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Speaker 1: Are looking back now there were a few weeks removed

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Speaker 1: from the two thousand and twenty one season, exiting in

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Speaker 1: the wild card round, but getting into the playoffs. How

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Speaker 1: do you kind of sum up with that season? Was like, well,

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Speaker 1: it was a season full of a lot of ups

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Speaker 1: and downs and unusual games. Uh. Certainly some games that

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Speaker 1: you know, we we won or had a chance to

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Speaker 1: win at the end, which made for exciting games and

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Speaker 1: and put people and uh, you know, tested their cardiac conditioning.

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Speaker 1: I think in terms of our fans some games. But

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Speaker 1: I think by and large I appreciated the fact that

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Speaker 1: you know, in every game and really throughout the season,

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Speaker 1: we we kept fighting till the end and and uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, fought our way into the playoffs there the

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Speaker 1: last few weeks of the season, which you know was

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Speaker 1: was great and uh and then obviously the you know,

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Speaker 1: the playoff game was disappointing. And so you know, we

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Speaker 1: know we have a lot of work to do and

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Speaker 1: uh want to be able to take that next step.

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Speaker 1: We know, without saying the Super Bowl is always the

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Speaker 1: goal for this team each and every year, but five

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Speaker 1: years without a playoff win, how do you sort of

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Speaker 1: digest that as you're moving forward to prepping for the

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Speaker 1: two thousand and twenty two season. Well, we we know

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Speaker 1: we have work to do. Uh. Certainly we have some

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Speaker 1: young players on on the roster that we feel good

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Speaker 1: about the future. And uh and and now we enter

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Speaker 1: a new chapter in terms of we we will have

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Speaker 1: a new quarterback next year and so uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: we've got to work hard to put all the pieces

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Speaker 1: together around the new quarterback and make sure that that

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Speaker 1: we put the put everybody in the best position to

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Speaker 1: win and compete for a championship before we talk about

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Speaker 1: finding that next quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger made it official on

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Speaker 1: Thursday this week about his retirement. Knowing those last few games,

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Speaker 1: just the special moment at Hinz Field against the Browns,

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Speaker 1: how do you sort of take in his final ride

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Speaker 1: per se with the Steelers organization and just what he's

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Speaker 1: meant to this team. You know, it was it was

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Speaker 1: quite a quite a finish in terms of those last

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Speaker 1: few games. That that last home game was something very

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Speaker 1: special and you know, something I'll never forget and and

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Speaker 1: certainly something Ben will never forget in terms of the uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, the outpoint of affection and love that our

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Speaker 1: fans showed him. Uh, you know, it was very really

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Speaker 1: a special night. And uh and even bald in Baltimore

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Speaker 1: that last Sunday. Uh, you know, there were so many

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Speaker 1: fans in the stands with signs. Was a little unusual

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Speaker 1: to see that in Baltimore, to be honest with you.

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Speaker 1: So it was it was it was special and Ben

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Speaker 1: deserved it, and uh so I was. I was really

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Speaker 1: happy to see some of those things happen. Coach Tomlin

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Speaker 1: said in his season ending press conference he's looking forward

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Speaker 1: to the challenge of finding the team's next franchise quarterback.

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Speaker 1: How was that process organizationally going to work, because you

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Speaker 1: guys start preparing for all the different things that could

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Speaker 1: potentially happen. Well, number one, you know, we're not going

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Speaker 1: to close any doors. Uh, and uh you know there's

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Speaker 1: uh there there will be different options that we've got

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Speaker 1: to evaluate. So really, just like any other position, you know,

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Speaker 1: we're we're gonna evaluate it and find the best person

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Speaker 1: for that for that position as we can, and uh,

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Speaker 1: it'll take a lot of work. And and then when

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Speaker 1: we get that person, we're gonna have to make sure

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Speaker 1: that the we developed that person at quarterback and and

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Speaker 1: put he and in the whole team in the best

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Speaker 1: position to win. Mason Rudolph has been Ben's back up

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Speaker 1: for a number of years. Dwayne Haskins new to the team.

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Speaker 1: What is your level of confidence in Mason Mason? Uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, has has a winning record as a quarterback

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Speaker 1: in this leg and uh, I think has performed well

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Speaker 1: when he's had the opportunity. I talked to him after

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Speaker 1: the season. I know he's looking forward to having the

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Speaker 1: opportunity to compete for for the starting job and uh

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Speaker 1: so it'll be exciting to see and and of course,

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Speaker 1: uh Dwayne Haskins as a as a young quarterback with

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Speaker 1: a you know, a lot of talent, and so we'll

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Speaker 1: see how he develops. Is trading for a veteran quarterback

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Speaker 1: something that you guys would keep on the table and consider.

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Speaker 1: You know, we're we're not going to close any doors

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Speaker 1: at this point. Um it's uh, you know it really

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Speaker 1: you have to evaluate, you know, what's it gonna cost

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Speaker 1: you to make a trade. And uh so, uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: those are things we'll look at if the if the

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Speaker 1: opportunity arises, and obviously be evaluating players in the draft,

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Speaker 1: so you know, it'll be a busy offseason. UH, coach

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Speaker 1: Tomlin and everyone in the building is now looking for

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Speaker 1: the Steelers do defensive coordinator after Keith Butler has retired.

