeah,

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Speaker 3: you know.

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Speaker 2: And I'll be honest with you, and I'm not singling

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Speaker 2: this player out, but their trouble covering the slot is real.

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Speaker 3: Is real, real, and I think it might be the

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Speaker 3: biggest weakness.

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Speaker 4: When Beanie Bishops on the field, he's targeted.

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Speaker 3: He's a get targeted like crazy.

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Speaker 2: And you know, turping four catches for fifty yards working

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Speaker 2: the slot. Every time I saw, you know, get used

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Speaker 2: to it, ceedee lamb out there. It was the same

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Speaker 2: thing the week before with with you know, Indianapolis's slot guy.

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Speaker 4: That's where teams are going to target you.

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Speaker 3: And numbers don't always tell the whole story. But going

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Speaker 3: into that game, receivers that lined up in the slot,

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Speaker 3: a lot of production, receivers lined on the outside, not

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Speaker 3: very little production, you know, like there's some trends here, folks.

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Speaker 4: You're right, yeah, and other teams are aware of these things.

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Speaker 3: And I I understand appreciated, and I'm excited that Suton's

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Speaker 3: out there, But you're throwing undrafted rookie and there is

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Speaker 3: a slot and just hoping it works.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, hoping.

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Speaker 2: He was the last man standing. They had other guys

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Speaker 2: that they were working in there in training camp and

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Speaker 2: they kept getting hurt. Yeah, you know, and it just

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Speaker 2: he was the last man standing.

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Speaker 3: But they didn't put a lot of resources into it,

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Speaker 3: I mean even and I understand that because you can

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Speaker 3: find these dudes. But even going back to like Sullivan,

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Speaker 3: I thought they would get an upgrade over him. You know,

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Speaker 3: give me a two million dollar free agent or someone's

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Speaker 3: been around the block, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: Well, they've got one waiting in Cam Sutton. I thought,

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Speaker 2: did they expect an eight game suspension?

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Speaker 4: I don't know.

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Speaker 2: They didn't fight it. Sutton didn't fight it. I get

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Speaker 2: it because it was a bad look for Sutton. There's

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Speaker 2: no offens or butts about that.

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Speaker 3: But the bottom line is Bishop's problem, right, problem. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: so he's definitely their weakest starter.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, let's get to a break.

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Speaker 2: As Matt mentioned that, we're going to be joined by

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Speaker 2: Rob King in the next segment, So he'll give us

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Speaker 2: his thoughts on what happened in Sunday night's game if

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Speaker 2: he if he has recovered enough to you know, be

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Speaker 2: able to talk about it, but would be just fine. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: he is Matt Williamson. I'm Dale Lollie. You're listening to

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Speaker 2: the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network.

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Speaker 1: He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on

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Speaker 1: your twenty four to seven home of the Black and

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Speaker 1: Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 4: Welcome back to the drive. I am Dale Lolly.

442
00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,560
Speaker 2: He is the Matt Williamson and it is a well,

443
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,560
Speaker 2: it's not a victory Monday here in Pittsburgh. But we

444
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,280
Speaker 2: are joined now on the phone lines by the voice

445
00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,560
Speaker 2: of the Steelers, Rob King and Kinger. I hope you

446
00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:44,520
Speaker 2: didn't cramp up like some of the players were doing

447
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:46,360
Speaker 2: last night during that game. I know there's a lot

448
00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,760
Speaker 2: of extra talking in there for you.

449
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:50,840
Speaker 4: I hope you stay stayed hydrated.

450
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,000
Speaker 5: It was Yes, I stayed hydrated, for sure. I drink

451
00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:57,960
Speaker 5: a lot of water last night. But no, it was

452
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,919
Speaker 5: you know, disappointing, finished obviously, and kind of really overall.

453
00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:05,560
Speaker 5: I'm sure as you guys have been discussing a disappointing game.

454
00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,320
Speaker 3: So you and I have little Chad earlier, and I

455
00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:11,439
Speaker 3: think we both agree. But I think that i'd love

456
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,879
Speaker 3: to hear you elaborate on it that this loss had

457
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,160
Speaker 3: a much different field than the Colts loss and probably

458
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:19,440
Speaker 3: a little more concerning.

459
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,160
Speaker 5: I agree. I think that's exactly the way I felt

460
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,840
Speaker 5: about it. You know, you could excuse the Colts game

461
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,000
Speaker 5: as big game for them, but at home, they came out,

462
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,200
Speaker 5: they got into a fast start. I think the yards

463
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,560
Speaker 5: at one time were two oh seven to forty five

464
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,399
Speaker 5: in favor of the Colts. It was thirteen first downs

465
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:43,040
Speaker 5: to two. You know, then you you bounce back from that,

466
00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:48,520
Speaker 5: and if any number of you know, single plays had

467
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,920
Speaker 5: gone your way. If fields throws the ball out of

468
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,960
Speaker 5: bounds instead of taking that long sack, you kicked a

469
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,680
Speaker 5: field goal, well he lost by a field goal. If pickens,

470
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,080
Speaker 5: you know, trying to extend for extra yards inside the five,

471
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,080
Speaker 5: doesn't fumble, maybe come away with a touchdown there. If

472
00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:03,800
Speaker 5: you have an opportunity to pick off a ball in

473
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,880
Speaker 5: the end zone, there's a fumble loose on the ground,

474
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,639
Speaker 5: you don't recover it. On and on and on. It

475
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,000
Speaker 5: felt like every single break in that game went the

476
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,840
Speaker 5: Colts way, and if even one of those breaks, even

477
00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,119
Speaker 5: one had gone the Suitor's way, the students would have

478
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:22,160
Speaker 5: won the game. Well, this game, you can't say that about.

479
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,760
Speaker 5: They got out gained two to one in yardage. They

480
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:28,679
Speaker 5: won the turnover battle three to nothing.

481
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, and you.

482
00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 5: Know those turnovers are coming. When the Culture or the

483
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,280
Speaker 5: Cowboys are threatening to score a field goal gets blocked

484
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,760
Speaker 5: from a guy who's basically an automatic kicker, Aubrey. You know,

485
00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:43,320
Speaker 5: so there's three more points. So you know, you're looking

486
00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,119
Speaker 5: at the Colts games saying, no, you could have got

487
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,720
Speaker 5: three here, seven there and easily could have won that game.

488
00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,960
Speaker 2: If the Cowboys had lost that game last night, they

489
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,480
Speaker 2: would have been the ones in the same situation the

490
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:53,800
Speaker 2: Steelers have been the week before.

