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

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Speaker 1: your home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale Lolly here with Matt

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Speaker 1: Williamson and Matt Often on Thursdays we take a look

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Speaker 1: at the Steelers opponent, the opposing team's roster, break it

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Speaker 1: down what we think of, you know, who has a

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Speaker 1: who has an advantage here. But we do a little

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Speaker 1: twist on that today. Look at the Steelers roster whether

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Speaker 1: we think it's trending up, trending down, or staying the same.

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Speaker 1: All right, okay, so let's do that. At wide receiver,

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Speaker 1: it's James Washington, Deante Johnson, Chase Claypool, Ray Ray McLoud,

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Speaker 1: and now Cody White replacing produced Smith Schuster. There this

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Speaker 1: there's this fallacy out there that somehow Ray Ray McLeod

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Speaker 1: has passed James in Washington on. I don't think that's

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Speaker 1: how it's drawn up. James Washington has gotten a hundred

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Speaker 1: fifty one snaps this season. Ray Ray McLoud has gotten

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Speaker 1: a hundred and forty two. I believe that's with Ray

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Speaker 1: Ray McLeod getting sixty two snaps the past two games

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Speaker 1: compared to eight for James Washington because he didn't play

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Speaker 1: him one of those games. He was an active for

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Speaker 1: one of them. So, I mean, the wide receiver snap

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Speaker 1: counts are kind of goofy because before even Juju went out,

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Speaker 1: each of the other top three all missed again, all

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Speaker 1: missed a game, you know, so I guess it kind

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Speaker 1: of evens out. But Ray Ray has been the fill

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Speaker 1: in guy. He's been the number four. He's been number

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Speaker 1: four and five when Juju is if everybody's healthy, he's five.

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Speaker 1: If you're lining up on game day and they're all healthy,

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Speaker 1: he's the fifth probably snap count guy. But it's different

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Speaker 1: when he's got a helmet and someone gets hurt in

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Speaker 1: the second quarter and he's got to go in and play.

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Speaker 1: He's been running this behind Juju in the slot all

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Speaker 1: week long, you know, yes, been filling that gap. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna get Chase clay Pool some snaps in there,

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Speaker 1: but you know it is Look, I kill you to

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Speaker 1: explain it to me earlier this week. He said. Last week,

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Speaker 1: Chase Claypool and James Washington were both limited, very limited.

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Speaker 1: In the case of Washington, My dad, Um, you even

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Speaker 1: thought there's a chance he wouldn't have dressed on If

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Speaker 1: everyone Juju is healthy, he probably doesn't dress. That makes perfect.

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Speaker 1: So they went into the game saying, okay, Ray Ray

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Speaker 1: McCloud took all the snaps last week in the slot

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Speaker 1: because Claypool in Washington were both they didn't practice in

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Speaker 1: the team portion of practice. Of those guys are fighting

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Speaker 1: stuff over the last weeks, clearly, so he took all

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Speaker 1: the snaps in the slot. The idea was that Washington

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Speaker 1: and Claypool we're going to share the the outside spot

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Speaker 1: to kind of limit their exposure, to to limit the potential.

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Speaker 1: And Claypool's hamstring held up. Claypools a better player than Washington.

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Speaker 1: He's ahead of them on the death right right right now,

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Speaker 1: that all adds up. I mean again, first blush looking

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Speaker 1: at staff counts like, wow, that's a massive discrepancy. Do

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Speaker 1: you think of the circumstances? Text matters on these things too,

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Speaker 1: So what are we doing here? We're going up down

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Speaker 1: from where they started the season at. How do you

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Speaker 1: feel about that group now down? And that's that doesn't

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Speaker 1: mean bad necessarily because I was high on them. Then

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Speaker 1: Juju has value. Yeah, I mean even if he's three,

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Speaker 1: he's a good football player, and he's no longer there.

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Speaker 1: Therefore White is on the team. I hope he does great,

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Speaker 1: and I'm a good opportunity for him. I'd rather have

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Speaker 1: juju Um because of all the circumstances you laid out,

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Speaker 1: because you can't just plan in advance. Ray. Ray has

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Speaker 1: been playing more than I would have liked. You know.

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Speaker 1: The results are all the matters in that conversation. Washington

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Speaker 1: is not yet, you know, and the other two were great,

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Speaker 1: but Claypool still inconsistent, you know. I mean, I would

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Speaker 1: like to see him play a little bigger, more contested catches,

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Speaker 1: and he's been fighting something too. But it's a good group.

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Speaker 1: I'm not saying it's not a good group, but I mean,

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Speaker 1: if you look at it strictly, first player by player,

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Speaker 1: Deonte to me looks better than he was last year.

