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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: Welcome to the Drive. I am Dale LOLLI he is

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Speaker 2: the Matt Williamson and of course the Steelers making some

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Speaker 2: big news today for the first time, not just relieving

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Speaker 2: an offensive coordinator or a coordinator of his duties, but

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Speaker 2: firing him in mid season. They've they've moved away from

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Speaker 2: or taken play calling duties away from guys in best race.

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Speaker 2: Sherman comes to mind, changes his response, Yeah, nineteen ninety eight,

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Speaker 2: but they had never taken the move of actually firing

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Speaker 2: the coordinator. And it all comes down to one thing, Matt,

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Speaker 2: what the Steelers haven't done recently, which.

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Speaker 3: Is complete passes.

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Speaker 2: Complete passes.

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Speaker 3: He complete more passes. Yep, that's the.

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Speaker 2: Goal here, That is the goal. You know, whether this

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Speaker 2: does that, we don't know.

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Speaker 3: We don't know.

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Speaker 2: I don't know.

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Speaker 3: Coordinator hires are always hard for me. Any assistant coach

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Speaker 3: stuff is hard for me because I've been in the

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Speaker 3: building and I know what they do, and I know

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Speaker 3: the public doesn't know what they do, and I don't

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Speaker 3: know what they do now. I will say, I need

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Speaker 3: to stress this to no end. They've played the hardest

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Speaker 3: schedule of defenses and it's not even close. I mean

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Speaker 3: it's not even close. So higher fire whatever, I would

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Speaker 3: expect things from this point forward. Yeah, because the people

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Speaker 3: they're playing are worse.

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Speaker 2: Until they get to the Ravens in week seven eighteen.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean yeah, there's it's not like until they

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Speaker 3: get to that.

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Speaker 2: I mean right, They've played a ridiculous slate of defenses.

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Speaker 3: To the defenses, and I gets easier as it should

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Speaker 3: because it's been very, very difficult. That's not an excuse.

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Speaker 3: You still need to win, you still need to complete

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Speaker 3: more pass It's.

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Speaker 2: A it's a result driven business. There's no offens or

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Speaker 2: buts about it.

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Speaker 3: Yes, but.

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Speaker 2: I think what happened, you know, Mike Tomlin looked at

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Speaker 2: this and said, Okay, we're six and four. We can't

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Speaker 2: continue to do that. Something something has to change. Something

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Speaker 2: has to change, and I don't want to change the

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Speaker 2: quarterback at this point. So beyond not changing the quarterback,

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Speaker 2: what other change can I make? Well? I can, I

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Speaker 2: can change who's calling the place. Here's the thing, folks,

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Speaker 2: the playbook's not getting changed. The playbook is the playbook.

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Speaker 3: Right, You're not going to go back to day one

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Speaker 3: mini camp install in practice.

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Speaker 2: Somebody asked the question. Somebody asked actually asked the question

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Speaker 2: today in the press conference, Mike Tomlin, did you look

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Speaker 2: outside the building to bring somebody in in the middle

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Speaker 2: of a season? Are you out of your mind?

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Speaker 3: You could bring someone in as a consultant. You can't

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Speaker 3: bring someone in be like, hey, why you install your

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Speaker 3: in the.

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Speaker 2: Next three days? Right, Let's see what we get to run.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean we'll all learn French tomorrow and have

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Speaker 3: there's some Rosetta stone here for that, and we'll all

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Speaker 3: have huge frenchmen chasing us, trying to kill us, and

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Speaker 3: we the only way to fend them off as we

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Speaker 3: know French perfectly tomorrow. Now, the sequencing of plays will change, Yes,

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Speaker 3: tendencies and maybe there's a section of the playbook that

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Speaker 3: they just throw in the fire. I mean, you might

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Speaker 3: trim things, you might have an idea or two, Like

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Speaker 3: I'm keeping an eye out for more play action, more

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Speaker 3: middle of the field throws. But I've seen middle of

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Speaker 3: the field receivers open and the ball doesn't go to them.

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Speaker 2: I've seen those throws turn down. Yes, now maybe the

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Speaker 2: emphasis becomes on making those throws.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, right or right?

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Speaker 2: Uh you know that that. You know, I just don't

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Speaker 2: expect it to look night and day. And I think

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Speaker 2: that's kind of what the expectation is for a lot

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Speaker 2: of people. Know they're gonna come out and they're gonna

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Speaker 2: run the football and they're going to play off of that.

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Speaker 3: And frankly, if they get three hundred and twenty five

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Speaker 3: yards of offense and twenty two points on Sunday, please

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Speaker 3: don't tweet me. See that was all.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I fully expected them, regardless of who the coordinator

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Speaker 2: is we talked about yesterday, still look good on offense

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Speaker 2: against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. No, I think they should have more success, way

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Speaker 3: more success than against the Browns. I'll tell you that

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Speaker 3: in Cleveland. Yeah. I mean, if they didn't show more

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Speaker 3: success no matter who's in charge going forward this week,

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Speaker 3: that would have been very alarming to me. I mean

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Speaker 3: that's something I was gonna predict, and we did yesterday

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Speaker 3: to some degree. I mean, it's an easier opponent. I

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Speaker 3: expect them still to run the ball a lot. I

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Speaker 3: expect them still to be adverse to turnovers, you know.

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Speaker 3: I mean those messages I think come from the head coach,

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Speaker 3: and it's still the head coach and still the same

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Speaker 3: owner and those things. Maybe there'll be some more passing

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Speaker 3: game concepts that are a little different, But I don't

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Speaker 3: think the untrained eye would look at the offense and

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Speaker 3: be like, wow, it's drastically different. I don't think the

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Speaker 3: trained eye would look at it and be like, wow,

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Speaker 3: it's drastically different. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Here's here's what the Bengals have allowed this year in

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Speaker 2: terms of points. Twenty four, twenty seven, sixteen, twenty seven,

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Speaker 2: twenty thirteen, seventeen eighteen, had a little stretcher where they

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Speaker 2: were pretty good, and then the last two weeks has

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Speaker 2: been thirty and thirty four.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, and they're gonna get less help from their

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Speaker 3: offense now than at any point since Burrow was healthy.

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Speaker 2: You know, if you look at the at the total yard.

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Speaker 3: Shocked the defense as bad as it is.

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Speaker 2: Listen to these yardage totals.

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Speaker 3: I bit, they're high.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, three point fifty four fifteen, two ninety two against

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Speaker 2: the Rams. Okay, four hundred that's against the Titans against

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Speaker 2: the Titans, two ninety four against the Cardinals. Uh three

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Speaker 2: eighty four four sixty three, seventeen five, four and four

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Speaker 2: oh five. Yes, the Steelers offense is go. It had

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Speaker 2: better look better this week if it doesn't, now you now.

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Speaker 3: What, Yeah, I just know everyone isn't. Just like, why

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Speaker 3: didn't they do that earlier? It would have been so

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Speaker 3: much better. I don't know that it would have been.

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Speaker 3: I know that. Yeah, Kyle Shanahan could have been Bill Walsh.

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Speaker 2: Could have could have come out and coordinated that game

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Speaker 2: on Sunday, And I don't know that it would have

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Speaker 2: looked more it would it looked? Would it look better? Yes?

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Speaker 2: Might they have scored fourteen points to win the game, yes, exactly.

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Speaker 2: But to put it all on you know, the plate

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Speaker 2: of this wasn't all on Matt Canada. That is my point.

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Speaker 3: To look at it like BC and AC, you know

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Speaker 3: what I mean, Like since that point they were really good.

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Speaker 2: Well, now that being said, he wasn't correcting the problems.

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Speaker 2: Kenny Pickett had looked worse and worse in the last

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Speaker 2: couple of weeks. That has to change.

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Speaker 3: And I'm not objecting to the move. I mean by

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Speaker 3: no means I think some thing had to change.

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Speaker 2: I'm surprised by them, Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I mean Steeler history shows. As you've opened the show

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Speaker 3: with that, that's not usually their move. But you could

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Speaker 3: also see players getting frustrated. This needs to change things

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Speaker 3: like that.

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Speaker 2: And I think that's kind of what that what pushed

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Speaker 2: this exactly, not that not that Mike Tomlin was in

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Speaker 2: danger of losing the locker room. But again, you can't

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Speaker 2: The players are the players.

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Speaker 3: They're frustrated.

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Speaker 2: You have to You're not gonna you can't change you

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Speaker 2: can't change the players that display and everybody, especially offensively,

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Speaker 2: everybody's playing that. I mean, who who do you want

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Speaker 2: to see play that? Not playing at all?

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Speaker 3: Right, I'm sure there's people like, well Warren needs to

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Speaker 3: be the feature back, Okay, give them five more carries

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Speaker 3: a game. But well, here's the thing, he's going to

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Speaker 3: be a part of it either way.

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Speaker 2: The guy who makes that decision is Eddie Faulkner, who

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Speaker 2: plays and when what plays within the scope of his room.