491
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,480
Speaker 5: Yeah, would have been worse. They would have been wringing

492
00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,840
Speaker 5: their hands about how they could have outplayed this team

493
00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,800
Speaker 5: so badly and shot themselves in the foot. I felt

494
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,480
Speaker 5: like the Colts game was, you know, almost unlucky in

495
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:06,879
Speaker 5: a way. I mean, you don't expect to put the

496
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 5: ball on the ground a couple of times. You don't

497
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,639
Speaker 5: expect to have the number of things that could have

498
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,800
Speaker 5: gone their way not go your way. But when you

499
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 5: step back, you know, you're you're in the moment and

500
00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:17,639
Speaker 5: you're watching this game, and you're thinking, man, the students

501
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,120
Speaker 5: came a whisker away from pulling this game off. Well,

502
00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:22,640
Speaker 5: that would have been a rabbit out of the hat.

503
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,639
Speaker 5: I mean, that would have been you know what I mean.

504
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,720
Speaker 5: I mean they got you know, they were long, punishing drives.

505
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,119
Speaker 5: The Steelers had several quick drives that didn't help the

506
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,280
Speaker 5: defense out at all. And you know, you look up

507
00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:35,800
Speaker 5: at the end of the game, when you're out game

508
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,000
Speaker 5: two to one. You know, you can look at that

509
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:40,840
Speaker 5: and say, there's no way you win a game like that.

510
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,320
Speaker 5: When you win the turnover battle three to nothing, there's

511
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:45,439
Speaker 5: no way you lose a game like that. And yet

512
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,520
Speaker 5: you know the Steelers. The Steelers were out gained, They

513
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,399
Speaker 5: had an opportunity, for sure. But yes, this felt worse

514
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,920
Speaker 5: to me than the Colts game because I didn't think

515
00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:57,960
Speaker 5: that except for a quick start for the Colts, I

516
00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,720
Speaker 5: didn't think the Steelers were outplayed in that game. And

517
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 5: I think that they dominated the second half in this game.

518
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,440
Speaker 5: In no way, shape or form that I ever feel

519
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,120
Speaker 5: like the students were dominating that game.

520
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,200
Speaker 2: This to me had to feel like what a lot

521
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,480
Speaker 2: of teams felt like when the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger.

522
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,960
Speaker 2: And I'm not comparing Dak Prescott to Ben Roethlisberger, but

523
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,560
Speaker 2: he's much more a franchise type quarterback.

524
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:22,919
Speaker 3: Top ten type of yeah, yeah.

525
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe even top eight or wherever you want to

526
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:30,439
Speaker 2: the league. Yeah, and you know you couldn't match that.

527
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,080
Speaker 2: You know, yeah, he made some mistakes, but he made

528
00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,240
Speaker 2: up for him and he knew.

529
00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:37,720
Speaker 3: When he had you on the ropes. Yeah, you know,

530
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:39,720
Speaker 3: like this defense is tired, and he knew.

531
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:40,560
Speaker 4: Where to go with the football.

532
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,720
Speaker 2: I knew where you know, just the little things like

533
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,320
Speaker 2: that that that you know, make the difference in a game.

534
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,879
Speaker 4: You know, he made the big play at the end

535
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,760
Speaker 4: of the game when they needed it right.

536
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,520
Speaker 5: Well, again, as you guys have sort of mentioned here

537
00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,840
Speaker 5: a couple of times, you know, that's what you expect

538
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,880
Speaker 5: when you have a quarterback like that. You know, he's

539
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 5: thirty one years old. He's being paid sixty million dollars,

540
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,680
Speaker 5: and it's not being he's not being paid sixty million

541
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 5: dollars out of the beneficence of Cowboys ownership. They're expecting

542
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,080
Speaker 5: him to make plays like this. That's that's where they

543
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,800
Speaker 5: expect him to be at this start, at this stage

544
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 5: of his career. They expect him to be that type

545
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:22,000
Speaker 5: of a player. Now, he's really kind of been that way,

546
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,520
Speaker 5: you know, throughout a large portion of his career. I

547
00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,760
Speaker 5: mean it was the offensive Rookie of the year. He

548
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,640
Speaker 5: you know, he's he made you know, Pro Bowls early

549
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:33,800
Speaker 5: on in his career. So he's he's been a really

550
00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,560
Speaker 5: good player throughout his career. There are a set of

551
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:40,800
Speaker 5: expectations and there is a team and an offense that

552
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,199
Speaker 5: is built around his skill set. The Steelers are not

553
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,800
Speaker 5: an offense that is built around the skill sets of

554
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 5: a Dak Prescott, a quarterback. You know, where you were,

555
00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,000
Speaker 5: where you've invested your money as a Steelers franchise design

556
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,280
Speaker 5: is in your defense, and you're hoping that your defense

557
00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,240
Speaker 5: can come up with, you know, the plays you need

558
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,159
Speaker 5: to win the game. Well, i mean, I'm sure if

559
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,560
Speaker 5: I'm on the defense, I'm thinking, well, we kind of did.

560
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,879
Speaker 5: We came away with three turnovers, you know, by the

561
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,399
Speaker 5: same token late in the game, all of the third

562
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,119
Speaker 5: down conversions for the Cowboys. So if you wanted to

563
00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,520
Speaker 5: look at one thing the studiers would you know, could

564
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,760
Speaker 5: have done if they got off the field and any

565
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,320
Speaker 5: of those third downs, you know, maybe it would have

566
00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:22,639
Speaker 5: been a different outcome in the game. You know, certainly

567
00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,080
Speaker 5: the Cowboys wouldn't have been piling up those yards. But

568
00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:28,480
Speaker 5: it happened, and it happened because you have a quarterback

569
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,199
Speaker 5: in Dak Prescott who you're investing your money. You know

570
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,040
Speaker 5: that if you want to you know, look, if you

571
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,040
Speaker 5: don't know anything about sports and you just want to see, Hey,

572
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,239
Speaker 5: who was expected to succeed. We'll follow the money, you know,

573
00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:42,240
Speaker 5: see where the team is. If if a team, if

574
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,720
Speaker 5: a baseball team's paying twenty five million dollars to a player,

575
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:48,000
Speaker 5: well that guy's expected to produce. So you're if you're

576
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,560
Speaker 5: the Cowboys, you're expecting Dak Prescott to produce. And when

577
00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 5: the game became a game that could be put in

578
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,960
Speaker 5: his hands, he produced and he won the game for

579
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:57,399
Speaker 5: him a hundred percent.

580
00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:02,040
Speaker 3: And the plan, it's pretty clear, you know, going back

581
00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,600
Speaker 3: to the offseason, is we're gonna build an offensive line,

582
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,040
Speaker 3: We're gonna build a running game, and then go from there.