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Speaker 1: I think it looks better than ever. He's not dropping

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Speaker 1: the football, he's making contested plays. He's catching you know,

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Speaker 1: deep balls which he didn't necessarily always see from him.

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Speaker 1: That's what's gonna say is he's attacking different levels of

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Speaker 1: the field more than he has at any point of

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Speaker 1: his career well, and showing the ability to get behind

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Speaker 1: defensive backs. I mean they gotta he's gotta be a

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Speaker 1: tough matchup because you have to respect his ability at all,

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Speaker 1: his ability to corner uh and come out of breaks.

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Speaker 1: But you also now have to respect his ability to

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Speaker 1: get behind you. Oh, without question. I mean I think

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Speaker 1: he's faster than people realize, like because he Tyreek Hill

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Speaker 1: explosive fact. No, I think he's their fastest. He may

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Speaker 1: be the fastest football player. Yeah. And when he puts

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Speaker 1: the pads on it, he's in his hands. And some

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Speaker 1: of that maybe because teams do have to respect his

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Speaker 1: ability to they throw so much underneath it, you maybe

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Speaker 1: have to play him a little tighter than you normally would.

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Speaker 1: He's an all around receiver and then all of a

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Speaker 1: sudden he's behind. To write answer, yeah, I mean if

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Speaker 1: you lay off, he's in nickel and dime you. I

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Speaker 1: mean he often gets compared to a B but and

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Speaker 1: just because he's a steeler in his recent memory. But

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Speaker 1: the same thing, like if you pressed him, he was

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Speaker 1: gonna go past you. If you give him a big cushion,

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Speaker 1: he's gonna nickel and dime you to death. I mean

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Speaker 1: he has those traits. Um, I had read something to

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Speaker 1: that I think I sent it to you actually did.

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Speaker 1: His usage is crazy, though. I mean he's been injured

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Speaker 1: in like five different games, and and that's I guess

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Speaker 1: in the negatively it was in it was injuries, and

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Speaker 1: it was also the one. Yeah. Other than that, he

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Speaker 1: gets double digit hard and gets like every time and

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Speaker 1: produces big time, big time numbers. You know. It's the

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Speaker 1: only time he didn't was against Denver. You know I

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Speaker 1: did was catch both of his but he was great

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Speaker 1: two sechdown and everybody else produced around him, you know, right,

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Speaker 1: So he's a number one receiver in this league. So

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Speaker 1: if we're doing this exercise, like we're looking at, you know,

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Speaker 1: the charts for stocks, so they go up and down

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Speaker 1: the blah blah blah, it's not at its tie point

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Speaker 1: right now, you know, so I'm gonna say down. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I don't disagree. I mean, you Juju Smith schuster at

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Speaker 1: that's a good football players and lead them with ninety

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Speaker 1: seven catches last year. I don't you know, if they

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Speaker 1: were ninety seven catches for eight yards, which is what

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Speaker 1: they were, and he's a good blocker, you still have

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Speaker 1: to replace that, yeah, And they're still working on replacement.

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Speaker 1: They will be better with him. How about the tight

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Speaker 1: end position pop up? Yeah? I agree. I mean starting

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Speaker 1: with Gentry, I didn't think he was a roster Bowl

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Speaker 1: player two months ago. He's a good blocker and very

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Speaker 1: helpful in this offense. Ebron is no different. He's just

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Speaker 1: getting phased out a little because the other two are

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Speaker 1: rising and they have different skill sets. I think friar

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Speaker 1: Muth does a chance to be a star, and he

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Speaker 1: keeps getting better. Yeah, but I don't think Ebron is

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Speaker 1: even down. He's the same, He's light lined now. He

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Speaker 1: is what he is at this point in his career.

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Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I would agree with you on that. Uh,

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Speaker 1: that one for sure. How about running back? Been what

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Speaker 1: you expected? Is he even? Is he better? Is he worse?

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Speaker 1: I don't want to think about the guys around him,

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Speaker 1: you know, And they wouldn't factor in this as much

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Speaker 1: for me because he played so many snaps and get

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Speaker 1: so many touches. And next week I might say, up

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Speaker 1: if if we get to see McFarland, someone is also

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Speaker 1: because of the line play in front of them, without doubt,

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Speaker 1: without a doubt. But I don't know that Snells an

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Speaker 1: NFL running back and Blage is a borderline guy. But

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Speaker 1: I had a couple of solid runs last week. I

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Speaker 1: liked him in the preseason. Yeah, it can't be down, No,

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Speaker 1: it can't. I mean it's worse. It's at least even.