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Speaker 3: People might not even know that, you know, the position

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Speaker 3: coach is like, get in there, Jalen.

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Speaker 2: That's not that's not a coordinating And now the coordinator

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Speaker 2: and head coach have say no, we want this guy.

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Speaker 3: But most of the play with eleven personnel most of

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Speaker 3: the time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, there, most of the time, it's the it's the

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Speaker 2: position coach who decides, Okay, this this guy's in there

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Speaker 2: in this situation when you're rotating guys and things of

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Speaker 2: that nature. Offensive line is different, yeah, because those guys

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Speaker 2: are on the field constantly. Quarterbacks different because those guys

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Speaker 2: are on the field constantly. But the rotations are decided

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Speaker 2: by the position coach fresh not yea.

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Speaker 3: Then the players, they can pull themselves out each a lot.

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Speaker 3: I'll come off the field, or you know, a back

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Speaker 3: will tap out, or receiver runs go routes and just

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Speaker 3: goes right to the sideline. But I wonder, and what's

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Speaker 3: what's interesting from and hard from where we're gonna sit here,

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Speaker 3: is is that a Canada change, a Falconer change or

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Speaker 3: was it that change coming anyway? So, like the Steelers

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Speaker 3: are really high in eleven personnel in the league. Well,

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Speaker 3: Fiarm's been hurt, you know, like if all of a

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Speaker 3: sudden they start using a lot more twelve. That happened

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Speaker 3: to coincide with Fierman, No, you got that guy back. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: that was Canada's plan anyway, you know, like maybe Tomlins

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Speaker 3: was that was his plan from the beginning. I'm pretty

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Speaker 3: sure the plan wasn't. Hey, Matt Canada, coach Canada, you

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Speaker 3: get all the hard games and we'll give the easier

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Speaker 3: ones to somebody else. Like, I don't think that was it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I I the other thing that really kind

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Speaker 2: of it bothers me that people were celebrating somebody losing

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Speaker 2: their job.

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Speaker 3: I got fired, you know. I mean I use this example.

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Speaker 3: My son went to school with Keith Haley's son. Act.

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Speaker 2: Well, there you go, Keith Hale. I don't know who.

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Speaker 3: He's a good dude. But anyway, riverboat captain interesting Okay,

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Speaker 3: But anyways, Todd son couldn't go to school for a while,

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Speaker 3: you know, like he was in like third grade being

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Speaker 3: human beings? You know what are we doing?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's just it was a tough situation.

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Speaker 2: That's why I felt bad from for Matt Canada because

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Speaker 2: it's it. I don't believe that it was all Matt

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Speaker 2: Canada's fault. No, the players have to execute one person's fault.

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Speaker 2: I don't care what places you're calling if you don't

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Speaker 2: execute them.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Uh, I can remember when we had J. T. Thomas

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Speaker 2: on a couple of years ago at the he was

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Speaker 2: out of training camp and and JT. Thomas telling us

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Speaker 2: the Steelers defense in the seventies had basically three three plays,

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Speaker 2: right right, Like that's all they did. That's all did

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Speaker 2: because they.

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Speaker 3: Were better, better, and they could shout.

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Speaker 2: As they could shout across the line of scrimmage of

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Speaker 2: the quarterbok, Hey we're cover two.

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Speaker 3: Still, maybe we'll blitz Lambert this time, you know, maybe

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Speaker 3: or whatever. Its side note, But like in those conversations,

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Speaker 3: that's when we were people were lobbying to get Donnie

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Speaker 3: Shell in the Hall of Fame. He's like, well, if

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Speaker 3: they brought three receivers, Donnie would just be our nickel corner.

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Speaker 3: There wasn't nickel corners back then, Like oh, okay.

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Speaker 2: And and and that's what the offenses were. There wasn't

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Speaker 2: all this scheming and like the quarterbacks calling the plays

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Speaker 2: they had maybe, I honestly, how many plays do they

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Speaker 2: have the court? Like May twenty five? You go into

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Speaker 2: a game of twenty five plays, We're gonna run the

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Speaker 2: same trap play here comes eighteen times.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, and then again, and the defenses weren't diverse.

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Speaker 3: Sometimes you bring a third, third receiver out. That was

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Speaker 3: revolutionary start throwing the tight ends was revolutionary. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: You know, I can remember Kevin Dotson when when he

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Speaker 2: got drafted by the Steelers. One of the stories on

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Speaker 2: him was that he would tell because he played at

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Speaker 2: a small you know, a smaller du Yeah, Louisiana State States.

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Speaker 2: He was at just yeah, flat louis It was just Louisiana.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: He would tell the defensive lineman across room and what

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Speaker 2: the what the play was coming, because I don't care,

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Speaker 2: I was going to dominate him. Well, so you're saying,

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Speaker 2: well that guy knew what was coming, you still have

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Speaker 2: to stop it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, Like I'm sure Randy Johnson could go to

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Speaker 3: the miners yeah, rehab and be like here comes the heater.

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Speaker 2: He could do it in the majors too.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, but no, times are different. I mean, it's why

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Speaker 3: we went down that rabbit hole. But it was kind

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Speaker 3: of fun. It's a massive job. It's a complex job.

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Speaker 3: I'm betting the product on the field is better. I

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Speaker 3: don't know that the coaching will be better, And maybe

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Speaker 3: it will be. We won't really know.

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Speaker 2: What we have seen. Like I compared it to Joe

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Speaker 2: Brady taking over the play calling duties this past week

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Speaker 2: for the for the Buffalo Bills. Well, hey, the Bills

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Speaker 2: went out there and they scored a bunch of points

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Speaker 2: against the Jets and they won. Yeah, because quarterback didn't

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Speaker 2: throw a bunch of interceptions. I guarantee you. The former

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Speaker 2: offensive coordinator there was not telling Josh Allen, Hey, Josh,

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Speaker 2: why don't you throw a couple to the other team

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Speaker 2: this week? And just to make just to make it

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Speaker 2: a little more challenging.

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Speaker 3: They were third in DVOA and e p A when

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Speaker 3: he got to let go. Yeah, you know, like that's

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Speaker 3: what third best offenses in the league do.

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Speaker 2: And sometimes these moves don't work, as we just saw

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Speaker 2: with Frank Reich and Carolina. Absolutely, you turn it over

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Speaker 2: to the other guy for three weeks and it doesn't

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Speaker 2: get any better. And he says, you know what, if

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Speaker 2: I'm going down, I'm going down calling my place.

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Speaker 3: The grass isn't always greener. But I do think it

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Speaker 3: was time to change the grass, you know. I mean

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Speaker 3: it sounded like.

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Speaker 2: I don't disagree. Something had to change. You couldn't continue

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Speaker 2: to do the same thing that you've been.

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Speaker 3: Doing because they don't complete enough.

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Speaker 2: Don't complete enough passes. They're auly one hundred and eighty

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Speaker 2: one yards rushing per game over the last three games.

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Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, that's you.

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Speaker 2: That would lead the league by a lot, by a lot.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean they're rocketing up all the lists and

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Speaker 3: everything too. I mean they're that part of the offense

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Speaker 3: isn't broken.

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Speaker 2: From Yeah, but they don't complete enough passes.

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Speaker 3: They do, and that has to change. Hopefully the new

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Speaker 3: coaches in charge, the new input will make life easier

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Speaker 3: on Kenny, or get him to let the ball go

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Speaker 3: when open guys are there more or well.

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Speaker 2: That's the conundrum. That's the conundrum here, Matt. You're averaging

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Speaker 2: one hundred and eighty rushing yards per game. Life should

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Speaker 2: be really easy for your quarterback in that situation.

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Speaker 3: It really should be, and it hasn't been at all.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you can't do it, you can. He's averaged i

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Speaker 2: think one hundred and twenty yards passing over the last

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Speaker 2: three games, with them averaging one hundred and eighty yards rushing.

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Speaker 2: And it's not because they're not throwing passes. It's because

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Speaker 2: they're not completing enough passes.

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Speaker 3: Completing enough passes. Yeah, they're getting the three hundred yards part,

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Speaker 3: the hard part you're doing. Yeah, the one hundred and

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Speaker 3: eighty part. Yeah, you should be about one hundred yard

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Speaker 3: rushing two hundred yards passing to get the three hundred

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Speaker 3: or whatever. But no, Picket needs to get better. Passing

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Speaker 3: game needs to get better. Protection needs to get better

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Speaker 3: than it was this past week. Maybe there will be

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Speaker 3: ways to scheme more guys open, but I have not

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Speaker 3: seen a lack of open receivers, especially over the last

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Speaker 3: month or so.

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Speaker 2: And what we're not privy to is what Picket has

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Speaker 2: been told that we will know something, and we'll never

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Speaker 2: know that in some of these situations coaching, Again.

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Speaker 3: What are they instructing him to do as he thought?