583
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,000
Speaker 3: We're not even sure the quarterback's gonna be in two years.

584
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,720
Speaker 3: But if we have those things in place, the other

585
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,520
Speaker 3: things should fall into fall into place a little easier.

586
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,119
Speaker 3: We'll pick up a second receiver in the process. But

587
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,120
Speaker 3: the running game isn't there, The foundation isn't being poored yet.

588
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:25,120
Speaker 5: No, that you're absolutely right. Excuse me, you know, there's

589
00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,080
Speaker 5: a couple of things, and I don't want to be

590
00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,880
Speaker 5: excusing what's happened with this Tethers. But when I look

591
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,600
Speaker 5: at this team, you know, from a year ago, and

592
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,280
Speaker 5: you look at the quarterback play they were getting, and

593
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,680
Speaker 5: let's separate out the scheme for just a moment. And

594
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,879
Speaker 5: because you know there you can tie the two together.

595
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 5: You can say, well, you know, the quarterback play Picket

596
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 5: or Trubisky wasn't succeeding because of the scheme. The scheme

597
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,200
Speaker 5: wasn't succeeding because of the quarterback whatever. Let's just simplify

598
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,000
Speaker 5: it and look at the quarterback play. You're getting what

599
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:58,880
Speaker 5: twenty fifth, twenty six, twenty seventh rank quarterback rating out

600
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,800
Speaker 5: of your QB position, and you're floundering, you're trying to

601
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:06,000
Speaker 5: make the playoffs, and then you get solid quarterback play

602
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,240
Speaker 5: from Mason Rudolph and suddenly you're in the playoffs. He

603
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,240
Speaker 5: goes you go three and O with that. So I

604
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,000
Speaker 5: looked at that and thought, okay, you go three and

605
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,200
Speaker 5: oh with a quarterback when you're getting solid quarterback play,

606
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 5: good solid quarterback play. Well, then in the offseason you

607
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:25,080
Speaker 5: had a nine time Pro bowler and then you you

608
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,080
Speaker 5: you know, turn around and make a trade for a

609
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,480
Speaker 5: guy you know you expected to be your backup, but

610
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:31,880
Speaker 5: who certainly is intriguing. He started games in the NFL,

611
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,280
Speaker 5: and that's fields you know, you're expecting an uptick in

612
00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,359
Speaker 5: quarterback play. Frankly, they've gotten an upticking quarterback play. If

613
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,040
Speaker 5: you look at the quarterback rating, you know Fields has

614
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 5: been fine as a quarterback. And when you add other pieces,

615
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,280
Speaker 5: you add Patrick Queen, you add Deshaun Ellie, you add

616
00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,920
Speaker 5: Dante Jackson. You have a well regarded draft with very

617
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:57,479
Speaker 5: productive players. You do expect an increase in victories, at

618
00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 5: least I do. I think that. I think it's reasonable

619
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:02,199
Speaker 5: to expect that you should be a better team than

620
00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,720
Speaker 5: you were a year ago because you've gotten better at

621
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,800
Speaker 5: a lot of areas and you've added to your quarterback position.

622
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,959
Speaker 5: You were a better team at the quarterback position. So

623
00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:16,000
Speaker 5: just to have these last two losses, it's tough because

624
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,199
Speaker 5: we all know that the schedule is going to get

625
00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 5: much much more difficult as the season wears on. I

626
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:24,560
Speaker 5: think the expectation that this team you know, is better,

627
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,439
Speaker 5: should be better, could be better. I think those are

628
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:31,480
Speaker 5: realistic expectations. And that's what makes these last two losses tough.

629
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,520
Speaker 2: Is the schedule more difficult on the stretch up because

630
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,280
Speaker 2: Cleveland looks like garbage?

631
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Washington, Washington.

632
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:47,040
Speaker 2: Washington's good, but the Raiders aren't like Cincinnati can't stop anybody.

633
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 4: They're I don't they look okay?

634
00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they look better.

635
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,680
Speaker 3: Those wins look better now than they did be.

636
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 5: Yeah.

637
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 2: I mean, the NFL changes so quickly that you just

638
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,080
Speaker 2: don't know what a team is going to be a

639
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,800
Speaker 2: week from now, let alone two months from that.

640
00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 3: Right now, and you know they're gonna be competitive in

641
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 3: the games.

642
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,000
Speaker 5: Right. It's one of the reasons I don't get too

643
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:10,720
Speaker 5: worked up about the schedule. I mean, I did throw

644
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,720
Speaker 5: that out there, but it is a reason that you know,

645
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,719
Speaker 5: when people tell talk about how daunting the schedule is,

646
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,600
Speaker 5: and I understand that. I mean, the Chiefs, you know,

647
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,200
Speaker 5: the Chiefs are going to be good. Right, There's teams

648
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,200
Speaker 5: you know are going to be good, but everything changes

649
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,480
Speaker 5: so much from year to year. Frankly, to get a

650
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:30,920
Speaker 5: little off schedule here, I was, I wondered how good

651
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,960
Speaker 5: Houston would be after last year. Right, you get a

652
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 5: last place schedule and you sneak up on some teams,

653
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,480
Speaker 5: and you know, I was like, let's see how good

654
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 5: they are when they play at first place schedule. Well

655
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,960
Speaker 5: it turns out they're pretty good, so uh or they

656
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:45,920
Speaker 5: certainly look like it. But when you even when you

657
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,320
Speaker 5: break down statistics, and I know the three of us

658
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,760
Speaker 5: love to look at statistics and trends and where is

659
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:55,920
Speaker 5: a team. I think it's really difficult to put a

660
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,720
Speaker 5: lot of weight in statistics until you get to a

661
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 5: certain point of the season, maybe the midway point, because

662
00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,520
Speaker 5: you just don't know, I mean last year's and we've

663
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,360
Speaker 5: seen this. I mean, look at teams like, you know,

664
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:10,640
Speaker 5: the Ravens when they won the Super Bowl, the Rams

665
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,959
Speaker 5: when they won the Super Bowl. You know, they go

666
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:17,160
Speaker 5: from worse to first. And teams have done the opposite.

667
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:19,760
Speaker 5: You know, when when Jacksonville came in here and beat

668
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,560
Speaker 5: the Steelers in the playoffs, I thought, man, they have

669
00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,800
Speaker 5: the look of a team that's got some staying power.

