1
00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,160
Speaker 1: At least. He's The Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt

2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:11,360
Speaker 1: Williamson on your home of the Black and Gold Steelers

3
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:19,520
Speaker 1: Nation Radio. Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale Lollly here

4
00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,120
Speaker 1: with Matt Williamson. It's a beautiful Friday out here in Pittsburgh.

5
00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,880
Speaker 1: It's almost like oh there, I say, in Miami weather,

6
00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:30,200
Speaker 1: but it's not quite that nice. Not quite that nice. Yeah,

7
00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,440
Speaker 1: you know, I mean it'll be in the sixties here

8
00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,159
Speaker 1: this weekend. Yeah, I'll be done in Miami where it

9
00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,479
Speaker 1: will be in the seventies and eighties. A bunch of

10
00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,120
Speaker 1: buddies coming in town for a thirty three union. What

11
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,280
Speaker 1: I'm doing all weekends? Oh I'm old. Yeah, and actually

12
00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,080
Speaker 1: I was class of ninety one and this is two

13
00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,479
Speaker 1: thousand twenty two. I'm not sure how that, but they

14
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:54,800
Speaker 1: don't teach mathematics at Not sure how that worked, but

15
00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,280
Speaker 1: maybe COVID had something. We'll blame COVID for that. There

16
00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,280
Speaker 1: you go. Very good idea, good idea. Uh. Lots of

17
00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,120
Speaker 1: stuff to get to today on the show. But first

18
00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,399
Speaker 1: let's talk about the thing that well everybody in the

19
00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,440
Speaker 1: league is talking about here right now. Uh, the forty

20
00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:13,480
Speaker 1: Niners landing Christian McCaffrey. Uh, the news breaks last night. Uh,

21
00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,560
Speaker 1: it's really interesting to me. I'm both, Yeah, it really is.

22
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,240
Speaker 1: First off, everyone's talking about the Niners, which we will

23
00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,720
Speaker 1: of course. I think. I'm not say it's a herschel

24
00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,920
Speaker 1: Walker like trade for the Panthers, but it's perfect for them.

25
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:27,800
Speaker 1: I mean, they're probably gonna end up with the top

26
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,120
Speaker 1: five pick, if not number one. That just screams quarterback.

27
00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,199
Speaker 1: I mean they're already talking about the guys going early.

28
00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,720
Speaker 1: Might as will take a quarterback, get those five other

29
00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:37,839
Speaker 1: dudes the heck out of there, or keep Kral whatever.

30
00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,440
Speaker 1: But they don't need that much else, you know, Like

31
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,600
Speaker 1: I don't see them trading d J. Moore, Brian Burns

32
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,679
Speaker 1: at this point. You know, Anderson had to go. He

33
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,440
Speaker 1: doesn't really matter anyway. Now you have a ton of picks,

34
00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,760
Speaker 1: and I would think it's a really fifensive line. Yeah,

35
00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,080
Speaker 1: but they drafted a Kwando last year and it's one

36
00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,720
Speaker 1: guy and Bozeman they signed like they made progress. I mean,

37
00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,400
Speaker 1: it's it's a quarterback problem there to me, and coaching

38
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,760
Speaker 1: more than the other. I mean, sure they'll draft a

39
00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:04,720
Speaker 1: guard in the second round or whatever to you know,

40
00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:06,760
Speaker 1: but they can have a leave of a lot of stuff,

41
00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,880
Speaker 1: fourth round running back or whatever, a receiver opposite more.