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Speaker 1: It's at least even because the number was Nase has

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Speaker 1: been what I expected him to be in every down

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Speaker 1: back who catches a football back for all situations. And

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Speaker 1: I think you put a little value in It's nice

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Speaker 1: to say that in the preseason or leading up to it,

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Speaker 1: but when you're right, that's a stock up in itself,

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Speaker 1: you know, do we get against I mean if you

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Speaker 1: look at where he was going in fantasy drafts and

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Speaker 1: we were we were saying that was too low at

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Speaker 1: the time. Yeah, then you I guess maybe it's say

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Speaker 1: he's up because he's been one of the top five

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Speaker 1: guys in the league without question, and a lot of

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Speaker 1: it's because he catches so many passes. Like if you

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Speaker 1: read if you redrafted fantasy football right now, he's a

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Speaker 1: top five pick. Oh yeah, yeah, I mean Henry's ahead

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Speaker 1: of him. Then he started questioning, Yeah, you know he's

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Speaker 1: in that mix, right, healthy McCaffrey, but he isn't you know,

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Speaker 1: maybe Zeke, I don't know. But he's in that mix,

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Speaker 1: so it has to be up. But we bought the

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Speaker 1: stock high. Yeah you know what I mean. Yeah, we

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Speaker 1: jumped in on Microsoft when it was all and you

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Speaker 1: and I actually bought it very very low on nausea

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Speaker 1: in terms of fantasy and stuff. But if we're talking

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Speaker 1: about what we thought of that group on opening day

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Speaker 1: before they ever snapped the ball, we were it was

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Speaker 1: a pretty pricey stock. Yeah. How about the offensive line up? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think he's playing much better. I think you should

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Speaker 1: have to see some continuity there. Yeah, Manner returns whatever

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Speaker 1: that means. I don't know what. They give him one

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Speaker 1: sack on on Sunday against Seattle, and that was only

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Speaker 1: because Roethlisberger fumbled the ball while trying to tuck it

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Speaker 1: back here. But he had wanted hit once. Yeah once. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it wasn'ture. If there's even one, I can't couldn't recall

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Speaker 1: the one. I just saw that. And they still threw

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Speaker 1: the They threw the ball more. They threw it forty times. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's not like they it was the week before where

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Speaker 1: he threw and you know, and his average of the

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Speaker 1: target the last three weeks too, has not been at

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Speaker 1: the bottom league, and he's been hitting it a little

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Speaker 1: bit longer too, So it's not just like, oh, they're

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Speaker 1: they're a good protection line because it comes out so

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Speaker 1: unbelievably quick. That's part of it. But I mean it's

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Speaker 1: still they're pushing them all down the field a little

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Speaker 1: bit more. Yeah, they're they're football Cider numbers are starting

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Speaker 1: to creep up. Yeah they were dead last after like

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Speaker 1: three weeks and all that stuff. I could see that,

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Speaker 1: And now they're starting to move up into you know,

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Speaker 1: their head of the Dolphins and the Giants getting out

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Speaker 1: of the bottom tier. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I

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Speaker 1: mean a huge key. Fewer penalties certainly, better communication way,

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Speaker 1: fewer unforced errors, you know, not holding double teams long enough,

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Speaker 1: stuff like that. You know, in some respects they've really

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Speaker 1: benefited from the early part of the schedule. The schedule

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Speaker 1: has been tough. Actually, I just looked at football Siders today.

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Speaker 1: Their scheduled thus far, based on what everybody's done, has

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Speaker 1: been a number two schedule in leak. I think profoile

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Speaker 1: focus has a third type of number five moving forward.

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Speaker 1: So the schedule actually lightens up um, but the record

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Speaker 1: and point differential and stuff is better going forward of

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Speaker 1: the opponents than the ones they played, but it's still top.

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Speaker 1: But they've also benefited from being at home a little

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Speaker 1: bit more. It allows you to work out some of

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Speaker 1: those kinks a little bit more easily. Mike, Tom, And

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Speaker 1: we've we've had some pre snap penalties that are going

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Speaker 1: to be problems when we get on the road. Let's

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Speaker 1: get this stuff ironed out. Now. Halloween Cleveland is gonna

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Speaker 1: be loud, you know what I mean, all looped up

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Speaker 1: with masks on unless they loose tonight. Who knows right right,

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Speaker 1: they can be yelling at the rounds. Yeah, now that

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Speaker 1: has to be up. And that stock was cheap, but

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Speaker 1: it was penny sorry stock. Now it's moving up and

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Speaker 1: that's now you can self for a dollar, you know.

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Speaker 1: So we're about to talk about quarterback and I'm not

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Speaker 1: sure what the thing on that one. I don't know either.

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Speaker 1: I would say it's probably even yeah, as honest as possible,

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Speaker 1: because he has not played well this year. You know,

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Speaker 1: he said stretches here and there where he's he's played poorly.

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Speaker 1: He's had stretches where he's played well. It's been better lately.