670
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,960
Speaker 5: They got seven or eight you know, Pro bowlers, and

671
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,560
Speaker 5: look what happened to them. They you know, they've never

672
00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,800
Speaker 5: been able to replicate that kind of success. So it's

673
00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,080
Speaker 5: year to year. It's also game to game, and I

674
00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:38,520
Speaker 5: think within the course of a season, you know, we'll

675
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:42,480
Speaker 5: see where things shake out. I'm still optimistic that this

676
00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 5: is a team that's improved from a year ago, a

677
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,480
Speaker 5: team that went nine to eight. And why am I

678
00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 5: optimistic because of the reasons. I just said, it's a

679
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 5: better roster. Yes, you need you know, you're starting to

680
00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:56,360
Speaker 5: look more and more like you need another receiver. Now

681
00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,880
Speaker 5: again we're saying that, and it would. And you know,

682
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,440
Speaker 5: when we first started talking about this, a lot of

683
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,040
Speaker 5: the thought was, well, what happens you could maybe get

684
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,280
Speaker 5: by scheme wise, what happens if you lose a guy

685
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,720
Speaker 5: like George Pickens? Well, and the same time, what happens

686
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,800
Speaker 5: if you lose a guy like Jalen Warren, What happens

687
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,600
Speaker 5: if you lose a guy like Cordero Patterson? Those have

688
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,560
Speaker 5: accumulative effect because you're not running the balls effectively. Warren

689
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,600
Speaker 5: can be a good, very good third down back for

690
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 5: this team in addition to his other duties. And so

691
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,000
Speaker 5: you know, the least sort of ebbing of one position

692
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,440
Speaker 5: is going to affect the offense as a whole. So

693
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:32,840
Speaker 5: you know, they've withstood a lot of injuries, but a

694
00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:34,680
Speaker 5: lot of teams have withstood a lot of injuries. And

695
00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,240
Speaker 5: so I mean, I think I'd be feeling you know,

696
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,000
Speaker 5: I think everybody'd be feeling better if you found a

697
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,080
Speaker 5: way to win that Colts game when I think you

698
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 5: were clearly the better team and improve the four and

699
00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,959
Speaker 5: one after this loss, you could have taken it, But

700
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,440
Speaker 5: now all of a sudden, this game against the Raiders

701
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:50,840
Speaker 5: seems like it's important, Like you want to stem this thing.

702
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:52,960
Speaker 5: You don't want to be a team that is capable

703
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,400
Speaker 5: of losing three in a row, especially when it's three

704
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:57,560
Speaker 5: in a row. The teams, you know, the Colts I

705
00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 5: think are kind of a mid range team, and the

706
00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,720
Speaker 5: Cowboy maybe they're a little better than that, but maybe

707
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,239
Speaker 5: not right now with the injuries they have so and

708
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,320
Speaker 5: the Raiders I think are certainly in that you know,

709
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,040
Speaker 5: lower sort of third tier of the NFL. So this

710
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,880
Speaker 5: looms to me as an important game for this two

711
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:15,880
Speaker 5: is coming up on Sunday.

712
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:21,760
Speaker 2: Rob, you you mentioned the quarterback play. You mentioned injuries. Well,

713
00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,840
Speaker 2: there's a there's a certain quarterback who has been injured

714
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,160
Speaker 2: who started to ram things up last week in terms

715
00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:33,440
Speaker 2: of his practice participation. What do you think Mike Tomlin

716
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 2: does with the quarterback position this week? Not what you

717
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,160
Speaker 2: would do, what do you think Mike does with this?

718
00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:42,800
Speaker 5: I think this is obviously a guess on my part.

719
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:44,280
Speaker 5: We don't we don't know, and we don't know.

720
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 4: We're all guessing at this point.

721
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,400
Speaker 5: Yeah, sure, Yeah, Russell Wilson has not been elevated to

722
00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,520
Speaker 5: the number two quarterback status yet.

723
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,200
Speaker 4: I mean, I don't I don't think Mike quarterback yet.

724
00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,160
Speaker 2: I don't think Mike would elevate him the number two

725
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,200
Speaker 2: without announcing something in terms of a starter going forward,

726
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,080
Speaker 2: because if he's number two, then he's healthy enough to play.

727
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,120
Speaker 2: And if he's healthy enough to play, then you have

728
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,240
Speaker 2: to you have to announce some kind of decision about

729
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:11,160
Speaker 2: who your quarterback is. There wasn't enough practice last week

730
00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,600
Speaker 2: for Russell Wilson. Yes, he did eleven on eleven stuff,

731
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,880
Speaker 2: but again that was part of the ramping up process.

732
00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,320
Speaker 2: He was still listed as limited last week in practice.

733
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,560
Speaker 2: So I think it's going to be very interesting tomorrow

734
00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:26,560
Speaker 2: when Mike Toma holds his press conference and says, okay,

735
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,000
Speaker 2: Russ's Russ has been cleared to return as.

736
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:31,760
Speaker 4: A full participant this week. Okay, well now what then?

737
00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:32,640
Speaker 3: Very interesting?

738
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:39,240
Speaker 5: Right, yes, very interesting, And he has definitely I think,

739
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,680
Speaker 5: in some degrees and rightly in some degrees, not announced.

740
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,200
Speaker 5: They're not anointed who his charter is going to be.

741
00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:49,360
Speaker 5: You know, there are times in any sport, like you know,

742
00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,800
Speaker 5: for example, let's say baseball, you got a five man rotation,

743
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,800
Speaker 5: it's doing pretty well. He called somebody up, he's doing well.

744
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,320
Speaker 5: And now you got somebody hey, you know eight days

745
00:33:57,320 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 5: from now, this guy's coming off the injured list. Then

746
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:00,560
Speaker 5: you know, then what do you then?

747
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:01,000
Speaker 3: What do you do?

748
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,240
Speaker 5: Yeah? And yeah, general managers and managers will always say

749
00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,200
Speaker 5: something like, these things have a tendency to work themselves out,

750
00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,640
Speaker 5: and you almost want to make them have to make

751
00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:15,360
Speaker 5: a decision, uh, because you're curious, well, what are you

752
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:15,919
Speaker 5: going to do?

753
00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:16,320
Speaker 3: Though?

754
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,480
Speaker 2: But that's why, that's why the Steelers never announce anything

755
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:20,920
Speaker 2: until they have to announce it.

756
00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,600
Speaker 5: That's right, that's right, and they and you know why,

757
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,640
Speaker 5: because these things usually do have a way of working

758
00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:29,120
Speaker 5: themselves out. I mean it's just the way you know,

759
00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:30,879
Speaker 5: You're you're like, well, what are you gonna do? Then?