42
00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:13,200
Speaker 1: But I would think it's an attractive spot for a

43
00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,040
Speaker 1: coach now too. Yeah yeah, I mean they you know,

44
00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,600
Speaker 1: they clear cap space because they have they had the

45
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:24,080
Speaker 1: McCaffrey signs through, um, you know, and it was a

46
00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:29,720
Speaker 1: big deal. Um. Yeah. So but this also leads us

47
00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,840
Speaker 1: to the point that we're kind of talked about all

48
00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,919
Speaker 1: well the last couple of weeks, like they're on the

49
00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,680
Speaker 1: Steelers schedule later this year. I mean they're gonna be

50
00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,240
Speaker 1: a really bad team, really bad team. I mean like

51
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,400
Speaker 1: getting rid of McCaffrey helps you get the first overall

52
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,280
Speaker 1: pick too and lose the Steelers and everyone else on

53
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,000
Speaker 1: the schedule. Side note to you look at that division,

54
00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,120
Speaker 1: Brady's not gonna be there much longer, Saint or disaster,

55
00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,600
Speaker 1: especially financially. Do we think Atlanta's for real? Like it

56
00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,760
Speaker 1: wouldn't be that hard to be the king of that

57
00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:02,160
Speaker 1: divisions quickly? Yeah, It's it's a y both South divisions

58
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,520
Speaker 1: in the NFL. Well, like if Trevor Lawrence stink kind

59
00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,280
Speaker 1: of stink, right, I mean, if the Bucks are the

60
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,880
Speaker 1: best of those eight teams, we saw that and there

61
00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,920
Speaker 1: that's gonna be this year only this year. Yeah, they

62
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,400
Speaker 1: I mean they don't have a quarterback. No, no, I

63
00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,720
Speaker 1: mean Kyle Trask isn't gonna take it over. And you know,

64
00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,760
Speaker 1: be Rogers far of the Rogers, you know. Um, I

65
00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,200
Speaker 1: find it really interesting from the Niners perspective. I think

66
00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,480
Speaker 1: they vastly overpaid. I mean, the Shanahan's and McCaffrey's are

67
00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,239
Speaker 1: super tight. You know, his dad played for his dad

68
00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,280
Speaker 1: and YadA, YadA. They know each other forever. And Shanahan

69
00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,160
Speaker 1: has this it's not only that, but it's the GM

70
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,000
Speaker 1: yeah right, right right, you know he played with McCaffrey's

71
00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:44,840
Speaker 1: dad too, right, And so I don't think of that.

72
00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,760
Speaker 1: But everybody knows each other and they're all ladies. So

73
00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,440
Speaker 1: if it was his last name is Williamson, would they

74
00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,120
Speaker 1: have given up quite a much? Probably? Not would, right?

75
00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,320
Speaker 1: I mean they know the guy, super trustworthy, Stanford dude,

76
00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,600
Speaker 1: all that stuff. Um, but they gave us too much.

77
00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,240
Speaker 1: And it's eight deal with panthers. But it's interesting to

78
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,000
Speaker 1: me because I'm not huge on investing in running backs,

79
00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,760
Speaker 1: but I much much more so am if I'm building

80
00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:10,640
Speaker 1: a nest for the rookie court over the young border.

81
00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,080
Speaker 1: Here's the thing, Matt. The people who say that it

82
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,880
Speaker 1: doesn't matter, you can just get a running back, and

83
00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,320
Speaker 1: then they point to the forty Niners as being that

84
00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:25,960
Speaker 1: team is a complete falsehood. It's a compe falsehoods use

85
00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,440
Speaker 1: pick after pick after pick after pick on on running backs,

86
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,480
Speaker 1: and now I've have traded away four draft picks. People.

87
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,000
Speaker 1: They gave a huge contract to Jerick McKinnon like two

88
00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,480
Speaker 1: or three years ago, Like they value that position more

89
00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,520
Speaker 1: than anybody, you know, sermon in the third round, well

90
00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,680
Speaker 1: they'd like Mitchell better. Uh he would standing on the

91
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 1: table for Joe Williams two years ago. Whatever, never made it,

92
00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:48,000
Speaker 1: you know. And then they use the third round pick

93
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,360
Speaker 1: again on the running back this year, like they invest

94
00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,080
Speaker 1: heavily there and and they just did again. Um. But

95
00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,640
Speaker 1: I do think it's interesting in that it helps them