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Speaker 3: Assume he's just following orders or he wouldn't still be

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Speaker 3: out there. Yeah, I'm telling I know, they aren't telling

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Speaker 3: him to not complete passes.

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Speaker 2: Right, just like the Bills weren't telling Josh Allen to

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Speaker 2: throw interceptions right.

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Speaker 3: Or bring a twelfth guy out to try to drop

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Speaker 3: a block the extra point or whatever, a field goal. Whatever. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: I do wonder, and again we'll never know this. This

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Speaker 3: game day, prep, game week, prep change, you know, like,

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Speaker 3: does their install periods different is probably to some.

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Speaker 2: Degree, you know, well, you'll have different voices leading those meetings.

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Speaker 3: With the offense and they're gonna see things a little different.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Now, typically when you see something like this is

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Speaker 2: this is where it's going to be interesting because you

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Speaker 2: now have Eddie Faulkner coordinating the offense, but Mike Sullivan

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Speaker 2: calling it on game day.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. I was gonna ask you if you knew exactly

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Speaker 3: how that is laid out. Are they considered co coordinators

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Speaker 3: at the moment?

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Speaker 2: I guess yeah, Yeah, I mean so you know, during

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Speaker 2: the week, basically what Faulkner is going to be doing

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Speaker 2: is running the staff and the way the Steelers come

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Speaker 2: up with the game plan. Again, this wasn't just a

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Speaker 2: Matt Canada thing. No, they all have everybody has their

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Speaker 2: input a week.

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Speaker 3: It's not just I sit around do nothing until the

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Speaker 3: running backs come in the room and we coach them out. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: they're they they're in charge of protection, they're in charge.

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Speaker 2: Of so they all do their they all do their

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Speaker 2: individual field film study, or they do it all together.

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Speaker 2: They come up with a plan here's what we can

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Speaker 2: execute with our guys, and then they go to the

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Speaker 2: offensive coordinator. He comes up with the plan to Okay,

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Speaker 2: here's here's where we're gonna sequences or you know in

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Speaker 2: the end game stuff.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean if you go, if you walk through

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Speaker 3: the coaches area of a facility during the week, it's

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Speaker 3: very very quiet. All the defensive coaches are in their room,

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Speaker 3: you know, chewing and scratching and watching tape in a

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Speaker 3: dark room, and all the offensive coaches are in their

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Speaker 3: room unless it's press conference time or you know, like

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Speaker 3: all the other time that we don't know about is

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Speaker 3: almost always you know, in the room seven I mean

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Speaker 3: like auld pit, there would be six or seven eight

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Speaker 3: guys in the room, you know, the offense or NFL

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Speaker 3: will be more. There's a bigger coaching staff, you know,

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Speaker 3: you might have two defensive back coaches or whatever, and

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Speaker 3: they're all in there, you know, putting their ideas together.

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Speaker 3: They're watching their guys or watching the upcoming opponent and say,

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Speaker 3: well we try this, we should do that. You know.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that guys, that guy's the snickers bar. We need

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Speaker 2: attack him.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely. So everyone's job is gonna have to change a

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Speaker 3: little bit, you know, because you've one less person, one

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Speaker 3: less piece of the pie. But the pie the job

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Speaker 3: is still the same size. Yeah, the week, So that's

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Speaker 3: gonna be the interesting part. Of this and you know.

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Speaker 2: It's going to be There'll be subtle differences, there's no

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Speaker 2: doubt about it, no question, and in that that can help.

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Speaker 2: We've seen situations where again where that has helped things.

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Speaker 2: It makes the Steelers less predictable than they had been agreed.

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Speaker 3: Agreed, so we see different types of motions where we

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Speaker 3: see more play actions. Might Connor Hayward's snaps spike or

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Speaker 3: I'm just making stuff up. Might Austin be out there

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Speaker 3: more his role has been dropped more and more.

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Speaker 2: Maybe not if they're going to run the ball the

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Speaker 2: way they are agreed. That's Alan Robbins has been a big.

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Speaker 3: Part of that tight end blocker guy. Yeah, that's why

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Speaker 3: Austin's you know, stuff is down, you know, So it'll

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Speaker 3: be interesting. Maybe there are bigger changes than I'm letting on,

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Speaker 3: but I would be shocked.

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Speaker 2: At this point. We just don't know. Oh until we

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Speaker 2: see a couple of games. We won't even know after

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Speaker 2: just watching against Cincinnati, not because you need at least

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Speaker 2: a couple of games.

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Speaker 3: Anything could be a Cincinnati specific game plan. Yeah, no

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Speaker 3: matter what that they would plan in the day that

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Speaker 3: they were playing on doing last Cincinnati game, like well

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Speaker 3: we'll keep eighty percent of that and then we'll add something,

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Speaker 3: you know whatever. So especially at division game.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, he just it's it's it's gonna be interesting, but

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Speaker 2: it's definite gonna be interesting. To your point, again, let

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Speaker 2: me just go over those numbering they've given up three

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Speaker 2: point fifty four, fifteen two ninety two, four hundred two

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Speaker 2: ninety four, three eighty four, four sixty three, seventeen five,

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Speaker 2: forty four and four or five. They've given up nine

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Speaker 2: hundred and forty nine yards and sixty four points the last.

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Speaker 3: Two weeks, just the last two weeks.

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Speaker 2: Wow, that's against Houston and Baltimore. Now two good teams.

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Speaker 3: To good teams. But like when we talked about the

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Speaker 3: Browns defense last week, we'd say things like, yeah, ab

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Speaker 3: Arizona never quarterback, Tennessee's not very good. Well, these are

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Speaker 3: the same teams, yeah, you know, I mean not every

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Speaker 3: game is the same, but they're still the same teams

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Speaker 3: more or less. And Cincinnati's defense is very disappointing this year.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's certainly not been what it was, certainly what

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Speaker 2: it was supposed to be.

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Speaker 3: Anyways, they allow a lot of explosives. They're not good

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Speaker 3: on first downs. They have two new safeties that I

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Speaker 3: think has been somewhat of the problem too. But I'm

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Speaker 3: a little shocked that it's as blow average as it is.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we're gonna get to a break. He is Matt Williamson.

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Speaker 2: I am Dale Lollie. You're listening to the Drive here

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Speaker 2: on Steelers Nation Radio. We'll be back with more right

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Speaker 2: after this.

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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 in Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 2: Steeler fans, you can gear up with the latest sideline apparel,

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00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,960
Speaker 2: hats or jerseys of your favorite players, authentic memorobilia, custom

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00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,520
Speaker 2: items and exclusives you can only find directly from the

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00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,120
Speaker 2: team at one of the official Steelers pro shops. They're

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00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,439
Speaker 2: located to Deckracer Stadium, gro City and Premium Outlets or

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00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:14,840
Speaker 2: Tangle Outlets, or visit online at shop dot Steelers dot com. Matt,

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Speaker 2: we mentioned this this Bengals defense. They're giving up three

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Speaker 2: hundred and eighty six point one yards per game. There's

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Speaker 2: actually two defenses worse than that, which is hardly it's

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Speaker 2: the Chargers in the Broncos brutal the Broncos are still

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Speaker 2: giving up four hundred yards total yards per game.

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Speaker 3: They had won awful one, but they've had a lot

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Speaker 3: about us too.

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Speaker 2: The Bengals allow two hundred and forty seven point eight

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Speaker 2: passing yards per game and one hundred and thirty eight

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Speaker 2: point three rushing yards per game, So you could pretty

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Speaker 2: much a lot of times when you see numbers like

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Speaker 2: like if you look at, say the Chargers, people look

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Speaker 2: at the Chargers and say, well, the Chargers a run defense.

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Speaker 2: They're only giving up one hundred and tw rushing yards

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Speaker 2: per game. They must have a good run defense, not

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Speaker 2: necessarily because you're allowing two ninety one point six through

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Speaker 2: the air. Teams are choosing not to run the ball

436
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:08,399
Speaker 2: as much against.

437
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,200
Speaker 3: You, you know, Like we talked about that a lot

438
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,760
Speaker 3: with the back to back Jags Titans games, that they

439
00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,200
Speaker 3: excel stopping the run. Therefore teams throw against them more,

440
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,520
Speaker 3: you know, and they're kind of a pass funnel team. Now,

441
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,919
Speaker 3: sometimes you're as bad at both, which seems to be

442
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:23,560
Speaker 3: the case.

443
00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,760
Speaker 2: With Cincinnati's the second worst run defense in the league.

444
00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:30,680
Speaker 2: Now Denver's giving up one hundred and sixty rushing yards

445
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,080
Speaker 2: per game. They're dead last Cincinnati's what w one thirty

446
00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,520
Speaker 2: eight point three, that's next to last, So there's a

447
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:39,160
Speaker 2: twenty two yard difference then between them and the next team.

448
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:40,320
Speaker 2: But here's the thing.

449
00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:41,480
Speaker 3: I mean, it's still horrible.