760
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,799
Speaker 5: What do you? Well? Okay, so I think, to go

761
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,439
Speaker 5: back to your question, I think it will be justin

762
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,760
Speaker 5: fields for another week. This is purely speculation of my part. Obviously,

763
00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,759
Speaker 5: I have no idea. I think it could be justin

764
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,440
Speaker 5: fields for another week because I don't think he's done

765
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,960
Speaker 5: anything to lose the job. I think he's been solid.

766
00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:54,240
Speaker 5: I think there have been signs of improvement from Fields.

767
00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:58,600
Speaker 5: I think he's an intriguing guy, and I also think

768
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:03,560
Speaker 5: that once you make the move, it is easier to

769
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,400
Speaker 5: make the move with the evidence you have have the

770
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 5: team behind it as well. It's one of those positions

771
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:11,839
Speaker 5: where it's nice to have the team behind it and

772
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,440
Speaker 5: move on. Now. Having said that, you know, go back

773
00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:20,200
Speaker 5: to Super Bowl one, and we're taking this very brad

774
00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,680
Speaker 5: hand Ratties. You know, so you start with you start

775
00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:26,239
Speaker 5: with because because it was just Deeler's first super Bowl,

776
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,279
Speaker 5: you start with Joe Gillim and then you Benjamin, You're

777
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,759
Speaker 5: bringing Terry Bradshaw, and then hand Ratty's in there, then

778
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,239
Speaker 5: Gillam's in there, and finally it's Bradshaw again, and you're

779
00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,719
Speaker 5: you know, it's musical chairs. You're going back and forth.

780
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:38,080
Speaker 5: I they can Rady might have a part of that

781
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:40,680
Speaker 5: next anyway, you're going back and forth the quarterback position,

782
00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:42,839
Speaker 5: and then you finally settle on somebody and you wind

783
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,279
Speaker 5: up winning the Super Bowl. So that sort of undercuts

784
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:47,359
Speaker 5: what I'm saying now, which is that I think once

785
00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:52,520
Speaker 5: you make that move, you want everybody behind it. And

786
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 5: if you know right now Fields has gotten you to

787
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,120
Speaker 5: three and two. If if you were five and oh,

788
00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,680
Speaker 5: I don't even think we'd be having this discussion. If

789
00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:01,840
Speaker 5: you were four and one, I'm not sure he'd be

790
00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 5: having this discussion. I think everybody would be behind Fields.

791
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,319
Speaker 5: But you know, the Steelers and Mike Tomlin are going

792
00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,160
Speaker 5: to do whatever they think is going to be the

793
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,080
Speaker 5: best thing to help them win football games. That's why

794
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:14,719
Speaker 5: they went out and made some of the moves they

795
00:36:14,719 --> 00:36:17,000
Speaker 5: made in the offseason. Not that they wouldn't do that anyway,

796
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:19,560
Speaker 5: but you know, they they pretty much said I think

797
00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,080
Speaker 5: they actually did say, it's time to start winning in

798
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,840
Speaker 5: the postseason again. So who is the best guy to

799
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,400
Speaker 5: help you win in the postseason? And that who the

800
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,319
Speaker 5: Steelers will go with. I do think there's something to

801
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:34,040
Speaker 5: be said about or could if you know, if Russell

802
00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:36,279
Speaker 5: Wilson is healthy, I think there is something to be

803
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,760
Speaker 5: said with, you know, giving Fields an opportunity to either

804
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:42,839
Speaker 5: firmly play his way in or firmly play his way out.

805
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,279
Speaker 5: And I don't know as I've seen either one of

806
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:46,040
Speaker 5: those things happen.

807
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,640
Speaker 3: So we mentioned Jalen Warren earlier, and I don't want

808
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,919
Speaker 3: our audience to forget how good he was last year,

809
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,400
Speaker 3: and really how good he's been in a Steeler uniform.

810
00:36:56,600 --> 00:37:01,200
Speaker 3: And this is in fields versus Wilson or not versus Warren.

811
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,719
Speaker 3: But boy, would I open would I welcome Warren back

812
00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:06,880
Speaker 3: with open arms right now? You know his ability to

813
00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:12,520
Speaker 3: get to the edge, explosive runs, protection, receiving mismatches. I

814
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,520
Speaker 3: mean a shot in the arm that see it this

815
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:17,480
Speaker 3: h That's what I mean. And I don't forget what

816
00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,759
Speaker 3: he might have been their best offensive player last year.

817
00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:22,719
Speaker 3: I mean he is a really, really good back that

818
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:24,319
Speaker 3: would give this offense a shot in the.

819
00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,719
Speaker 5: Arm in my opinion, totally agree. And you mentioned all

820
00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 5: the ways he helps. This is not a guy who

821
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,600
Speaker 5: helps you in one dimension. He's a guy that helps

822
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,120
Speaker 5: you in all the ways Matt that you just listed.

823
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:38,359
Speaker 5: And I think that this you know when you look

824
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:43,040
Speaker 5: at again, and it's just you know, last year, this

825
00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:45,440
Speaker 5: year has had really good luck on the offensive line. Helpwise,

826
00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,480
Speaker 5: they got decimated at an inside linebacker, but they built

827
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,800
Speaker 5: a roster that I felt was really deep at certain areas,

828
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,760
Speaker 5: or had enough depth at certain areas that you really

829
00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:58,719
Speaker 5: felt good about it. Now nobody feels good about just

830
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,400
Speaker 5: a rash of injuries. So you look at the running

831
00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,600
Speaker 5: back position. Man, he's got Najie Harris, Jalen Warden. Then

832
00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:08,600
Speaker 5: you signed Cordero Patterson. Really he's your third back. That's

833
00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:12,480
Speaker 5: great until two guys are gone with an injury and

834
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,719
Speaker 5: they could have used him in this game against the Cowboys.

835
00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,920
Speaker 5: You look at the outside linebacker position. Wow, that is

836
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:22,160
Speaker 5: you got hurt guy. What a tremendous luxury. Well, now

837
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:25,279
Speaker 5: you're down to your fifth guy, you know, so all

838
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:26,800
Speaker 5: of a sudden, that's not a luxury. And one and

839
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,120
Speaker 5: we've talked, you know, at length about the offensive line.

840
00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:32,319
Speaker 5: He got ten guys you feel great about. Yeah, well

841
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:35,160
Speaker 5: three of them are now hurt gone through the year

842
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:41,200
Speaker 5: probably so they are their depth positions in which they

843
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:44,600
Speaker 5: had enviable depth is being challenged. And not to mention,

844
00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:47,800
Speaker 5: by the way, Corey Trice at the cornerback position, who's

845
00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:49,840
Speaker 5: really starting to come along and show nice things for

846
00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,879
Speaker 5: the Steelers too. So, but again, nobody's gonna feel sorry

847
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:54,960
Speaker 5: for the Steelers. The Steelers can't feel sorry for themselves.