96
00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,400
Speaker 1: compete this year. But it's really a Lance move. Yeah,

97
00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,240
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, big picture. As much as Lance struggled,

98
00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,960
Speaker 1: he's going to be the quarterback next year. McCaffrey is

99
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,680
Speaker 1: going to be back next year. And he's a running back,

100
00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,280
Speaker 1: of course, but he's nothing like Rahem Mostert. I mean,

101
00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,600
Speaker 1: he's closer to Deebo Samuel than he is raheem moster

102
00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,560
Speaker 1: in terms of you know, change of direction, receiving skills,

103
00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,680
Speaker 1: things like that. Yeah. Um, he's also a guy that

104
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,479
Speaker 1: tends to get hurt quite a bit. Um. You know.

105
00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,279
Speaker 1: So there's that. Now. Obviously they have you know, pretty

106
00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,000
Speaker 1: good insight into into all that. But I don't think

107
00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,120
Speaker 1: they'll run him into a wall like most or those.

108
00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:36,440
Speaker 1: They'll use the other guys. They'll use the other guys,

109
00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:41,960
Speaker 1: that's for sure. Um, you know. So, but he's a weapon, Yeah, definitely. Uh.

110
00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,440
Speaker 1: I don't know that this makes sure people, This makes

111
00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:50,680
Speaker 1: the the the the super Bowl favorite in the in

112
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,040
Speaker 1: the NFC, I still think Philadelphia is better. Noticeably, I'm

113
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,080
Speaker 1: muchure the Niners are two, but I could picture a

114
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,440
Speaker 1: world where they are. I mean, he's a very Jimmy

115
00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:02,040
Speaker 1: friendly guy too, so he makes any quarterback better. I

116
00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,840
Speaker 1: think it's interesting, especially next year. The problem is and

117
00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:08,120
Speaker 1: and like the Rams have this issue, like the nine

118
00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:09,760
Speaker 1: ers o lines kind of a mess. And how much

119
00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:11,280
Speaker 1: longer is Trent Williams gonna be there? Not even no

120
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,400
Speaker 1: picks you know, Yeah, when when leaks in the boat happen,

121
00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,640
Speaker 1: you have no way to mend those things, and the

122
00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,520
Speaker 1: Rams are suffering through that right now. But I think

123
00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:25,960
Speaker 1: about their skill guys Lance at quarterback, use Check, Kittle, I,

124
00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,600
Speaker 1: Samuel and McCaffrey on the field together, Like all those

125
00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,040
Speaker 1: guys can do so many things, you know, like you're

126
00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,159
Speaker 1: not even gonna just line up in the eye with youth.

127
00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,360
Speaker 1: Check is a power fullback and at the McCaffrey you're

128
00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,720
Speaker 1: gonna go empty. You know, Lance can run fifteen times,

129
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:43,880
Speaker 1: you know, like there's a lot of options there, and

130
00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,599
Speaker 1: they're paying you Check a lot of money, right, do

131
00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,000
Speaker 1: they then keep him or do they go no fullback? Oh?

132
00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:51,760
Speaker 1: I think he's a big part of their plans. Yea.

133
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,320
Speaker 1: But he can do a lot of things for you

134
00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,200
Speaker 1: like Kittle. Kittle is a good blocker two, you know.

135
00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,679
Speaker 1: But just interesting that, you know, one of these deals

136
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,000
Speaker 1: that has you know, kind of been talked about actually

137
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,800
Speaker 1: happened that it doesn't happen a lot in the NFL. No.