450
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,840
Speaker 2: Five yards per carry, five yards per carry, Like people

451
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,480
Speaker 2: aren't just nickeling like this isn't Oh, they're just sticking

452
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,520
Speaker 2: with the run a lot, and you know, averaging four

453
00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 2: yards of carry against you know, five yards rushing per game.

454
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,240
Speaker 3: And sometimes when we look at some of those big

455
00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,760
Speaker 3: numbers garbage time, they're just running like crazy or something

456
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 3: like that. But this is they run the ball well

457
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,720
Speaker 3: against the Bengals. Yeah, and consistently.

458
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,080
Speaker 2: The one thing that they've done well, which is also

459
00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:13,800
Speaker 2: the one thing that Denver has done well, if they

460
00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:14,920
Speaker 2: forced ten fumbles.

461
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,439
Speaker 3: Well, what's really interesting is, I think everyone at this

462
00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,120
Speaker 3: point knows the Steelers have been great with turnover differential.

463
00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,080
Speaker 3: They're best in the league. But if you mimic, if

464
00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,080
Speaker 3: you just go to turnover differential, the Bengals almost have

465
00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,720
Speaker 3: the exact same numbers. Their turnover differential is only one less.

466
00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:35,040
Speaker 3: They cause like one fewer interceptions. The offensive stuff, I

467
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,520
Speaker 3: think is exactly the same. Fumbles and interceptions are the

468
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,520
Speaker 3: same numbers. So they're living off that a little bit too,

469
00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:43,920
Speaker 3: because the defense hasn't been good and their offense was

470
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,240
Speaker 3: really bad when when Burrow's not been himself, will put

471
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:47,600
Speaker 3: it that way.

472
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:49,879
Speaker 2: Denver's giving up five and a half yards per carry,

473
00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,960
Speaker 2: by the way, that's I mean, that's just awful.

474
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,280
Speaker 3: Yeah, they've ben a chance to help thank for that too.

475
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,960
Speaker 2: Yeah. But yeah, so five yards per carry. Those are

476
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,760
Speaker 2: the only two teams in the league allowing five or

477
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,440
Speaker 2: more yards rushing per game, or five more yards per

478
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,600
Speaker 2: carry per game. The Steelers are now at four point

479
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,640
Speaker 2: four yards rushing per game. I think over the over

480
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,840
Speaker 2: the last I looked at the number going into the

481
00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,320
Speaker 2: last their previous three games. Going into the game against

482
00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,560
Speaker 2: the Browns, it was three point eight yards per carry,

483
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:18,680
Speaker 2: and it went down from that one because the only

484
00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,840
Speaker 2: gave up three point one yards. The defense.

485
00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:24,480
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, since Cam has been back, it's been very

486
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,640
Speaker 3: very good. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think you're ting about

487
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,680
Speaker 3: steel offense against the Bengals defense, which also is going

488
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:30,280
Speaker 3: the right direction.

489
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that I mean some of the stuff they

490
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:37,960
Speaker 2: gave up some explosive runs early in the season, those

491
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,199
Speaker 2: are kind of gone away. Screen Bay had one that

492
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,960
Speaker 2: you know, but you know they've they've been pretty consistent

493
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,120
Speaker 2: with that. So you can run on this Bengals team,

494
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:50,560
Speaker 2: but you can also throw on this Bengals yea.

495
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:52,480
Speaker 3: And I don't think their defense as bad players.

496
00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,680
Speaker 2: No, No, I don't think so either.

497
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:56,520
Speaker 3: I haven't wrapped my head around what is the big

498
00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,760
Speaker 3: problem here, because it's not all boy they've been in

499
00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,240
Speaker 3: the few too much or they've been hit hard by injuries.

500
00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:02,840
Speaker 2: Not really.

501
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:04,680
Speaker 3: I mean it's not unusual.

502
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,399
Speaker 2: They're giving up eight yards per pass attempt, yeah, which

503
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:12,639
Speaker 2: is next to last. Yeah. The only team worse than

504
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,520
Speaker 2: that is the Chargers at eight point one. So it's

505
00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:18,800
Speaker 2: the deep ball you're they're giving up deep stuff. Now,

506
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,000
Speaker 2: only thirteen touchdown passes allowed this year and they have

507
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:28,360
Speaker 2: twelve interceptions. The twelve interceptions was that second ty tight Yeah,

508
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,159
Speaker 2: tie for second. San Francisco leads with with fourteen. A

509
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,240
Speaker 2: big part of that has been the inside linebackers, Yes,

510
00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:37,200
Speaker 2: getting their their hands on the ball, and they're good.

511
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,920
Speaker 3: They cover a lot of ground. Pratt and Wilson yeah players.

512
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,679
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I don't necessarily, but they've had issues covering

513
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:43,240
Speaker 2: tight ends.

514
00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, they have. I know that in the fantasy world.

515
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:46,359
Speaker 3: They're like at the bottom the.

516
00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:50,600
Speaker 2: League, bottom the league in that you know, obviously, Yeah,

517
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,400
Speaker 2: there's a lot of bad players.

518
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,479
Speaker 3: The defensive front's good. I mean, I'm not sure exactly

519
00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:58,200
Speaker 3: what the issues are, but I will find out.

520
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a it's a complete disconnect. I mean, the

521
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,560
Speaker 2: Steelers pass defense has not been great this year. No,

522
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:10,040
Speaker 2: it's it's very middle of the package. Completion percentage is awesome. Yeah,

523
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,520
Speaker 2: fifty eight point fours tops towards.

524
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,520
Speaker 3: The top of the lake, and they take the ball

525
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:16,680
Speaker 3: away and they create.

526
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, they've given up twelve touchdown passes eleven interceptions. Yeah,

527
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,359
Speaker 2: so I mean they're not giving up the touchdowns, no,

528
00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,919
Speaker 2: but they're picking the ball off. But they're giving up

529
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:26,879
Speaker 2: some plays.

530
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:28,879
Speaker 3: But we know receivers have had big days.

531
00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, not so much as recently though.

532
00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,240
Speaker 3: No, Maury wasn't great, and you know, Hopkins wasn't great.

533
00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:36,359
Speaker 3: I think Porter being in there has something to do

534
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:36,480
Speaker 3: with that.

535
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, so they've cleaned up some of these things.

536
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:39,680
Speaker 2: Now it's just a.

537
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,920
Speaker 3: Matter of complete more pass completing.

538
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,600
Speaker 2: More passes and and maybe you got something. And I

539
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,280
Speaker 2: think that's I think that's when you when you start

540
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,720
Speaker 2: looking at why the Steelers made this move. Now, yes

541
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,680
Speaker 2: they're six, they could have looked a we're six and four,

542
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,399
Speaker 2: We're right in the mix of this thing. We're in

543
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:58,240
Speaker 2: good shape. But you don't want to keep living the

544
00:25:58,240 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 2: way that you were living.

545
00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,000
Speaker 3: It's a hard way to live. And frankly, I think

546
00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,640
Speaker 3: they would be with an average NFL passing game. They're

547
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,560
Speaker 3: the eighth best team in the league, you know, something

548
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:12,360
Speaker 3: like that, maybe an eight and two team right now,

549
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,040
Speaker 3: or challenging for a division title with an average NFL

550
00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 3: passing game, you know, I mean that means protection, that

551
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,200
Speaker 3: means routes, quarterback, all the above.

552
00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I you know, and I look at what's

553
00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:27,119
Speaker 2: happening right now in the AFC, and we'll get to

554
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:28,800
Speaker 2: a little a little bit more on this and when

555
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,920
Speaker 2: we do power rankings later. Does Kansas City look nearly

556
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:34,600
Speaker 2: as scary as it has in previous years.

557
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:35,920
Speaker 3: They don't think receivers that can catch.

558
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,520
Speaker 2: They don't have any receivers.

559
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:39,800
Speaker 3: Any receivers period. They do not.

560
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,359
Speaker 2: Even Patrick Mahomes can't elevate that passing game. Once you

561
00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:46,760
Speaker 2: take once you take Kelsey out of the equation, it's

562
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:47,880
Speaker 2: a bunch of guys.

563
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:51,000
Speaker 3: And I wonder if Kelsey is losing a slight step

564
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,320
Speaker 3: and he seems to have off the field interest.

565
00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:55,280
Speaker 2: Might be it might have might be a little distracted

566
00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:56,720
Speaker 2: at this point.

567
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:58,320
Speaker 3: But still, I mean, I thought that was what happened

568
00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,520
Speaker 3: to him last year when Tyreek got traded. I'm quadrupled.

569
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,720
Speaker 2: Well, now the teams are doing that. Yeah, they don't

570
00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:06,640
Speaker 2: have Yeah, they don't have the receivers to beat it.

571
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 2: They don't look particularly scary. We've seen the Ravens, the

572
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,600
Speaker 2: Steelers beat the Ravens. I'm just talking about teams in general.

573
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,840
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, Okay, I mean, yes, they're good, but

574
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 2: they're not dominant.