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Speaker 1: And if we had this conversation three weeks ago, it

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Speaker 1: would be down, down, down. Some of this money on

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Speaker 1: that stock, some of it goes to the receivers as well,

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Speaker 1: where they haven't been on the same page necessarily. You know,

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Speaker 1: he had the one that he hit Jamal Adams with

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Speaker 1: in the face Mexican that was on Deonte Johnson. You know,

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Speaker 1: he's he's expecting him to continue with that route that.

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Speaker 1: You know that there's been some some back shoulder throws

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Speaker 1: down the sidelines that have gone to nobody because the

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Speaker 1: receivers haven't read that the same way that he is.

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Speaker 1: I can't. I have a hard time believing that the

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Speaker 1: eighteen year veteran quarterback is misreading the defense. But the

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Speaker 1: but the second and third year receivers are, I mean,

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Speaker 1: we don't know those things. When they go to meetings,

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Speaker 1: they'll be like, yeah, I screwed up or you know.

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Speaker 1: But I don't think he's going through his reads as

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Speaker 1: well as he should. I don't think as a year

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Speaker 1: as the year in a hole. Um. I think some

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Speaker 1: of that played to the comfort level that he had

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Speaker 1: behind the offensive line. Now I think he's starting to

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Speaker 1: get more comfortable and you're starting to see some where

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Speaker 1: those throws. I mean I think he's at his best

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Speaker 1: point of the year right now. Is that climbing I

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Speaker 1: don't know. I mean I hope so, um, I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: say up. I still have to go down. Their offense

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Speaker 1: is a whole if you look at where it started

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Speaker 1: on Football Outsiders and where it's at now, they're up

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Speaker 1: to twenty offensively. They were like somewhere that range after

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Speaker 1: the first three weeks. But if we're doing this, if

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Speaker 1: we're doing this exercise truly by the rules of what

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Speaker 1: did you expect verse, now I have to go down

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Speaker 1: because I thought Ben would be the sixte best quarterback

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Speaker 1: in the league, and I don't think he is. Okay,

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Speaker 1: you know, so that has to be down, but he's

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Speaker 1: trending up. I don't sixteenth best quarterback in the league.

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Speaker 1: Is is tough because I don't know who the top

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Speaker 1: like it changes from week to week. You know, Derek

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Speaker 1: Carr was was the hot guy in the first three

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Speaker 1: games of the season. Now not so much. But I

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Speaker 1: mean I thought he'd because in his level something like that.

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Speaker 1: The Cousins has played well, Yeah, Cousins had a good year.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think he's better than all the rookies.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, he's better than Jimmy g He's you know,

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Speaker 1: better some of these guys. There's guys like Golf out there,

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Speaker 1: and you know they're probably not starters next year. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so I don't know. I to me, it's more steady

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Speaker 1: is there's been good moments. There have been bad moments. Um,

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Speaker 1: but I think it's encouraging. I think it's better than

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Speaker 1: it was. It we've been better. He's been better recently

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Speaker 1: than than he was. And again it goes back to

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Speaker 1: the offensive line play. Yeah a month ago is to

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Speaker 1: be much easier conversations like down, yeah, you know right,

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Speaker 1: defensive line, it has to be down, has to be

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Speaker 1: take you take a lulu out of the equation to

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Speaker 1: it wasn't there at the beginning of the season. Um.

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Speaker 1: I will say though, I mean this is gonna carry

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Speaker 1: over to outside linebackers and true linebackers. I mean I

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Speaker 1: said they the best front seven in the league. So

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Speaker 1: there's nowhere to go but down, you know best. I mean, like, uh,

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Speaker 1: you know my Homes is having a bad year. Well

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Speaker 1: from Homes, but that doesn't mean he's not he's a

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Speaker 1: bad quarterback. All of a sudden, he's right the D

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Speaker 1: line is different than the edge guys, of course, because

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Speaker 1: it's Cam and the Pips. For me, I mean, Cam's

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Speaker 1: blowesome and is maybe his stock is up a little.

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Speaker 1: Even though it was super proposed. People expected him to

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Speaker 1: start slipping. He doesn't even allude. He seems to be

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Speaker 1: getting better. He seems to get better. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: worry if he'll be able to play at this pace

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Speaker 1: and this ferocity in December. If too, it's not there

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Speaker 1: to help him or whatever. The other group though, it's

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Speaker 1: not like I'm down on any of them, but they're

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Speaker 1: the biggest weakness of the defense right now, you know.