848
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,760
Speaker 5: Don't feel sorry for themselves. Injuries are part of the game.

849
00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,680
Speaker 5: This happens. But yeah, man, I mean, I I love

850
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,080
Speaker 5: Jalen Warren, I just think he's a terrific back, and

851
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,520
Speaker 5: I think he's a guy that I hope we see

852
00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,719
Speaker 5: him healthy because he really wasn't healthy coming into Game one.

853
00:39:13,719 --> 00:39:17,520
Speaker 5: He wasn't healthy when he played again, and so again,

854
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:19,840
Speaker 5: you know, if if he has to sit for a

855
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:22,200
Speaker 5: couple more weeks until he's fully healthy, I don't know

856
00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:24,279
Speaker 5: what his status is, whatever it takes to get him

857
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,799
Speaker 5: back out there, but he is a guy that. Yes,

858
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:30,440
Speaker 5: you know, you're talking about an elite offensive weapon for

859
00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:34,160
Speaker 5: your team, in particular because the style of your play

860
00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:37,480
Speaker 5: makes the running back position shine Kinger.

861
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,920
Speaker 4: We got to let you go. It would be nice, though,

862
00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,160
Speaker 4: to have either Warren or Patterson available for this upcoming game.

863
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:44,600
Speaker 4: That would be that would be nice.

864
00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:48,040
Speaker 2: For sure the last game game, especially against the Dallas

865
00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:50,399
Speaker 2: team that did actually kick the ball return them.

866
00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, so anyway would.

867
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:55,480
Speaker 5: It would it? Would it have been nice to see

868
00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:57,160
Speaker 5: Patterson return to kick good?

869
00:39:57,640 --> 00:39:59,879
Speaker 2: Yeah, because the Cowboys have done that all season long.

870
00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,359
Speaker 2: They have not been afraid to allow teams to get

871
00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:03,279
Speaker 2: returns against them.

872
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:04,279
Speaker 4: We'll let you go that.

873
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:06,279
Speaker 2: Our guest has been Rob king the voice of the

874
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:10,040
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh Steelers. He is Matt Williamson I am Dale Lolly.

875
00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:12,520
Speaker 2: You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network.

876
00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:14,799
Speaker 2: Matt and I'll be back with more right after this.

877
00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:22,839
Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

878
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:25,399
Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black

879
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,480
Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

880
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:32,560
Speaker 4: Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly.

881
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,319
Speaker 2: He is the Matt Williamson and this is the Drive

882
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:37,759
Speaker 2: on the Steelers Audio Network. Of course, you can hear

883
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,000
Speaker 2: the Drive every Monday through Friday from four to six

884
00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:44,160
Speaker 2: pm right here on the Steelers Nation Radio. You can

885
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:49,600
Speaker 2: also listen to us on Fox Sports Pittsburgh and Steelers

886
00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,520
Speaker 2: official mobile app. You can download that right here on

887
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:54,520
Speaker 2: YouTube as well. So watch the show.

888
00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:56,480
Speaker 4: You can listen to it at work and just they

889
00:40:56,680 --> 00:40:57,280
Speaker 4: have to watch.

890
00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:59,319
Speaker 2: You can just turn the sound or turn the sound

891
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:01,640
Speaker 2: up and put your headphones on. Your boss won't even

892
00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 2: know what you're doing.

893
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:07,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, spread the word too, So Matt comments if you want.

894
00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,600
Speaker 2: I just asked Rob King, Yeah, what he would how

895
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:14,799
Speaker 2: he thinks Mike Tomlin will handle the QB situation this week? Now,

896
00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,279
Speaker 2: I'm going to pose that question to you. What do

897
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:19,759
Speaker 2: you think happens at quarterback this week? Not what I

898
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:22,040
Speaker 2: would do, not what you would do, but we could

899
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:24,680
Speaker 2: talk about that later. What do you think happens here

900
00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:26,000
Speaker 2: with the quarterback situation.

901
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,680
Speaker 3: I think it's as good opportunity as you're going to

902
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:34,120
Speaker 3: have to make the switch. You know that Justin's been

903
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:36,880
Speaker 3: great for us, He's led us to a winning record.

904
00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:39,799
Speaker 3: He couldn't be happier. But Russell Wilson was brought in

905
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,319
Speaker 3: here to be the starter, and now he's ready to

906
00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,399
Speaker 3: do so against an opponent in the face twice a year,

907
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:49,840
Speaker 3: you know, in Den couple of years. Yeah, and he's spluttering,

908
00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 3: and we think this is the right guy for the job.

909
00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:54,600
Speaker 4: He started five games in his career against the Raiders,

910
00:41:55,719 --> 00:42:00,000
Speaker 4: completing sixty nine percent of his passes, seven touchdowns, one interception,

911
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,919
Speaker 4: and a passer rating of one o two point four.

912
00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:07,160
Speaker 3: Played seven wells, he missed.

913
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,920
Speaker 2: They They finished with the Raiders last year after they

914
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:15,399
Speaker 2: played three in the Broncos uniform, which are the most

915
00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:17,879
Speaker 2: relevant because staffs have changed.

916
00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:20,839
Speaker 3: I mean, ten years ago, Raiders are different than this year, right, right, right, right.

917
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,719
Speaker 3: It's not even like they're this extreme challenge playing against

918
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:29,680
Speaker 3: Lamar the first time or something like that.

919
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,200
Speaker 2: I mean, but he's gone into Las Vegas and played

920
00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:33,960
Speaker 2: against these guys, and there's been.

921
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:37,040
Speaker 3: In that understands what Max Crosby's about the side Dode.

922
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:38,560
Speaker 3: I'm not sure if Christin Wilkins is going to play

923
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:41,520
Speaker 3: in this game. Clearly their second best defensive player, so

924
00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,480
Speaker 3: the Steelers might have dodged another bullet there. But he

925
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:48,520
Speaker 3: probably has a feel for Pierce as a he has

926
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:51,800
Speaker 3: a he's a defensive minded guy and how the organization

927
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:54,160
Speaker 3: wants to run all those things. And frankly, if the

928
00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 3: opponent was the Chiefs or a bad example, if there

929
00:42:57,239 --> 00:43:00,360
Speaker 3: were the Eagles or Bengals or some.

930
00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:02,800
Speaker 4: Of the Cowboys were you know fine.