575
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,119
Speaker 3: No, I mean the Bengals don't exist anymore.

576
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,560
Speaker 2: The Bengals are out. Like going into the season, the

577
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,720
Speaker 2: teams that you looked at that, okay, you got you

578
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:29,920
Speaker 2: got to get past Kansas City, you got to get

579
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,360
Speaker 2: past uh Cincinnati, you got to get past Buffalo. Those

580
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,440
Speaker 2: are the three big dogs in the a f C. Yeah,

581
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,919
Speaker 2: well two of them have been neutered. Yeah, I'm not

582
00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,440
Speaker 2: sure the Bills are buried yet. I think the Bengals

583
00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 2: are buried. The Bengals are done.

584
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:42,560
Speaker 3: Bengals are done.

585
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,000
Speaker 2: The Bengals are done the Bills.

586
00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:45,720
Speaker 3: Bills have to do miraculous stuff.

587
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:47,359
Speaker 2: They're gonna have to come up with, Like they still

588
00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:50,400
Speaker 2: have to go to Philadelphia, they still get they still

589
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 2: get to play Miami, they still get to play Kansas City,

590
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,360
Speaker 2: and they still have to play Dallas.

591
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:56,959
Speaker 3: No, that's the thing is they just dug too big

592
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:57,320
Speaker 3: a hole.

593
00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,000
Speaker 2: Losing teams like New England and the Jets could be

594
00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:03,560
Speaker 2: what keeps them out of the playoff picture.

595
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, and a lot's going to change. And unfortunately we've seen,

596
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,480
Speaker 3: you know, watching injury, borrow injury, things like that that

597
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,960
Speaker 3: have changed things. But are the Browns a contender? I

598
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,040
Speaker 3: mean they're Jacksonville a contender, Miami a contender. Like I'm

599
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:19,680
Speaker 3: not saying to contend to get the dot.

600
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,480
Speaker 2: I don't know that those teams are markedly there. I

601
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 2: don't know that they're markedly better than the Steelers.

602
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,480
Speaker 3: If the Steelers complete more passes.

603
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:31,840
Speaker 2: The bit just works all week.

604
00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,359
Speaker 3: Fortunately for our listeners only a three day week, five days.

605
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:38,240
Speaker 3: I would drive them.

606
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,520
Speaker 2: If they could only see us here every time, you know,

607
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,920
Speaker 2: we do it. It's just but they could really stand

608
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,200
Speaker 2: the complete more passes. They really need to go to

609
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,760
Speaker 2: complete more if if they if they just to your point,

610
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,800
Speaker 2: if it's just an NFL average passing game, if you

611
00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:58,760
Speaker 2: can strive to get average, they would be a really

612
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,120
Speaker 2: hard team, especially run the ball the way that they

613
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 2: are exactly. I mean, if everything else is in place,

614
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:05,360
Speaker 2: and yeah, you'll have some injuries, but you also get

615
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,720
Speaker 2: Minka back, and if all that stuff says reasonably even

616
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:12,280
Speaker 2: and Boz still makes kicks, the defense is dangerous. Yeah,

617
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,200
Speaker 2: the running game is dangerous. Yeah, rookies keep getting better.

618
00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, if you could have an average passing game, you

619
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,880
Speaker 3: would be a good team. Yeah, top ten type of team.

620
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,000
Speaker 2: So, I mean that's what I think Mike Tomlin was

621
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,680
Speaker 2: looking at here, like we just need to find a way.

622
00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,760
Speaker 3: To Yeah, we need to complete more passes.

623
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 2: So you know, if they can do that, like even

624
00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:40,360
Speaker 2: like people talk about Miami like there's something like like, yeah,

625
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,160
Speaker 2: they're good. They just scored twenty one points again at

626
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 2: home against the Raiders.

627
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, people are starting to figure out the offense. And

628
00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,000
Speaker 3: they are a finesse team, you know, like they're not

629
00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,760
Speaker 3: going to bully you and just run the ball down

630
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,840
Speaker 3: your throat over and over and over. They will Schematically, you.

631
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,320
Speaker 2: Can do that to them. Yeah, yeah, you can bully

632
00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,560
Speaker 2: them a little bit offensively and keep them off the field.

633
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 3: I know they haven't but I think on their best

634
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 3: day they could beat anyone. But they haven't come.

635
00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:06,440
Speaker 2: They haven't done it. They haven't done.

636
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:08,640
Speaker 3: It at all. I mean that's worrisome for sure.

637
00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 2: You know, when I looked at they're they're they're trumpeting

638
00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:16,360
Speaker 2: beating the Raiders as being a big win.

639
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,000
Speaker 3: I don't think the Raiders are good. Yeah out there

640
00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,560
Speaker 3: you like to me, the Niners are scary, right, you

641
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:25,760
Speaker 3: know the Niners could.

642
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,080
Speaker 2: Be Well, that's the thing, all the all the scary teams.

643
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,040
Speaker 3: I think Dallas can be scary. I think Phillies still

644
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,120
Speaker 3: figuring things out. But then one loss Kansas City.

645
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 2: And Dallas, to me though, is still kind of in

646
00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 2: the same boat as Miami. They haven't beaten anybody.

647
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,600
Speaker 3: They beat bad teams badly, and they don't beat the

648
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:42,040
Speaker 3: good ones.

649
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:44,760
Speaker 2: I mean, I look at this now. You know, before

650
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:48,840
Speaker 2: beating the big win against the five and five Raiders,

651
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,840
Speaker 2: Miami's signature win was over the.

652
00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 3: Chargers, which looked better then than now.

653
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,560
Speaker 2: It doesn't look good now. Yeah, you know, if you

654
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,000
Speaker 2: look at who they when they've lost games or when

655
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,000
Speaker 2: they've played teams you know with the winning records. Lost

656
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,400
Speaker 2: forty eight twenty to Buffalo, they lost thirty one seventeen

657
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:13,000
Speaker 2: to Philadelphia. They lost twenty one to fourteen to Kansas City.

658
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:14,960
Speaker 2: You know, they eked out. It was a twenty to

659
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,800
Speaker 2: thirteen win over the Raiders. That offense. Everybody looked at

660
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,360
Speaker 2: that seventy point point game at Ysome. Yeah, you know,

661
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:22,960
Speaker 2: coming off of the you know, Week one, they'd scored

662
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,800
Speaker 2: thirty six against the Chargers. We now know the Chargers defense.

663
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,520
Speaker 2: That was the worst matchup in the world for the Chargers.

664
00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:31,400
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, we just talked about that last night.

665
00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:32,960
Speaker 2: They can't they can't cover anybody.

666
00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:35,600
Speaker 3: No, it's horrible. And plus if you lose some of

667
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,360
Speaker 3: your advantages with the Miami heat and things like that

668
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,560
Speaker 3: early in the season, and your speed diminishes as the

669
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,360
Speaker 3: season goes on, just from wear and tear. Yeah, I mean,

670
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,280
Speaker 3: and I do think because they're such a unique offense,

671
00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,600
Speaker 3: people have figured it out a little. I just don't.

672
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,080
Speaker 3: I have respect for the Dolphins. I think they have

673
00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,600
Speaker 3: done some really good things. I like their head coach,

674
00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 3: but I'd be shocked if they go on a playoff run.

675
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:01,800
Speaker 3: You got to beat these teams they've talked about.

676
00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,000
Speaker 2: Well. The other thing is, I know when the Steelers

677
00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 2: went down there last year and when of Kenny Pickt's

678
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,680
Speaker 2: first starts, just sixteen to ten game, Yeah, and the

679
00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 2: Steelers were throwing into the end zone twice in the

680
00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,440
Speaker 2: last four minutes of that game with an opportunity to

681
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:14,720
Speaker 2: win it.

682
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was one that slipped away. I mean, there

683
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:18,280
Speaker 3: was two or three of those AFC games last year

684
00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:20,840
Speaker 3: where you looked at and like, easily could have won,

685
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:22,160
Speaker 3: should have won at least one of them.

686
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,640
Speaker 2: And so while I respect Miami, yeah, yeah, they don't,

687
00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,760
Speaker 2: I'm not. I'm not. If I'm the Steelers, I'm not

688
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,040
Speaker 2: afraid of going into Miami and playing them again.

689
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:31,200
Speaker 3: No, neither me neither.

690
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:34,560
Speaker 2: So so that to me is the entire AFC playoff field. Yeah,

691
00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:35,920
Speaker 2: I don't want to go to Kansas City.

692
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,320
Speaker 3: Kansas City is still frightening because of what they've done

693
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:39,000
Speaker 3: in the past, and.

694
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,360
Speaker 2: That place is tough to play. But I don't. If

695
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,520
Speaker 2: I'm the Steelers, I don't fear going to Baltimore. I

696
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:44,520
Speaker 2: do that twice a year.