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Speaker 1: I mean, everybody seems to think it's it's the inside

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Speaker 1: linebackers or makea Fitzpatrick. No, it's the defensive line. If

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Speaker 1: they would affects everything else. If they would, it's like

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Speaker 1: it's like the offensive line, it affects everything else. I mean,

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Speaker 1: the trenches absolutely matter. But I mean, if the defensive

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Speaker 1: tackles I like to call him defensive tackles or d

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Speaker 1: line um were were they if they were average, if

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Speaker 1: they were winning half their battles, losing half their battles,

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Speaker 1: if they were you know, fighting to a tie to

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Speaker 1: a draw of the non Cam Hayward players. I think

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Speaker 1: pushing Schobert would look fine. Yeah, you know what I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're just not holding their own, especially the last week

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Speaker 1: or two. You know, Warmley has come back to earth

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Speaker 1: a little bit. Um. I am a little excited about

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Speaker 1: louder Miklow his stock would be starting to play a

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Speaker 1: little better. Yeah, I think he's starting to get it. Um.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know the Bugs and Davis and all

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Speaker 1: the Davis hasn't played, but I'm not saying they stink.

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Speaker 1: They're just not starters. Yeah, they're getting over their ten

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Speaker 1: snap a game players, not five snappers exactly outside linebackers.

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Speaker 1: It has to be up. I mean there was a

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Speaker 1: down stretch there because of injuries with with high Smith

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Speaker 1: and what um and and Ingram has been a little

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Speaker 1: quieter lately. I mean he looked like a star of

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Speaker 1: the first month and I'm not worried about him, but

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Speaker 1: he's had to play too many snaps because those injuries.

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Speaker 1: And they got nine and a half sacks out of

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Speaker 1: those guys in six games. Yeah, I mean that puts

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Speaker 1: them on pace for likes, right, I mean we'll take

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Speaker 1: that going into the season. Um, I guess it's up.

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Speaker 1: But again I thought it was the best front seven

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Speaker 1: in the league and they were the biggest reason why.

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Speaker 1: So it was a pricey stock at opening day to

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Speaker 1: really pricey stock. I mean, what to me, just continues

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Speaker 1: he keeps saying we can't get get any better. He's

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Speaker 1: getting better. He just keeps making think about the game

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Speaker 1: the playing Buffalo where he gets a strip sack on

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Speaker 1: Allen last week. He wins that game for It's just

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Speaker 1: he's winning games for you. He's an outside linebacker, right,

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Speaker 1: he's robbed Dibble coming out and closing it up for you,

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Speaker 1: or you know, I mean quarterbacks. I asked Hayward that

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Speaker 1: um Sunday after the game, I'm like, is it kind

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Speaker 1: of Troy Paula Malo likes Paula Mallo always always seemed

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Speaker 1: to make his biggest plays at the biggest moments. Yeah. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's kind of what Wat's doing here. He just has

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Speaker 1: another gear that he kicks it into in those situations. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: It can't be down for that group collectively. I still

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Speaker 1: think the best is you get to come for Highsmith

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Speaker 1: this year. Yeah. I mean I don't really think he

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Speaker 1: hasn't been healthy. I think that growing really bothered him

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Speaker 1: there for the first month, and you know we're starting

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Speaker 1: gonna start seeing him at home a little more. He's

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Speaker 1: a really good, young, developing player, but one of his

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Speaker 1: best things is get off and I don't know that

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Speaker 1: the groin allowed him to have a supreme get off

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Speaker 1: and Ingram will be better. Are playing less snaps? Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's not. Like I'm worried about him. Fifteen snaps a

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Speaker 1: game is perfect for him. Yeah, right, right, right right?

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Speaker 1: Not sixty uh inside linebacker. I guess it has to

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Speaker 1: be down, but I'm not down. I mean, I don't

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Speaker 1: think it's a need. I mean, if anyone thought I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna pick it on Joe Schobert, but if anyone thought,

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Speaker 1: oh wow, now they got Willison Bowman, or now they

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Speaker 1: got David and White, like he's a good player, but

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Speaker 1: he's not a pro bowler slash potential Hall of Famer.

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Speaker 1: I mean, like it made a weakness, not a weakness anymore.

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Speaker 1: I'm not sure it's made of a strength yet. But

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Speaker 1: the cup Bridge, I thoughts really starting to come together,

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Speaker 1: and they've still been very good against tight ends. They've

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Speaker 1: been they've actually if you look at the again, I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna go to Football outsiders, their defense against one, number one,

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Speaker 1: and number two receivers has been outstanding. It's that third

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Speaker 1: receiver that's been getting them that goes to your slot play.