138
00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,560
Speaker 1: I thought maybe he would end up, you know, as

139
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,400
Speaker 1: a late first to the Chiefs or the Bills or

140
00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,280
Speaker 1: a team like that, and maybe that's where the talks were,

141
00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,720
Speaker 1: and you had to get more than that, you know. Yeah,

142
00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,600
Speaker 1: And I saw some of these trade value charts that

143
00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:21,720
Speaker 1: what they gave up was the equivalent of like a

144
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,040
Speaker 1: mid first round pick, which I guess that adds up,

145
00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:25,840
Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, it kind of comes down to, you know,

146
00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,120
Speaker 1: if you're Carolina, do you want just one pick or

147
00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,240
Speaker 1: did you want several? Right? And I think for them

148
00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,000
Speaker 1: it's great to have a plethora of second day picks

149
00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,280
Speaker 1: and you can move around the draft board and stuff

150
00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,920
Speaker 1: like that too, So I get it. It's an interesting

151
00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:44,800
Speaker 1: deal though also interesting today, Kenny Pick it cleared from

152
00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,640
Speaker 1: the concussions, so he is good to go on the

153
00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,640
Speaker 1: Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins. UM over under on

154
00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,560
Speaker 1: how many times the word concussion is used during the broadcast, right,

155
00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,320
Speaker 1: I mean, especially it's gonna be centered around two of course,

156
00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,600
Speaker 1: can turn it into a drinking game, I'm sure, and

157
00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,960
Speaker 1: I hope it doesn't happen this way, but boy, I

158
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,280
Speaker 1: hope none of the three, including Bridgewater, get concussioned again. Yeah,

159
00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,160
Speaker 1: on the national stage, that's all everyone's gonna talk about.

160
00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,200
Speaker 1: You know, I hope we're past these things, but we'll see.

161
00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:19,160
Speaker 1: Here's the thing, um, the hit that to a took

162
00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:24,600
Speaker 1: to a tago tago Viloa in the Cincinnati game. And

163
00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,480
Speaker 1: I said this before, he would have had a concussion

164
00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,840
Speaker 1: coming out of that, regardless of whether he had had

165
00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,840
Speaker 1: any kind of injury the week before. Yeah, I mean

166
00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,439
Speaker 1: that was a violent, violent hit. Any quarterback who gets

167
00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,800
Speaker 1: thrown to the ground like that and rams head on

168
00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,920
Speaker 1: the ground is going to be concussed. Any wide receiver,

169
00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,360
Speaker 1: we're running back, any human being it was thrown to

170
00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,360
Speaker 1: the ground like yet by a three pound man flung

171
00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,280
Speaker 1: to the ground is going to be concussed. Snaps your

172
00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,520
Speaker 1: head like that and right, right, right, And that's a

173
00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:00,880
Speaker 1: football issue. It's a football hit, right, And he was cleared.

174
00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:02,520
Speaker 1: I mean, he wouldn't have been on the field if

175
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,679
Speaker 1: they thought there was any added rich I've already heard

176
00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:08,120
Speaker 1: the argument that, well the Steeler should sit Canny pick

177
00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,240
Speaker 1: it this week. Why he's been cleared. I mean, if

178
00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,720
Speaker 1: it was an ankle, you wouldn't he's back or a

179
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,319
Speaker 1: finger or toe or whatever. If you if you if

180
00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,080
Speaker 1: a guy is cleared by independent neurologists, guess what, Twitter,

181
00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,400
Speaker 1: you don't know better than the independent neurologists. You're not

182
00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,240
Speaker 1: involved in this. And at what point if you start

183
00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,079
Speaker 1: to sit a guy, well, I'd shot him another week.

184
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,200
Speaker 1: I'd showd him another two weeks. Why why when do

185
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,280
Speaker 1: you bring him back? Then? What's the Because every football player,

186
00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,720
Speaker 1: every guy in the NFL is playing, is going to

187
00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,040
Speaker 1: get hurt at some point. Right, there's a hundred percent

188
00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,360
Speaker 1: injury right playing in the Nflcaffrey, You know, right, it's

189
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:46,600
Speaker 1: just a reality of it. I mean, with the same people, sit,

190
00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:50,400
Speaker 1: what if he was healthy this week? Right, what's the difference.