697
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:48,320
Speaker 3: No, and I think Baltimore might be the best team

698
00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:51,720
Speaker 3: in the AFC. I mean maybe, but they seem to

699
00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:53,280
Speaker 3: slip up more than they should too.

700
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:54,960
Speaker 2: They can't hold leads.

701
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that's a fatal flaw for them right now.

702
00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:58,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know that's a problem.

703
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:00,960
Speaker 3: And if we were on Baltimore would be like, hold

704
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,520
Speaker 3: more leads, complete more passes.

705
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:05,680
Speaker 2: Well, it might be complete more passes. That's going to

706
00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:09,320
Speaker 2: be a problem for them. Now without Andrews, that's Lamars

707
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:09,640
Speaker 2: will be.

708
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,160
Speaker 3: That's a big, big loss. Likely we'll do some good things.

709
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,320
Speaker 2: But he's not. Yeah, he's not Andrews.

710
00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:16,840
Speaker 3: And he can't do the exact same stuff with them.

711
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,360
Speaker 2: So the AFC playoff race right now, to me, just

712
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,760
Speaker 2: get in. Oh yeah, I agree, Just get in and

713
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:25,720
Speaker 2: and anything could happen. This is this is going to

714
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:30,400
Speaker 2: be a one through seven. You know, even assuming the

715
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:32,320
Speaker 2: Browns make it. The Browns might be the only team

716
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:36,560
Speaker 2: that I would really be shocked if they made if

717
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,720
Speaker 2: if we said last week, this is the seven teams

718
00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:40,920
Speaker 2: that are in there right now. Yeah, we ago a

719
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:44,320
Speaker 2: week ago, which includes the division leaders and then Cleveland,

720
00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 2: Houston and Pittsburgh. We thought that was going to be

721
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:51,040
Speaker 2: the playoff field. Any of those teams could make a

722
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 2: run to the super Bowl except maybe Cleveland because of

723
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:55,360
Speaker 2: the quarterback situation. They could win a game.

724
00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,880
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, they could be really hard for to play.

725
00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:01,920
Speaker 2: But as we noted yesterday day, their defense isn't as

726
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,040
Speaker 2: good on the road as at home. They would need

727
00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:04,840
Speaker 2: to win the division.

728
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,320
Speaker 3: I think we haven't talked much about the upcoming schedule,

729
00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:09,240
Speaker 3: but they're a two and a half to three point

730
00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:11,440
Speaker 3: dog in Denver this week. Yeah, you know, like it

731
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,440
Speaker 3: wouldn't shock me if they lose to Denver, who's playing

732
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:18,360
Speaker 3: pretty well. Yeah, you know, so, I have great respect

733
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,160
Speaker 3: for where Cleveland's at, especially defensively, and they deserve to

734
00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 3: win that game. But that you sign Joe Flacco, Yeah.

735
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 2: Kind of tell you. It kind of tells you what

736
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 2: they think of the the young quarterback.

737
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,160
Speaker 3: Yeah. The offense is told together with its m a

738
00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,920
Speaker 3: guvert up with duct tape, and you know, so that

739
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:41,320
Speaker 3: worries me. But they could beat any team given, no question.

740
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:43,560
Speaker 2: Can they Can they string together three wins to get

741
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:44,880
Speaker 2: to the super Bowl? Probably not?

742
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,240
Speaker 3: Probably not. I don't think they can. But interesting stuff.

743
00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,279
Speaker 3: I think Jacksonville and Houston are interesting too. I think

744
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,240
Speaker 3: those organizations are moving the right direction.

745
00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:56,600
Speaker 2: Well, they got a huge game against each other this week.

746
00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, they played for the division lead this week. I

747
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,800
Speaker 3: think both could get in. I mean if the Steelers

748
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,120
Speaker 3: don't complete more passes.

749
00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:06,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think right now as things stand right now,

750
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,880
Speaker 2: I don't think and I know that both would be in.

751
00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:10,480
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, they are the Bills.

752
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:12,920
Speaker 2: And I would consider both of those two teams that

753
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,360
Speaker 2: if they got hot, yeah, could make a run at it.

754
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,480
Speaker 3: Could. I don't love the youth, you know, of the

755
00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:21,360
Speaker 3: quarterback and stuff. I think this is the year you

756
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:23,399
Speaker 3: learn how to win for them and then next year

757
00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,719
Speaker 3: you pick them to maybe go you know, both those teams,

758
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,920
Speaker 3: but they are trending the right direction. I think Houston

759
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,080
Speaker 3: might be coach of the Year candidate, you know. And

760
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:35,120
Speaker 3: people that were worried about Lawrence I thought were crazy.

761
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,160
Speaker 3: I mean, and he came out looked great this past week.

762
00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:39,080
Speaker 3: So those teams are trending the right direction.

763
00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:41,160
Speaker 2: As Trevor Lawrence is one and four in his career

764
00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:44,319
Speaker 2: against Houston, is he really one in four? Houston hasn't

765
00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:48,840
Speaker 2: been good. Yeah, in those years time they might that

766
00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,160
Speaker 2: division might be turning into a rock paper scissors.

767
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,040
Speaker 3: Then, Yeah, I don't think Tennantse's.

768
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:56,759
Speaker 2: Indianapolis can't win in Jacksonville no matter what their record is.

769
00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,520
Speaker 2: When I was thinking of the Titans always beat the Colts.

770
00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:02,560
Speaker 3: Titans the Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of that going on.

771
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:04,840
Speaker 3: And there's a lot of new quarterbacks, so maybe that's changing,

772
00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:06,000
Speaker 3: or maybe it's gona set and sowne.

773
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,640
Speaker 2: But I just I mean, for what we thought the

774
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,080
Speaker 2: AFC playoff picture was going to look like when the

775
00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:13,879
Speaker 2: season began, now not so much.

776
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 3: Chargers are shot.

777
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:15,920
Speaker 2: Chargers are out of it.

778
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,120
Speaker 3: Bengals are out of it. Yeah, right, and that's that's

779
00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:21,320
Speaker 3: the surprising stuff. Bengal Bills stuff is really surprising. Chargers

780
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:23,960
Speaker 3: is rather surprising. Yeah, it could be out of it

781
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:25,239
Speaker 3: in November twenty.

782
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,120
Speaker 2: First, Yeah, that's the next I mean to me, if

783
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:31,520
Speaker 2: if Baltimore goes out there this week and rolls them,

784
00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:33,600
Speaker 2: there could be there could be a coaching changing.

785
00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,160
Speaker 3: We had a good conversation on the podcast about I

786
00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,840
Speaker 3: brought up three teams that might take the raider route

787
00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:46,000
Speaker 3: and promote somebody that's rather qualified from within to see

788
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,080
Speaker 3: if you want to keep them. Yeah, and I think

789
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:52,920
Speaker 3: McCown with the Panthers is a maybe. I think the

790
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,759
Speaker 3: enemy with Washington could absolutely happen, and their schedule going

791
00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,200
Speaker 3: forward is awful, and I think the Chargers are the

792
00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:02,000
Speaker 3: most likely. I don't love Kellen Moore, but he gets

793
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:02,880
Speaker 3: his name is thrown.

794
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,160
Speaker 2: I'm not good. I'm a good defensive on that thing.

795
00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:08,719
Speaker 3: In terms of next year's higher I think would. But

796
00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:13,000
Speaker 3: at least my thought was, if you're an owner and

797
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,399
Speaker 3: sitting here on November twenty first, deep down you're like,

798
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:18,359
Speaker 3: I'm going to fire this guy, you know, I mean,

799
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,080
Speaker 3: there's a ninety eight percent chance that he doesn't make

800
00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:25,000
Speaker 3: it past Black Monday. Why not at least see if

801
00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:25,560
Speaker 3: the enemy.

802
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,640
Speaker 2: Here's the problem with those kinds of things, And this

803
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,120
Speaker 2: is this is why Dan Rooney always never one of

804
00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:35,839
Speaker 2: the He was completely against firing somebody in the middle

805
00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,520
Speaker 2: of a season, because if you bring in an interim guy,

806
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,799
Speaker 2: what if the interim guy does well, now there's going

807
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,120
Speaker 2: to be pressure on you to you may you may

808
00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:45,759
Speaker 2: know he's not the guy you didn't think he was

809
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:49,560
Speaker 2: the guy. The team catches fire a little bit because,

810
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:52,040
Speaker 2: for example, as we just talked about, now all of

811
00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:53,920
Speaker 2: a sudden, your schedule he's is up in your playings.

812
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,359
Speaker 2: So now there's going to be some pressure to keep

813
00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:58,560
Speaker 2: that guy as the coordinator or the head coach or

814
00:37:58,560 --> 00:37:59,239
Speaker 2: whatever it may be.