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Speaker 1: I mean it was really obvious at the beginning of

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Speaker 1: the year. Take Away Waller, takeaway Adams, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean. And then the other guys they feasted, but

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Speaker 1: they had better matchups, and you know they did well

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Speaker 1: that a lot of those were the slot dudes. I mean,

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Speaker 1: to your point earlier, though, Schobird and Bush are designed

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Speaker 1: to run and hit and play off the ball and

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Speaker 1: excel in coverage. I mean that that's what today's NFL is,

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Speaker 1: That's what they've been looking for since Shazire, and I

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Speaker 1: think that's coming together. Like I really praised that pairing

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Speaker 1: after the Denver game. I mean, it looks like kind

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Speaker 1: of like the offensive line conversation. I think, once you

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Speaker 1: have some continuity with your linebacking mate, you know that

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Speaker 1: should I passed this crossing route off to you. I

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Speaker 1: think those things are starting to come around, and I

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Speaker 1: think Bush is increased, are looking better as a blitzer. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: they just don't take their blocks and defend Derrick Henry

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Speaker 1: coming at him with a guard pooling at him because

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Speaker 1: that's not what they're signing to do. Now, you know

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Speaker 1: what I think of Pro Football Focus is great? Um,

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Speaker 1: I sure do somebody, but somebody tweeted this out whether

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Speaker 1: you believe it or not, But Devin White gets all

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Speaker 1: the you know, he's great. He's an ex groupature, you know,

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Speaker 1: as great as this year. I bet he always greats

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Speaker 1: poorly all over the place. He's all over the place. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: bushes it like we just look at those highlight tapes.

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Speaker 1: You know, his highlight tapes. Awesome. Lavonte David is the

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Speaker 1: better player there they Tampa has been playing without Lavonte David. Yes,

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Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you don't hear anything about Devin

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Speaker 1: White any exactly because he didn't have he didn't have

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Speaker 1: David the clean thing, clean up his mistakes. I'm saying,

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Speaker 1: Paulamal is a forty five on Pro Football Focus, but

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Speaker 1: he needs his Ryan Clark. You know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: There's Ay and the Yang to your point of what

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Speaker 1: you were talking about, That's where I was going with

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Speaker 1: this thing. You know, it's that how they how they

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Speaker 1: play off of each other. Okay, I know you're gonna

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Speaker 1: do this, so I'm going to do this to make

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Speaker 1: sure that if you don't, if you miss on that,

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Speaker 1: I got it. You know, go be aggressive because you're

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Speaker 1: the four four guy and I got your back, right,

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Speaker 1: I'm your wing man. You know right now, You're right.

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Speaker 1: And guys like White and I don't know about Bush,

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Speaker 1: but I mean probably won't grade well for Pro Football

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Speaker 1: focus because if you isolate them, watch coaches film from

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Speaker 1: the end zone, snap after snap, you would say this

416
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Speaker 1: is a very inconsistent. He overruns plays he does, you know,

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Speaker 1: but when he awah, but when he did, you know,

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Speaker 1: when he when he gets it right. You know, there

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Speaker 1: was a play on Sunday. There was a play on

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Speaker 1: Sunday where they were Seattle's running an outside zone and

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Speaker 1: Bush shot the gap on the outside. He was unblocked

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Speaker 1: and so he shot the and running back kind of

423
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,000
Speaker 1: ducted inside before he got there. If the running back

424
00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:04,919
Speaker 1: continues on that route and Bush guests right on, that

425
00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,680
Speaker 1: took the took the gap, and it's gonna be like

426
00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:10,199
Speaker 1: a five yard lost because he's gonna blast him. The

427
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,720
Speaker 1: fact that those guys can make plays that most can't

428
00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:16,040
Speaker 1: has a lot of value in itself. I mean, especially

429
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,840
Speaker 1: almost like quarterbacks that can run while they're learning the trade.

430
00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,119
Speaker 1: You know, I mean, your athleticism is gonna make up

431
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:25,040
Speaker 1: for mistakes. You're gonna make two plays that Vince Williams

432
00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,320
Speaker 1: certainly isn't. You know what I mean, Steelers defense is

433
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:31,720
Speaker 1: really built. It's not super stout against the run. Well

434
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 1: that's what the leaves go, but it's what it's built

435
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,840
Speaker 1: to do is get Okay, you run the ball in

436
00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,359
Speaker 1: first down and you get stopped at the line of

437
00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:40,680
Speaker 1: scrimmage or behind the line of scrimmage. Now you get throw.

438
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,199
Speaker 1: What's really built to do, which and then rush. The

439
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,680
Speaker 1: passion is get to their dime package with defensive backs

440
00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,119
Speaker 1: all over the field and the old Lebo blitz is

441
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,240
Speaker 1: and you know, but the other team, the other team

442
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,480
Speaker 1: may have three consecutive runs where they get five yards,

443
00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,280
Speaker 1: seven yards, five yards, and then that fourth run is

444
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,119
Speaker 1: you know, minus two, and now you're behind the sticks,

445
00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:04,200
Speaker 1: right and Bush is perfect for that. Yeah, but he's developing.

446
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 1: I mean he'll get better games. And young linebackers in

447
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,200
Speaker 1: this league have not taken the world by storm. Yeah.