191
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,200
Speaker 1: I mean, someone smarter than you is clearing them, does

192
00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:55,880
Speaker 1: this for a living, And here's the here's the you know,

193
00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:57,679
Speaker 1: this is something that Mike Tomlin brought up and I

194
00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:01,679
Speaker 1: didn't mention it. People big on paying people. So Dr

195
00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:07,080
Speaker 1: Joseph Maroon, who is the Steelers neurologist handles all that stuff,

196
00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,719
Speaker 1: is a world renowned neurologists and none of you are

197
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,640
Speaker 1: people coming from all over the world to talk to

198
00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,640
Speaker 1: to Dr Joseph Brun and get he studied this more

199
00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:24,360
Speaker 1: than anybody else out there. It's it's it's laughable to

200
00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,200
Speaker 1: think that people on Twitter, or people on the radio,

201
00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:31,440
Speaker 1: or people anywhere think that they know more about concussions

202
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,040
Speaker 1: Kenny Pickett's brain or Kenny Pickett's brain for them. Dr

203
00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:40,839
Speaker 1: Joseph Maroon. I've spoken to Dr Joseph Maroon on you know,

204
00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,040
Speaker 1: done some stories and stuff. He's quite a bright fellow,

205
00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,440
Speaker 1: he's been. He came up with the impact test that

206
00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,360
Speaker 1: was his. He designed it. He used it all the

207
00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:55,760
Speaker 1: high schools and stuff, every in every sport, across every landscape.

208
00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:01,240
Speaker 1: He designed it. His goal isn't to get people hurt, right, Yeah,

209
00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,360
Speaker 1: that's crazy to be you know. So you know, these

210
00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,760
Speaker 1: guys have been at the forefront of concussion studies and

211
00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:11,000
Speaker 1: and and in learning more about concussions more than any

212
00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,440
Speaker 1: doctors in the world in the history of the world.

213
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,600
Speaker 1: And they're the Steelers neurologists. So not only is he

214
00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:22,360
Speaker 1: the top point one percent of human beings on the subject,

215
00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,560
Speaker 1: he might be number one period, Like there's thirty two

216
00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:27,040
Speaker 1: of them in the world. I'm sure there are other

217
00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,440
Speaker 1: people who are up there with him around the world.

218
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,439
Speaker 1: We're talking about millions, billions of people are ranking neurologists.

219
00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,320
Speaker 1: He's near the top, but he's in the top five.

220
00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,520
Speaker 1: He's gonna be an early first round draft. Yeah, he's

221
00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:40,640
Speaker 1: the first round pick all day long. Yeah. Um. What

222
00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,160
Speaker 1: is gonna make me crazy, though, is if the Steelers

223
00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,880
Speaker 1: lose or pick it. Doesn't play like Joe Montana. Tomlin's

224
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:48,120
Speaker 1: an idiot. Why would you put him in there? That

225
00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:49,760
Speaker 1: guy was concussed. You know, you can't be the same.

226
00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,720
Speaker 1: It won't be Kenny's fault, of course, of course, you know.

227
00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,319
Speaker 1: But or God forbid, if something happens to pick it

228
00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:59,800
Speaker 1: in this game, either one of them. But again, and

229
00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,319
Speaker 1: given Sunday, it could happen to anyone. I mean to

230
00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,960
Speaker 1: us sat out two weeks after two he missed two

231
00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:11,839
Speaker 1: games after being knocked unconscious, and they think he is

232
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,319
Speaker 1: The testing last week, the testing showed that he is fine.

233
00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,360
Speaker 1: He's been cleared medically. Should he never play again? Right?

234
00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,319
Speaker 1: That's the that's the that that's the argument. Okay, Well

235
00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:22,840
Speaker 1: if you're not, if you're not going to play him

236
00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,800
Speaker 1: next week or this week or next week or the

237
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,920
Speaker 1: week after your saved until after the bye, then why

238
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,480
Speaker 1: is he playing football at all? Should Sidney Crosby never

239
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,400
Speaker 1: played again? Man, I don't know. I'm not a hockey expert.