815
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,879
Speaker 3: Right, That's why I don't think the Bears do it,

816
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:05,200
Speaker 3: you know, but those teams, those guys at least have

817
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:07,480
Speaker 3: interviewed for head jobs before, you know. That's why I

818
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:10,480
Speaker 3: think if I can learn more about the enemy or whomever,

819
00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:13,759
Speaker 3: it's better than having less data on the guy. But

820
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:15,919
Speaker 3: like I was part of one in Cleveland when Butch

821
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,799
Speaker 3: got high who got fired? None of us thought that

822
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:22,040
Speaker 3: anyone in the staff was coming back every like Another

823
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,480
Speaker 3: good recent example is when Gruden got let go and

824
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:29,160
Speaker 3: they put in Versacia Rich and they had spark in life.

825
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:31,120
Speaker 3: But he's a lifetime Special Teams.

826
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,040
Speaker 2: And that's kind of what happens sometimes, you know that

827
00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,320
Speaker 2: you catch a little well, it's it's a change. The

828
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:39,960
Speaker 2: Raiders are good for that, and and so you go,

829
00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:41,759
Speaker 2: you win a few games, and then there's pressure to

830
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:42,840
Speaker 2: keep that guy.

831
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,359
Speaker 3: Even though deep down you think he's a special Teams code.

832
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,799
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, so, which I think it was with

833
00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:51,680
Speaker 2: Yeah anyway, so yeah, I think that you know, the

834
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:55,360
Speaker 2: AFC playoff race is open. Win this game this week.

835
00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,600
Speaker 3: By the one you got a complete more pass.

836
00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,759
Speaker 2: Completely more passes win this one. Your next you know,

837
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:02,200
Speaker 2: you don't play you don't play a team with a

838
00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:05,759
Speaker 2: winning record. For the next five games, you have five

839
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:07,600
Speaker 2: games in a row against teams with losing records.

840
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 3: I noticed the Bengals of the opposite everyone on their

841
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 3: schedule is five hundred and above. Yeah.

842
00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, so when you know, win four or five of

843
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:20,600
Speaker 2: these games, get on a little bit of a role

844
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,359
Speaker 2: here going. You know, if you can win at least

845
00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:25,520
Speaker 2: four of them, now you're sitting at ten wins. You

846
00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,040
Speaker 2: go in going into those games against Seattle in Baltimore,

847
00:39:28,719 --> 00:39:30,800
Speaker 2: and you're probably going to be in the playoffs.

848
00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:32,799
Speaker 3: Yeah, you can get to ten before those two games

849
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:33,520
Speaker 3: you're probably in.

850
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:36,360
Speaker 2: You're in. So you go win this one, complete more passes,

851
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,839
Speaker 2: win these games, get yourself into the tournament, and see

852
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:40,399
Speaker 2: where it goes.

853
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:44,000
Speaker 3: And I hate to say it this way, because if

854
00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:47,520
Speaker 3: the Steelers passing game on Sunday is as bad as

855
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,840
Speaker 3: it was last Sunday, they could still beat the Bengals.

856
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,600
Speaker 2: They could. I mean, they could run for two hundred

857
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,480
Speaker 2: and fifty yards in this game and yeah, completely strangle

858
00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,480
Speaker 2: like South Cincinnati scoring exactly.

859
00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,239
Speaker 3: They don't turn the ball away in that game. If

860
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,319
Speaker 3: the passing game is just as bad. Yeah, I mean that.

861
00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,759
Speaker 2: Would be tough, but that would be discouraging.

862
00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:08,960
Speaker 3: That would be very discouraging.

863
00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, so we're gonna get to a break. He is

864
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:14,640
Speaker 2: Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the

865
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:17,040
Speaker 2: Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio. We will be back

866
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:25,640
Speaker 2: with more right after this.

867
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:29,000
Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

868
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,560
Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black

869
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:35,600
Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

870
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:41,200
Speaker 2: Welcome back. I'm Dale Lolly. He is the Matt Williamson

871
00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:44,040
Speaker 2: and Matt As you can imagine, a lot of the

872
00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:47,479
Speaker 2: questions today to Mike Tomlin at his news conference dealt

873
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:52,000
Speaker 2: with the change at offensive coordinator. But Mike Tomlin also

874
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:58,120
Speaker 2: dropping a little news Minka Fitzpatrick looks like there's a

875
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:00,840
Speaker 2: chance that he could definitely play this week. Same with

876
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,400
Speaker 2: montrevious Adams.

877
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,680
Speaker 3: Good good, good good. I think Adams. They've made up

878
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:07,760
Speaker 3: for the loss of Adams very very well.

879
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:09,640
Speaker 2: It'd be nice to have another guy to put in

880
00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:10,160
Speaker 2: the mix, though.

881
00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,040
Speaker 3: Absolutely, I really liked how he was playing pre injury.

882
00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:16,120
Speaker 3: I thought louder Milk had a really good game, maybe

883
00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:18,960
Speaker 3: his best game as a Steeler, and I keep talking

884
00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:22,560
Speaker 3: about him Watts. I think Watts has been a better

885
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:23,839
Speaker 3: version of Warmley.

886
00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:26,200
Speaker 2: This He might be one of the it's one of

887
00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:30,719
Speaker 2: the better defensive line groupings that they've had.

888
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,040
Speaker 3: I agree, I agree, And I think it's nice that

889
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,680
Speaker 3: you're not asking Cam and Ogunjobi to play ninety five

890
00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:37,880
Speaker 3: percent of snaps and bent and you just want to

891
00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:39,399
Speaker 3: keep getting him out there more and more and more.

892
00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:40,439
Speaker 2: That's going to be a star.

893
00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:42,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so too. And I don't know if

894
00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:44,719
Speaker 3: they're down on him, but Leal's kind of been the

895
00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,080
Speaker 3: forgotten guy. He's like a four or five snap of dude,

896
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:49,399
Speaker 3: a game guy now, and I think he's just kind

897
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:50,040
Speaker 3: of getting.

898
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:53,440
Speaker 2: Others are playing bad.

899
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:55,360
Speaker 3: I say, I don't think he's bad, it's just the

900
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:58,960
Speaker 3: others are stepping up. Yeah, more trustworthy at the moment.

901
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:01,359
Speaker 2: You know, So that that's uh, you know, and then

902
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,360
Speaker 2: you get making Fitzpatrick back. You know, they signed Trenton

903
00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:05,760
Speaker 2: Thompson to their active roster.

904
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,040
Speaker 3: That was about to say, what if Trenton Thompson's a

905
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:10,919
Speaker 3: good third safety? Yeah, like that'd be great.

906
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,760
Speaker 2: Great, Yeah again, somebody got for free.

907
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 3: Any thoughts on Neil He's on I R Oh, they

908
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:19,360
Speaker 3: did put him on IR Yeah, so that's gonna be

909
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:20,400
Speaker 3: a while, Okay, gotcha.

910
00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I mean they need something there.

911
00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:27,440
Speaker 3: You know, Killerbrew played eighteen snaps or so, yeah, he

912
00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:29,000
Speaker 3: should be playing eighteen snap special.

913
00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:30,880
Speaker 2: You definitely need to get make a Fitzpatrick back. They

914
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:33,960
Speaker 2: also signed Eric Rowe put him on their practice squad

915
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:38,520
Speaker 2: this week. Jack Miles, jack backer. They met another practice

916
00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:41,799
Speaker 2: squad signing today of a of another defensive back, which

917
00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:47,120
Speaker 2: kind of yeah, they're they're searching for something there, understandable,

918
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,000
Speaker 2: you know, just this one's just kind of another body,

919
00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 2: but you know, just you need some defensive back. Henry

920
00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 2: Black was signed to their practice squad. They released linebacker

921
00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:03,000
Speaker 2: Tyler Murray. He tells me that they're they're now happy

922
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:04,560
Speaker 2: with what they have an inside linebacker.

923
00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:06,279
Speaker 3: Yeah. I don't know if you caught this, but I

924
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,120
Speaker 3: bet most of our audience didn't. The only linebackers that

925
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:12,279
Speaker 3: played in the game were Roberts Are every snap and

926
00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:15,640
Speaker 3: Walker for like three quarters of the snaphing like that.

927
00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:19,000
Speaker 3: Robinson didn't play a stap on defense. Yeah, so I

928
00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:20,480
Speaker 3: think that tells you a lot of what they think

929
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:23,279
Speaker 3: of him. But maybe Jack will be your third guy.

930
00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:25,319
Speaker 2: Well, he would have to be I mean, he has

931
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:29,200
Speaker 2: to be activated from that. And Robinson still plays special teams.

932
00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:31,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, so you know he seems to be pretty

933
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:33,240
Speaker 3: much a fixture on special teams.

934
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:35,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, this year, So there's that.

935
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:41,040
Speaker 3: But yeah, it's it's they.

936
00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:41,799
Speaker 2: Certainly you have to keep looking there and you can.

937
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,160
Speaker 2: And one of the big moves in the league today

938
00:43:45,239 --> 00:43:48,839
Speaker 2: was Shaq Leonard being released by the Indianapolis Colts. And

939
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:52,200
Speaker 2: you texted me about it, and uh, I said, I'd

940
00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:54,120
Speaker 2: kick the tires on it, and I started looking a

941
00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,440
Speaker 2: little more into it. A he's making you're not going

942
00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,600
Speaker 2: to claim him on waivers because he's making a ton of.