448
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,520
Speaker 1: I think about where Ryan Shazier was in year two

449
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,560
Speaker 1: similar Yeah, I mean, so I'm not picking on Ryan,

450
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:18,760
Speaker 1: but his low light tape is bad too. Yeah, I

451
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,760
Speaker 1: mean it's whoa. He was blew by the wrong gap

452
00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,800
Speaker 1: people wanted to move in the safety if you remember, right,

453
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:28,240
Speaker 1: should he be a safety? He runs like one I

454
00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:37,320
Speaker 1: bought the cornerbacks. Mm hmm, let's up. Yeah, I'm gonna

455
00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,520
Speaker 1: say even the other guys have kind of missed that.

456
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,760
Speaker 1: Hayden's missed the games, missed the game. It's it's been.

457
00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 1: Pierre has had some learning. He's had some bad moments,

458
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,639
Speaker 1: but it's some good ones. But he's actually allowing the

459
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,560
Speaker 1: lowest completion percentage on the team, low lowest passer rating.

460
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,520
Speaker 1: I should yeah, I mean he's allowed some big plays.

461
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,160
Speaker 1: But am I down on him or think that he's

462
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,320
Speaker 1: not any good? He could be competes, you know, that's

463
00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:03,160
Speaker 1: the one thing that Tarrell Austin said about him yesterday, says, yeah,

464
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,280
Speaker 1: he's given up some plays, but he goes out and competes.

465
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,320
Speaker 1: He'll go out. You know. That's where you have to

466
00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,280
Speaker 1: play cornerback, like when they you know who was at

467
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 1: Allen that was here that kind of like Cortez Allen

468
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,360
Speaker 1: that lost his confidence or burns and you're too. It's

469
00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:21,199
Speaker 1: huge for a cornerback. It is no, I think it's

470
00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 1: not up or down. Yeah, you're going to get beaten though.

471
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,520
Speaker 1: In the NFL, the rules are set up against you

472
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,760
Speaker 1: and the defense is set up to have an elite

473
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:31,800
Speaker 1: pass rush. And it's been a good pass run yeah

474
00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,399
Speaker 1: you know, yeah that matters too. How about the safety

475
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:39,320
Speaker 1: play up? I can't say up because I can't say

476
00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:41,439
Speaker 1: up because Maker is not better than I thought. He

477
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,440
Speaker 1: was twelve games now without an interception for making that's

478
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:49,040
Speaker 1: career high tackle. But he's head. He had an eleven

479
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,800
Speaker 1: game interception list streak at the end of the two

480
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:59,000
Speaker 1: nineteen season, starting he finished four interceptions. He's now gone

481
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:00,880
Speaker 1: a lot, by the way before he is a lot.

482
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,800
Speaker 1: He's now gone twelve games without an interception. Those are coming.

483
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,120
Speaker 1: He didn't suddenly forget how to catch the football, no,

484
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 1: or make plays on the ball or any of those things.

485
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,200
Speaker 1: Some of it's because what they were asking him to

486
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,760
Speaker 1: do the first few weeks of the season. It's been

487
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:16,760
Speaker 1: a little different. You know, he's down and he's down

488
00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,000
Speaker 1: playing this in the slot he's doing you know, he's

489
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,120
Speaker 1: doing some things that he's expanded his resume. Now they've

490
00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:24,080
Speaker 1: gotten they've moved him back to because they now have

491
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,160
Speaker 1: more trust in Norwood and Milette. That's what I's gonna

492
00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,680
Speaker 1: ask you next though, see Edmonds to me is up.

493
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 1: I guess Minca is a little down. But as we

494
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,639
Speaker 1: call Norwood a safety or a corner, I think he

495
00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:39,399
Speaker 1: fits in his a corner. Then given a boost to

496
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,560
Speaker 1: the corner wherever he goes. Just look at the whole

497
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,000
Speaker 1: defensive backfield is right, because they have some ambiguous guys

498
00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:49,040
Speaker 1: right now, I mean, which is kind of fun. I mean,

499
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,159
Speaker 1: they played what six or seven dudes pretty regularly that

500
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,880
Speaker 1: they're confident over the place over the place too. So

501
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,760
Speaker 1: in that fashion, I want to say, up for the

502
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,760
Speaker 1: defensive backfield, they need to get more picks. If only

503
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,840
Speaker 1: gets the yeah, I mean that's that's a problem. That

504
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,800
Speaker 1: is a problem. I mean, I guess playing bridge again

505
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,320
Speaker 1: to your point, if you get a better pass rush, yeah,

506
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,199
Speaker 1: the picks come. I'm just thinking of thought of my

507
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,360
Speaker 1: head though. I mean, Rogers is not a big interception guy.