240
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:35,240
Speaker 1: I don't remember exactly the extent of his but he

241
00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,000
Speaker 1: missed extended extended time. His had to have been worse

242
00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:45,880
Speaker 1: than Kenny's concussions affect everybody differently their varying degrees. Um

243
00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:48,360
Speaker 1: Pickett said today this is the first time he's ever

244
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,560
Speaker 1: suffered a concussion at any level. So you know, again

245
00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,559
Speaker 1: he knows his body, he knows how he feels, and

246
00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:58,160
Speaker 1: doctors no better than him. And doctors are telling hey,

247
00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,079
Speaker 1: you know the doctors what they they have. These guys

248
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,400
Speaker 1: take a cognitive test. It's a baseline then that they use.

249
00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,559
Speaker 1: So you take it and you they you know, have

250
00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,800
Speaker 1: these you know, boards and questions that they asked them,

251
00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,760
Speaker 1: and you know, track how quickly they handle things on

252
00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,160
Speaker 1: the board and things of that nature. And then when

253
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,880
Speaker 1: you have a concussion, you you test yourself against the

254
00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:24,760
Speaker 1: baseline right right. You know, if you're below the baseline,

255
00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,160
Speaker 1: you're still having the effects of the concussion, still showing

256
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,000
Speaker 1: the effects of the concussion. If you are at or

257
00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,200
Speaker 1: above the baseline, well then you know you're probably fine.

258
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,360
Speaker 1: Although I you know, I did read Yeah, there's there's

259
00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,760
Speaker 1: other things. So this was I thought something I was

260
00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:47,000
Speaker 1: writing about this. Uh. This is from the NFL's concussion Protocols.

261
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,959
Speaker 1: It's important to recognize that players may be able to

262
00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:55,000
Speaker 1: equal or exceed their performance on the locker room comprehension

263
00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:59,319
Speaker 1: concussion assessment compared to their baseline level, yet still have

264
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,160
Speaker 1: a concussion, underscoring the importance of the physician's knowledge of

265
00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,719
Speaker 1: the player. If there's any doubt about the presence of

266
00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,000
Speaker 1: a concussion, regardless of the locker room comprehension concussion assessment results,

267
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,880
Speaker 1: the player is to be removed from practice or play. Okay,

268
00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,600
Speaker 1: so you can you can effectively go into the locker

269
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:22,640
Speaker 1: room overperform your baseline tests and they may say, you

270
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,080
Speaker 1: know what, you're still not going in Yeah, yeah, because

271
00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:27,520
Speaker 1: they I mean, it's not just all he's he's, he's

272
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:29,480
Speaker 1: he's okay to go, because these guys all take a

273
00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:31,840
Speaker 1: base science test before they ever step on the field. Absolutely,

274
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,640
Speaker 1: So I've heard the argument though, well, don't these guys

275
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,160
Speaker 1: just tank the baseline test and and do poorly on

276
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,240
Speaker 1: because you know, like they asked him, you know, Chris Rocky,

277
00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:48,400
Speaker 1: you know what's two plus two? You know, like you know,

278
00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:50,680
Speaker 1: like I don't know, like you don't think you're gonna

279
00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,520
Speaker 1: fool of doctors. Like I've heard that a lot, Like

280
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:54,160
Speaker 1: all these guys they just tank it so they can

281
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,160
Speaker 1: get back on the field. Like I don't think that happens,

282
00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,360
Speaker 1: and I don't think you're you know, fooling the top

283
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,680
Speaker 1: point one scent in the world of brains, not in

284
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,360
Speaker 1: today's not in today's NFL, not in this climate. You know,

285
00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:07,920
Speaker 1: maybe that happened twenty years ago when they first started

286
00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,200
Speaker 1: doing these things, you know, back when, back when I

287
00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:12,120
Speaker 1: was playing sports. You know, you got hit in the head,

288
00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,680
Speaker 1: I'll be fine, get a drink and get back in

289
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,520
Speaker 1: gor bell Roun. Yeah, you know right, I mean, yeah,

290
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,440
Speaker 1: that's why we're doing these things because we saw what

291
00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,400
Speaker 1: the effects of that is. But if you're showing any

292
00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:26,000
Speaker 1: like any signs, it could be a headache, could be nausea,

293
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,640
Speaker 1: could be on steadiness. Uh, it could be the baseline tests.