943
00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:01,960
Speaker 3: Money, and assume that's the biggest reason they let him go,

944
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:03,120
Speaker 3: you know, so to pay the rest of this.

945
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:06,520
Speaker 2: I think it's fully guaranteed. They're still not fully guaranteed.

946
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:08,080
Speaker 2: If there's a lot of guaranteed money there.

947
00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,759
Speaker 3: Because he's like the richest linebacker contract out there.

948
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:14,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe they're hoping somebody claims him because it's not

949
00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:17,120
Speaker 2: you know, you're not paying the signing bonuses and that

950
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:19,760
Speaker 2: those kind of things. Uh, but I can't see that happening.

951
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,719
Speaker 2: So you wait for him to clear waivers. You could

952
00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:23,600
Speaker 2: get him on the cheap, But I just don't know

953
00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:24,640
Speaker 2: what he has left now to.

954
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:26,919
Speaker 3: Say he had a major injury. Was it a neck

955
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:27,560
Speaker 3: or a back?

956
00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:29,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, he had He's had a couple of back issues.

957
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he was really really good before that. Why

958
00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:34,480
Speaker 3: why he signed this monster deal because he deserved it.

959
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:36,800
Speaker 3: He was a leader of the defense, flies around the field.

960
00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:38,919
Speaker 3: But he's had a hard time staying on the field

961
00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:40,880
Speaker 3: for them this year, not because of injury, because of

962
00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:42,279
Speaker 3: you know, playing time.

963
00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:44,239
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's not as good as at least they don't

964
00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:45,319
Speaker 2: feel he's as good as the other guys.

965
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:45,920
Speaker 3: Now he's not.

966
00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:48,600
Speaker 2: That being said, there was a coaching change there, true,

967
00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:51,680
Speaker 2: so maybe he just didn't fit into what that coaching

968
00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:53,000
Speaker 2: staff wants to do defense.

969
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:55,520
Speaker 3: Like possibly I haven't dug in their scheme enough, but

970
00:44:55,560 --> 00:44:58,440
Speaker 3: maybe that's not a fit for them. I do. I

971
00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:00,800
Speaker 3: do know they structure themselves like the Eagles, and the

972
00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:02,600
Speaker 3: Eagles don't put line in the backer money. They don't

973
00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,000
Speaker 3: care about linebackers. Yeah, it's low on the list for sure,

974
00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:08,160
Speaker 3: So who knows. I mean, I would be interested if

975
00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,279
Speaker 3: he cleared waivers and you could bring him in here

976
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:12,760
Speaker 3: and kick the tires on him and really good leader,

977
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:14,799
Speaker 3: great head for the game, all that stuff still there.

978
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:16,719
Speaker 3: But I don't think he is what he used to be.

979
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:20,200
Speaker 3: But maybe none of us are. Yeah, maybe it would

980
00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:20,680
Speaker 3: be next year.

981
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, we just all know. He's still twenty eight years old.

982
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 2: You know, came out in that same draft as making Fitzpatrick.

983
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:31,640
Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean I would, I would be interested

984
00:45:31,640 --> 00:45:33,640
Speaker 2: in it at the right price. I'm certainly not interested

985
00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:35,839
Speaker 2: in doing that and claiming him and having to pay

986
00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:38,719
Speaker 2: him another six I think six million dollars rest this year.

987
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:41,520
Speaker 3: No, his tape is underwhelming this year. Look, he's coming

988
00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:43,440
Speaker 3: back from injury, and who knows if he ever will

989
00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:43,680
Speaker 3: be back.

990
00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if nobody claims him and

991
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,319
Speaker 2: maybe he winds up in Buffalo or somewhere like that.

992
00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:49,480
Speaker 3: But could could be.

993
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,520
Speaker 2: I mean, they're they're really hurting at linebacker, even more

994
00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:53,400
Speaker 2: so than the Steelers.

995
00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:55,200
Speaker 3: There's plenty of teams out there that would I think

996
00:45:55,239 --> 00:45:58,239
Speaker 3: would be interested at the situation we laid out. Yeah,

997
00:45:58,239 --> 00:46:00,280
Speaker 3: but in terms of inheriting the contract.

998
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:02,440
Speaker 2: And I'm not I'm not interested in getting into a

999
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:05,080
Speaker 2: bidding war for him either. Now, one thing that might

1000
00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:09,520
Speaker 2: interest Shack Leonard for coming here. He's not Shack instead

1001
00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,959
Speaker 2: of Darius used. That's who we're talking about, is Darius Leonard.

1002
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,600
Speaker 2: He now goes by Shack Colts by the way, folks, Yeah,

1003
00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:17,360
Speaker 2: the Steelers played the Colts in a few weeks.

1004
00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:19,640
Speaker 3: I'm sure you wouldn't mind that. Yeah, it'd be good

1005
00:46:19,640 --> 00:46:22,399
Speaker 3: for some intel as well, probably, But super smart guy.

1006
00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:26,839
Speaker 3: You know, I loved the player before this season. Yeah,

1007
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,960
Speaker 3: you so rarely does that kind of thing happen, you know,

1008
00:46:30,040 --> 00:46:30,960
Speaker 3: just a pretty much.

1009
00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:33,719
Speaker 2: I mean really, a couple of years ago, when you

1010
00:46:33,719 --> 00:46:37,040
Speaker 2: know we're talking about t J. Watt winning Defensive Player

1011
00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:38,520
Speaker 2: of the Year, Shack Leonard was one of the guys

1012
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:40,920
Speaker 2: who was in the running that year. He was in contention.

1013
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:43,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's that type of dude. So interesting do you

1014
00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:45,879
Speaker 3: think Jack gets in the mix?

1015
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:48,399
Speaker 2: Depends on what kind of shapey, I don't. I don't

1016
00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:49,640
Speaker 2: know what kind of I haven't seen him. I haven't

1017
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:51,400
Speaker 2: laid eyes on him yet, so I have no idea.

1018
00:46:52,719 --> 00:46:54,839
Speaker 2: You know, we'll see him tomorrow for the first time

1019
00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:57,719
Speaker 2: and get it. You know, what's he been doing? And

1020
00:46:58,520 --> 00:47:00,560
Speaker 2: he was talking about going to plumber school for so.

1021
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:05,000
Speaker 3: Was Yeah, didn't it didn't see that one coming.

1022
00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:05,319
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1023
00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:07,759
Speaker 3: I don't know that he's the answer and all you

1024
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:10,440
Speaker 3: know to your linebacker problems either, but he'd fit in

1025
00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:11,680
Speaker 3: quickly mentally.

1026
00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:15,160
Speaker 2: I mean, the defense hasn't changed. He knows that there's

1027
00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:15,960
Speaker 2: no problem with that.

1028
00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:19,080
Speaker 3: Physically, he could still do it. I'd be interested.

1029
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:21,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just don't know that you know how that

1030
00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:25,400
Speaker 2: work workd You know, I kind of like what Michael

1031
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:28,440
Speaker 2: Walker brings to you in terms of a little bit

1032
00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:29,080
Speaker 2: more rangy.

1033
00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, he is, he is, and I didn't think

1034
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,600
Speaker 3: he played great. But it's also his first real game

1035
00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:38,600
Speaker 3: back too, you know, so we'll see. But you're also thin, Yeah,

1036
00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:42,239
Speaker 3: you're very thin there. What if Roberts you know, yeah,

1037
00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:44,920
Speaker 3: God forbid that happen. He was, He was all over

1038
00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:45,640
Speaker 3: the field.

1039
00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:49,120
Speaker 2: And it just shows it shows you how much of

1040
00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:50,920
Speaker 2: that position is above the neck.

1041
00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:52,800
Speaker 3: So much, so much, and when you can have both

1042
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:56,240
Speaker 3: you turn into roque or war or whatever, but above

1043
00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:57,480
Speaker 3: the neck goes a long way.

1044
00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:00,879
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean he's just diagnosing things and tackling those

1045
00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:02,640
Speaker 2: backs in the flat on the path like he just

1046
00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:06,439
Speaker 2: he would just you know, made play after playing that game.

1047
00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:10,240
Speaker 3: He's physical and aggressive and he handled every snap.

1048
00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:13,319
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, so played well for the Steelers this year.

1049
00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:16,359
Speaker 2: He just can't afford to lose him at this point

1050
00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:18,440
Speaker 2: with some of the other losses that you've had. He

1051
00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:21,080
Speaker 2: is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lally. You're listening to

1052
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:24,040
Speaker 2: the Driver. You're on Steelers Nation Radio. We're gonna take

1053
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:25,840
Speaker 2: another break. We'll be back with our number two of

1054
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:27,080
Speaker 2: the Drive right after this.