931
00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:05,920
Speaker 2: You know Fields has played against you know, the NFC

932
00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:09,960
Speaker 2: teams more often. He's seen Mike Zimmer's defense. My point was,

933
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,319
Speaker 2: I don't care who the opponent is. I think the

934
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:15,600
Speaker 2: switch makes a lot of sense, which isn't the knock

935
00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:17,680
Speaker 2: on Fields. I'm not really intrigued.

936
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:21,719
Speaker 3: And if Russ starts, I might even trot Fields out

937
00:43:21,719 --> 00:43:24,160
Speaker 3: there like we talked about in the preseason and be

938
00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:26,799
Speaker 3: a little more aggressive with his designed runs, you know,

939
00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:29,200
Speaker 3: because you know you've got the safety blanket there who's

940
00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:32,399
Speaker 3: gonna control things. And we've talked about this a lot.

941
00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:36,759
Speaker 3: You know, even just today, Dak is a veteran, you know,

942
00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:40,680
Speaker 3: even Flacco off the Cali a veteran, a veteran and

943
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,000
Speaker 3: understands where pressures are coming from. Or we have them

944
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:46,839
Speaker 3: in their nickel and they should really be in base

945
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:48,399
Speaker 3: and I'm not letting them get in base.

946
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:49,799
Speaker 4: You're going to hurry up and get to the line of.

947
00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, or I'm gonna switch my cadence here because this

948
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,200
Speaker 3: guy's jumping. Or boy, they're gonna send a corner crash,

949
00:43:57,200 --> 00:43:59,440
Speaker 3: I'm gonna hit the hot route slamp behind him, blah

950
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,080
Speaker 3: blah blahlah, or you know they're fatigued. I mean, Dak

951
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,440
Speaker 3: new that Steeler d was pretty spent last night, and

952
00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:06,720
Speaker 3: he is not letting them off field.

953
00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:08,000
Speaker 4: No, And that's the thing.

954
00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:10,880
Speaker 2: That's why you get a veteran quarterback, you know, in

955
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,520
Speaker 2: those situations. Look what Kirk Cousins did in the situation,

956
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:16,960
Speaker 2: you know on the Thursday night's game. I know it was,

957
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:20,359
Speaker 2: but he got in his situation like, Okay, I got

958
00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:22,560
Speaker 2: Tampa Bay on the on the ropes here and.

959
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:24,359
Speaker 3: He finished them off, and I want to finish them off.

960
00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:26,719
Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think that's what veteran quarterbacks do.

961
00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:30,000
Speaker 3: And that's why you called Wilson in the first place, right.

962
00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:33,400
Speaker 4: Because you wanted a veteran quarterback to run your young offense.

963
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:42,239
Speaker 3: So let's say, you know, May June something like that.

964
00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:47,440
Speaker 3: If I told you Wilson's been hurt the whole first

965
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,719
Speaker 3: five games, can't play, hasn't been able to really play

966
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,680
Speaker 3: since he's been here. Man, you know, I hope they

967
00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:55,840
Speaker 3: hit on fields. Who knows, that could be a disaster.

968
00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:57,800
Speaker 3: They might be zero and five, they might be getting,

969
00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:01,440
Speaker 3: might be one and four. So it's been successful, you know,

970
00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:05,160
Speaker 3: like you've learned a lot. And it doesn't mean justin.

971
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,520
Speaker 3: We don't like you, you know, right, You're just a backup.

972
00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:09,120
Speaker 3: We don't see any future.

973
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:11,400
Speaker 2: It's not a hard to sell at all to fields

974
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:14,959
Speaker 2: because if from Mike Tomlin you just go, hey, justin.

975
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,120
Speaker 2: You know, we you knew this coming into this situation

976
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:19,160
Speaker 2: that you were number two.

977
00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:21,560
Speaker 4: Russ was always in quote unquote pole position.

978
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:22,600
Speaker 3: Yeah.

979
00:45:22,719 --> 00:45:24,480
Speaker 2: I had named Russ the starter at the start of

980
00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:27,560
Speaker 2: the season. We like what you've done, we respect what

981
00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 2: you've done, but we're gonna give We're gonna give.

982
00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:30,960
Speaker 4: Russ a shot here.

983
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,120
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not like you're trotting out to Sean Watson

984
00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,040
Speaker 3: every week and his tape is horrible, and well, he's

985
00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:39,320
Speaker 3: the guy, that's the veteran, that's our starter. We're sticking

986
00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 3: with him. We haven't seen Wilson yet. Yeah, you want

987
00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:42,480
Speaker 3: to see it.

988
00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,560
Speaker 2: And it's a different situation to me than going to

989
00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,279
Speaker 2: Wilson and saying, Russ, we're gonna stick with with Justin,

990
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:52,080
Speaker 2: but we're gonna need you at some point. Yeah, you know,

991
00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:55,160
Speaker 2: that's a different feel. Russell Wilson still a captain on

992
00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:58,320
Speaker 2: this team. His teammates voted him a captain.

993
00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:00,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, without ever being the huddle with him, right, you

994
00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,160
Speaker 3: know what I mean in real environment. You know, it

995
00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:06,080
Speaker 3: hasn't been twelve years in or whatever. Right. I don't

996
00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:07,200
Speaker 3: think it's an easy decision.

997
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:08,759
Speaker 4: It's not an easy decision.

998
00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,120
Speaker 3: And I understand both sides. Yeah, but I don't think

999
00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:13,960
Speaker 3: this organization will look at it like what's best for

1000
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,239
Speaker 3: twenty twenty six. I think it'll be what's best for

1001
00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:20,520
Speaker 3: this upcoming week and what gets us the best chance

1002
00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:23,440
Speaker 3: to And this just assumes.

1003
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:25,800
Speaker 2: That Wilson has been cleared medically, of course, right to

1004
00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:29,360
Speaker 2: go out and you know, be a full participant in practice.

1005
00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:31,920
Speaker 2: He has to be a full participant in practice before

1006
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:32,840
Speaker 2: any of this happens.

1007
00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:34,839
Speaker 3: And if you weren't listening last week, shame on you

1008
00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,200
Speaker 3: for six weeks of course. But it sure sounded like

1009
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:39,439
Speaker 3: he's doing more and more, you know, like that's pretty wide.

1010
00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:43,120
Speaker 3: Let's on a team secret or anything. He's ramping up

1011
00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:45,080
Speaker 3: for sure, And we knew this day was coming. Well,

1012
00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:46,080
Speaker 3: this is the time.

1013
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:47,160
Speaker 4: Yeah, the day is here.