294
00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,120
Speaker 1: I mean, there are there are a bunch of different

295
00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:32,960
Speaker 1: things that they look for here, and that's why they're

296
00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:34,760
Speaker 1: steps throughout the week. You got to go to an

297
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,160
Speaker 1: athletic thing, you know, before you're allowed to do and

298
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,000
Speaker 1: that's why, you know, Pickett said today that it was

299
00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,280
Speaker 1: important for him to go out and practice fully because

300
00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:43,400
Speaker 1: that was one of the things that they wanted to

301
00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:46,840
Speaker 1: see how he responded to that physically, didn't make him ill.

302
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,760
Speaker 1: Did he get headaches afterwards? Uh? You know those kind

303
00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,600
Speaker 1: of things, and he was fine all week. Yeah, as

304
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,440
Speaker 1: as you once did. I I do a daily podcast

305
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,200
Speaker 1: for d K and it's fifteen minutes just myself sitting

306
00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,320
Speaker 1: at the bar talking about whatever I want. And my

307
00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,280
Speaker 1: last one of the week is Keys of the Game

308
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:04,320
Speaker 1: and one of my first keys. And I was really

309
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:06,360
Speaker 1: hesitant to even bring it up. I'm like, you gotta

310
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,440
Speaker 1: hit two it. You know, like he's I would say

311
00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:10,920
Speaker 1: that if he never had a concussion. I mean like

312
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,200
Speaker 1: he's a smaller guy, doesn't see things well, Um, he

313
00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:17,800
Speaker 1: can get gunshy, I mean. And I was hesitant to

314
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,640
Speaker 1: even bring it up, and I'm like, hey, I don't

315
00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:21,560
Speaker 1: want any ill effects for the guy if he had

316
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,200
Speaker 1: a bad knee. I'm not saying go to his knee.

317
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,080
Speaker 1: I'm not saying drill him in the head. But you

318
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:26,520
Speaker 1: gotta hit this guy. You know, we said the same

319
00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,440
Speaker 1: thing about Tom Brady last week. You know, like he

320
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:31,760
Speaker 1: needs to be hit a lot and prove that he's comfortable.

321
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,520
Speaker 1: That's what the game's about, that affecting the quarterback. Yes,

322
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,560
Speaker 1: it's the physicality of the game to that point. Um,

323
00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,160
Speaker 1: to me, the key matchup in this game where there's

324
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:42,720
Speaker 1: two of them. I think it's a bunch or I

325
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,120
Speaker 1: think it's okay, good two of them. Up front, it's

326
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:50,040
Speaker 1: Cam Heyward against Eigenberg, and it's Highsmith against Little because

327
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,840
Speaker 1: Little is gonna be on one side or the other. Yeah. Yeah,

328
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,560
Speaker 1: I was gonna say tackle. I would say, oh line basically,

329
00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,920
Speaker 1: you know, because they're interior throwing Ogan Joe before you've

330
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,760
Speaker 1: got to big, big, big advantages. Yea. And I also

331
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,199
Speaker 1: think their corners for Steeler receivers is a big matchup

332
00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:09,399
Speaker 1: to that. The two spots I think the favorite the

333
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,360
Speaker 1: Steeler of the most are O line for Miami corners

334
00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,240
Speaker 1: for Miami because they leave them, They leave him on islands.