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Speaker 1: How is that process going and when do you expect

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Speaker 1: a determination of who that guy will be? Uh? Coach

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Speaker 1: has interviewed some some good candidates, so, uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: I think we do have some some great candidates for

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Speaker 1: the job. And UH, I'm not gonna put a specific

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Speaker 1: time frame on it. I don't think it will take

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Speaker 1: too long. But but there's still some some candidates that

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Speaker 1: I know Coach wants to spend some time with. And UH,

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Speaker 1: so I think it's a you know, it's a good

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Speaker 1: process and and uh, you know, there's some good people

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Speaker 1: that have interviewed, including Tarrell Austin. In your mind, what

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Speaker 1: are the pros and cons of hiring from within or

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Speaker 1: from outside the organization for any job? You know, I

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Speaker 1: don't think, Missy, that we look to uh to sort

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Speaker 1: of have a narrow focus about trying to do one

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Speaker 1: or the other. I think comes down to finding the

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Speaker 1: right person for the job, and whether they're coming from

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Speaker 1: inside or out, it just comes down to evaluating who

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Speaker 1: can do the job best. Obviously, it's nice to promote

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Speaker 1: somebody from within and and so if that if that

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Speaker 1: makes sense, it's great. But at the end of the day,

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Speaker 1: you you have to put the best person in position,

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Speaker 1: and and so that's what we'll do. Last your art

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Speaker 1: when we had this conversation, you talked about improving the

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Speaker 1: run game. You guys drafted Naji Harris statistically improved slightly.

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Speaker 1: But what's next to take that hump and to get

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Speaker 1: the run game back to where you would consider it

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Speaker 1: Steelers appropriate. Well, I think number one, we were certainly

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Speaker 1: pleased with Nausea and and the development he had this year,

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Speaker 1: and and now we're going to be looking forward to

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Speaker 1: some ongoing development and the offensive line in terms of

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Speaker 1: some of the players that we're younger players this year,

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Speaker 1: so you know they're still work to do, no question

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Speaker 1: about it. But certainly feel good about Nausea and some

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Speaker 1: of our young offensive lineman and you know what what

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Speaker 1: that might bode for the future. Is there something else

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Speaker 1: specific you want to see improve this upcoming season? Well, Missy,

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Speaker 1: I think on the other side of the ball, at

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Speaker 1: times we didn't stop the run, and so you know,

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Speaker 1: those are the fundamentals I think you have to you

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Speaker 1: have to have to be successful regarding the ball on offense,

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Speaker 1: stopping the run defense. Uh. You know, if you if

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Speaker 1: you can't do those fundamentals, it's you know, it's hard

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Speaker 1: to do the rest and and so uh you know,

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Speaker 1: I would say those are key pieces of the puzzle

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Speaker 1: that we we continue to need to improve on. Kevin

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Speaker 1: Colbert has been going year to year where of things

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Speaker 1: currently stand with him and his role within this organization.

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Speaker 1: Kevin is gonna step down from his GM role after

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Speaker 1: the after the draft, and uh, you know, between now

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Speaker 1: and the draft, he'll be fulfilling his normal responsibility, but

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Speaker 1: we will be conducting a search for Kevin's replacement. Uh.

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Speaker 1: Kevin and I have had talks. We've left the door

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Speaker 1: open and he may have an ongoing role after the draft,

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Speaker 1: but but we will be filling the GM position, uh

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Speaker 1: at some point between now and shortly after the draft.

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Speaker 1: And uh, you know, there are there are a lot

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Speaker 1: of good candidates out there, including we've already interviewed Omar

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Speaker 1: Khan and Brandon Hunt, two of our internal candidates, and

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Speaker 1: and now will be uh you know, talk into some

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Speaker 1: external candidates as well. In terms of the salary cap

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Speaker 1: A completely different picture than where it was last season.

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Speaker 1: Knowing that you are going to have money to spend,

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Speaker 1: will you guys be more active in free agency? Well,

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Speaker 1: it's nice to to think we'll have, you know, a

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Speaker 1: little more room to maneuver and and hopefully we'll have

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Speaker 1: some opportunities to uh to fill some holes that way

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Speaker 1: this year. Uh and uh, you know it'll be it'll

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Speaker 1: be a little different. We won't be scrambling quite as

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Speaker 1: much to to fit under the cap, hopefully as as

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Speaker 1: maybe we have in the last few years. So that'll

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Speaker 1: be it'll be a different, uh, different part of the

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Speaker 1: journey in terms of steff onto it Following the lost

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Speaker 1: in Kansas City camp, Heyward was very emotional speaking about

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Speaker 1: him and what he's been through without going into those details.

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Speaker 1: Where does his role, his uh part of the team

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Speaker 1: stand at this point? You know, Missy, we'll we'll have

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Speaker 1: to have some conversations with Stefan here the near future

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Speaker 1: and really you know, decide what his role is if

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Speaker 1: any and uh so, I I can't really give you

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Speaker 1: any definitive answer on that right now. Last question for you,

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Speaker 1: make a Fitzpatrick somebody that you could have a new

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Speaker 1: deal with similar to t J. Watt last year. Is

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Speaker 1: that a top priority for the Steelers moving forward? Yes,

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Speaker 1: we uh we would like to extend mancas contract this

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Speaker 1: offseason and so that'll be an important piece of business

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Speaker 1: that hopefully we can get done before the season starts.

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Speaker 1: All right, Art, appreciate your time as always, Thank you

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Speaker 1: very much. Thanks great to be with you. Miss