1014
00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:51,759
Speaker 2: And you know, to Rob's point, if it's if they're

1015
00:46:51,800 --> 00:46:53,560
Speaker 2: five and zero or their four and one, are we

1016
00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:54,560
Speaker 2: having this discussion?

1017
00:46:55,120 --> 00:46:55,680
Speaker 4: Probably not.

1018
00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:57,960
Speaker 2: Maybe they slow play this a little bit more with us,

1019
00:46:58,160 --> 00:46:59,800
Speaker 2: But you have lost two games.

1020
00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:02,160
Speaker 3: In a row and it's not Fields's fault. But he

1021
00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:05,040
Speaker 3: also hasn't propelled you to victory either. He played really

1022
00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,560
Speaker 3: well with Indy. Yeah, man, I thought he almost propelled

1023
00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:09,680
Speaker 3: on the victory in that game, which was really encouraging.

1024
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:12,760
Speaker 3: Do you think when we get together at four o'clock

1025
00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:14,680
Speaker 3: tomorrow we might know that answer.

1026
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:16,919
Speaker 4: I think we'll have a better idea of which way

1027
00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:18,239
Speaker 4: Tomlin is leaning with.

1028
00:47:18,719 --> 00:47:20,880
Speaker 2: Somebody ask him, No, he's going to be asked about it,

1029
00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:24,399
Speaker 2: and he may you know, he's going to come out

1030
00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:26,640
Speaker 2: and say, well, Russ's you know, cleared to be a

1031
00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:28,839
Speaker 2: full participant in practice this week. If he says that,

1032
00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:33,040
Speaker 2: now the questions are, you know what, what's going to

1033
00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,360
Speaker 2: happen here? And this may be the situation where he

1034
00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:37,560
Speaker 2: has to he could play it off and said, I'm

1035
00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:39,799
Speaker 2: going to make that determination on Friday, kind of what

1036
00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:43,040
Speaker 2: I expect. For no reason to let the Raiders know anything, No,

1037
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,080
Speaker 2: absolutely not, but you will have an everyone at practice

1038
00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:46,439
Speaker 2: will have a pretty good idea. You have a pretty

1039
00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:48,759
Speaker 2: good idea in practice watching practice for sure. And the

1040
00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:52,960
Speaker 2: quarterbacks have talked on Thursday. That may get pushed back

1041
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:57,960
Speaker 2: to Friday as well for the competitive advantage. And the

1042
00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:02,040
Speaker 2: Raiders are in the same situation right now. Oh, Antonio

1043
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:03,359
Speaker 2: Pierce had a press conference.

1044
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:06,920
Speaker 3: Less exciting, but they are in the exact same, similar situation.

1045
00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:09,279
Speaker 2: You know, Gardner Minshew got pulled in the third quarter

1046
00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,759
Speaker 2: after second time for the second time, after throwing a

1047
00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:13,840
Speaker 2: second interception in that game. They go to Aid and

1048
00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:16,520
Speaker 2: O'Connell when Connell goes out and he throws an interceptions,

1049
00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:18,120
Speaker 2: So they have no clarity whatsoever.

1050
00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:20,719
Speaker 3: I mean, frankly, I don't think they have a quarterback.

1051
00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,360
Speaker 3: You know, they don't have the quarterback I mean that's

1052
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:25,759
Speaker 3: a perfect example. If you have two you have none. Well,

1053
00:48:25,760 --> 00:48:27,600
Speaker 3: I think that's what's going on there more than any

1054
00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:29,600
Speaker 3: city in the of the thirty two to be.

1055
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,200
Speaker 2: Which is whichever way this would happen to go, I'm

1056
00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:33,920
Speaker 2: fine with it if you want to get right. If

1057
00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:36,319
Speaker 2: Mike Tomlin comes out and says, I'm rolling with Justin.

1058
00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:38,960
Speaker 2: We like what he's done, what he's done, we like

1059
00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:41,480
Speaker 2: what you know, the trajectory and all that stuff, Okay,

1060
00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:43,600
Speaker 2: I get it totally. If he comes out and says,

1061
00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:45,240
Speaker 2: we're going with Russell Wilson.

1062
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:46,839
Speaker 4: He's the veteran guy. This is what he was brought

1063
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:49,000
Speaker 4: here to do. He's healthy. I get it.

1064
00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,080
Speaker 3: I get it. I get it. Yea, I see both sides.

1065
00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:54,840
Speaker 3: We talked about this a lot last week, and I

1066
00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:58,360
Speaker 3: really was torn last week. This week, after another loss,

1067
00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:01,120
Speaker 3: I lean a little stronger towards Wilson than I did,

1068
00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:03,479
Speaker 3: you know, exactly one week ago.

1069
00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:05,480
Speaker 2: For a lot of the veteran quarterback stuff that we're

1070
00:49:05,520 --> 00:49:08,280
Speaker 2: talking about. That's why he was brought here. Yeah, yeah,

1071
00:49:08,320 --> 00:49:11,520
Speaker 2: to help recognize defenses, to help the thing that he does,

1072
00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:13,359
Speaker 2: and they tried to do this early in that game

1073
00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:16,239
Speaker 2: was loosened up the defense with some some shots down

1074
00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:18,360
Speaker 2: down the field off of play action and things of

1075
00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:20,480
Speaker 2: that nature, and they didn't complete them.

1076
00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:21,560
Speaker 4: And Dallas saw.

1077
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:23,719
Speaker 3: That, Like Kirk Cousins is a great example, you know,

1078
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:26,399
Speaker 3: like they have first round quarterbacks sitting in the room

1079
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,960
Speaker 3: in Atlanta too. Cousins of Wilson were drafting the same class,

1080
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:33,040
Speaker 3: and Wilson's had a better career. Cousin's been a better

1081
00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:36,120
Speaker 3: player lately. Cousins threw for five hundred and some yards though,

1082
00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:38,080
Speaker 3: Like I mean, like he's been around the block. He

1083
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:40,719
Speaker 3: knows what he's doing. He's gonna they're not apple to apple.

1084
00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:42,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know we're going to hit those hot routes,

1085
00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:43,960
Speaker 2: going to recognize what the defense is trying to do,

1086
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:45,280
Speaker 2: get the ball where it needs.

1087
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:46,200
Speaker 4: To go, those kind of things.

1088
00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:46,560
Speaker 3: Ye.

1089
00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:49,439
Speaker 2: So anyways, that's going to do it for our number

1090
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:51,560
Speaker 2: one of the drive here on the Steelers Audio Network,

1091
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:54,279
Speaker 2: Matt and I'll be back with our number two right

1092
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:54,759
Speaker 2: after this.