335
00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,200
Speaker 1: Yeah you know, I mean and they and the O

336
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,960
Speaker 1: line doesn't pick up stunts and blitzes and stuff well either,

337
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,680
Speaker 1: So there's mental issues as well as just not being

338
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,679
Speaker 1: great players. Yeah, I mean, have you heard of Armstead's playing. Uh,

339
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,119
Speaker 1: he's been limited both days, so that's the way it

340
00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:33,159
Speaker 1: was for him last week. So it maybe just be

341
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,080
Speaker 1: a pain tolerance thing for him. But even if he

342
00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,000
Speaker 1: does play, he's not gonna be and there's still ways

343
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,239
Speaker 1: to attack that offensive line with. Yeah. I like your

344
00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,040
Speaker 1: idea of just Highsmith goes over a little yeah, just okay,

345
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,640
Speaker 1: the little you're on the right side. Okay, Alex here

346
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,440
Speaker 1: on this side this week. Get used to it because

347
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,240
Speaker 1: Reed can play both too, right. Yeah. I like that

348
00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,639
Speaker 1: a lot. Yeah, So I think that's you know, the

349
00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:00,960
Speaker 1: keys to this game. And uh, there's a lot of

350
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,040
Speaker 1: layers this game. I mean, you know, like, here's a

351
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:08,520
Speaker 1: little nugget is last year the Chiefs saw the least

352
00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:10,720
Speaker 1: man coverage in the league. So what do they do.

353
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,679
Speaker 1: They go sign Juju, a zone beater, and we got

354
00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:15,280
Speaker 1: a lot of zone. You know, we're gonna go get

355
00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,000
Speaker 1: guys with a great again zone. Well, the Chiefs this year,

356
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:20,919
Speaker 1: now see they don't have any deep speed. Now they

357
00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,359
Speaker 1: see the most man coverage in the league. The defensive

358
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,919
Speaker 1: coordinators didn't say, well last year you were good against man,

359
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,280
Speaker 1: we're gonna do this. Well, where am I going with this? Well,

360
00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:30,840
Speaker 1: Tyreek Kill went from the Chiefs to the Dolphins. Guess

361
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:32,720
Speaker 1: who see in the least man coverage in the league

362
00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:34,480
Speaker 1: this year? Would that be the Dolphins? That would be

363
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:42,760
Speaker 1: the Dolphins and Dolphins two is not great against man coverage,

364
00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,520
Speaker 1: but everyone's petrified to play man against those two Lamborghinis.

365
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,240
Speaker 1: You know, so I think that's really interesting. How much

366
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:51,000
Speaker 1: will they do with that? You know? Yeah, I mean

367
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,840
Speaker 1: that's the Steelers play a fair amount. They're pretty high

368
00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,440
Speaker 1: the league in right, so they're gonna do something. They're

369
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,200
Speaker 1: gonna they're gonna just they'll switch it up and they'll

370
00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:01,760
Speaker 1: they'll do do things here. But uh, yeah, I think

371
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,879
Speaker 1: this this is an interesting matchup for the Steelers. Uh,

372
00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:06,879
Speaker 1: there's a lot of well, I'm like I to say,

373
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,480
Speaker 1: there's a lot of interesting matchups this week. But we'll

374
00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,280
Speaker 1: talk about some of those other ones that are happening

375
00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,200
Speaker 1: around the league here when we come back after this.

376
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,760
Speaker 1: He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lala. You're listening

377
00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,040
Speaker 1: to the Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio, and you

378
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,480
Speaker 1: can check out the Steelers Weekend Review. It's hosted by

379
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,280
Speaker 1: Wesley Euler. It's a recap of the previous game as

380
00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,800
Speaker 1: well as a look at the Steelers next opponent next week,

381
00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,240
Speaker 1: that will be the Philadelphia Eagles. New episodes drop every Tuesday.

382
00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:35,560
Speaker 1: They're available on the Steelers mobile app, the I Heart

383
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,960
Speaker 1: Radio app, m wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be

384
00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:40,720
Speaker 1: back with more in the Drive right after this