508
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:21,080
Speaker 1: Bridgewater is a total opposite cars a little bit right

509
00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:23,280
Speaker 1: right right, And they just played played some quarterbacks that

510
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,840
Speaker 1: don't the value of the football. Yeah, and maybe the

511
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,280
Speaker 1: Mayfields of the world come and could help you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

512
00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:31,800
Speaker 1: that's something to do with it. Yeah, and of course

513
00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:37,560
Speaker 1: the kicking game, oh, Boswell's Boswell and Harvin has had

514
00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,359
Speaker 1: some inconsistencies. But man, but I think he's the answer,

515
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: big leg. He kills it. And I think the coverage

516
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,040
Speaker 1: teams have been good. Yeah, you can't count it. But

517
00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:50,200
Speaker 1: the blocked field goal that should have been a touchdown

518
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,760
Speaker 1: was pretty nice, special thing with you know people shay

519
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,800
Speaker 1: makers not making any place. If that one gets counted, right,

520
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: that's a huge play of the year. Maybe you beat

521
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,439
Speaker 1: the Packers, right, you know, so I'm gonna go up

522
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,280
Speaker 1: on that. Yeah, I think it's been good. The return

523
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,840
Speaker 1: game has been okay, you know, not not the best,

524
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,639
Speaker 1: not the worst. No, it's fine. Yeah, it's kind of

525
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:12,160
Speaker 1: something that people don't care about. Yeah, the return games

526
00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:15,719
Speaker 1: have just kind of gone away in the NFL. No, right,

527
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:19,480
Speaker 1: especially the kickoff returners. No one's gonna keep a kickoff returner. Yeah,

528
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 1: it's pretty hard to do in this in this state

529
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:26,160
Speaker 1: of age. Yeah, if you're great, if you're awesome, they're

530
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:27,800
Speaker 1: not going to kick it to you. Yeah. Yeah, there's

531
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,960
Speaker 1: too much power by the kickers. But uh so that's good. Yeah, overall,

532
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,240
Speaker 1: I think we have more ups than I think so,

533
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,520
Speaker 1: which is surprising. That is um defensive line is the

534
00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,320
Speaker 1: one that's that's the problem. Yeah, and if it were

535
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,320
Speaker 1: trending the same way as the offensive line, you'd feel

536
00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,960
Speaker 1: really good about this team movement right right, And there

537
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 1: is a a wild card out there that could save

538
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,239
Speaker 1: the day. We'll see how that goes. Maybe they make

539
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,120
Speaker 1: a trade before maybe by the way, I mean, I'm

540
00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:56,840
Speaker 1: sure we'll talk trades the rest of the week, but

541
00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,879
Speaker 1: it sounds like the insider just think there's gonna be

542
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 1: more trades than ever brought up the Watson. So I

543
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,200
Speaker 1: think that goes to the to the fact that there's

544
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,080
Speaker 1: more there's some terrible teams. Yeah, there's more. There's more

545
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,119
Speaker 1: half nots than maybe ever before in the NFL, Like

546
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,280
Speaker 1: teams are just okay, we're six seven games into this.

547
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,560
Speaker 1: We had no chance. There's ten teams that don't have

548
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,320
Speaker 1: a chance. That the draft next year is loaded with players.

549
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:20,800
Speaker 1: Let's just let's just get out of this one. Yeah,

550
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,240
Speaker 1: I think that's definitely true. It's almost like major League

551
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:26,160
Speaker 1: Baseball this year, like the Pirates lost a hundred games

552
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:28,359
Speaker 1: and they get the fourth overall pick in the draft,

553
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,560
Speaker 1: like used to be, you lost a hundred games and

554
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:35,520
Speaker 1: in the Major League Baseball you had the number one. Yeah.

555
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,600
Speaker 1: I can't comment on the baseball thing. It just amazed

556
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,160
Speaker 1: me that they didn't. They always lose a hundred games.

557
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:42,639
Speaker 1: I don't know, they're just so bad they've done it.

558
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,040
Speaker 1: This is the fourth time since like the fifties. Yeah,

559
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:51,760
Speaker 1: losing a hundred games is tough to um. But yeah,

560
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,040
Speaker 1: you're right. I do think that the trade deadline will

561
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,080
Speaker 1: be interesting this year. We'll talk about that next. ESPN

562
00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,760
Speaker 1: has got a little interesting take a look at that.

563
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:03,440
Speaker 1: So obviously the watching rumors are flying like crazy. Absolutely, yeah,

564
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 1: we'll do that when we return. He is Matt Williamson.

565
00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,399
Speaker 1: I'm Dale Lally. You're listening to the Drive here on

566
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,440
Speaker 1: Steelers Nation Radio. We'll be back with more right after

567
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 1: this