Speaker 1: Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
Speaker 1: home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2: Good evening, Steeler Nation. How we doing well? That's good
Speaker 2: us too, our number two. Oh yeah, we're all the
Speaker 2: way back. Maybe west u Ler and Matt Williamson with
Speaker 2: you here on this Thursday. We are going to spend
Speaker 2: some time this hour. We started at the beginning of
Speaker 2: the show talking a little bit about the news that
Speaker 2: it'll be Will Howard and Drew Aller as the two quarterbacks.
Speaker 2: No Mason, no Aaron tomorrow night. Yeah, we both are
Speaker 2: excited for that, and I know I would think almost
Speaker 2: all of Steeler Nation is as well. And we will
Speaker 2: get back into some Jets previews and some things we'll
Speaker 2: be looking for in this hour. But Matt first, it
Speaker 2: is what nine days away from college football Week zero?
Speaker 3: Ah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you feel a baby? Can you hear the marching
Speaker 2: fans in the background. Can you hear the beers getting
Speaker 2: cracked at the eight am tailgate?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: I'm excited. I can't wait. And with that, our guy
Speaker 2: Dame Brugler Matt his eleventh and final installment of his
Speaker 2: NFL Draft twenty twenty seven NFL Draft Summer scouting series.
Speaker 2: He's already put out eleven installments.
Speaker 3: Every position he held quarterbacks a last right for next
Speaker 3: year's draft. Summer scouting. Yeah, I've been into it.
Speaker 2: And we we've always been into this quarterback conversation dating
Speaker 2: back to last year. Now we will again this year
Speaker 2: until the Steelers find their franchise guy, whether it's Will Howard,
Speaker 2: whether it's Drew Aller, whether it's someone who's still on
Speaker 2: a college campus this fall.
Speaker 3: Our buddy Trevor Sikima too has been doing the NFL
Speaker 3: Drafted Stock Exchange. Oh nice, and he does like a
Speaker 3: two hour show on each position too for some scouting. Yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm gonna have.
Speaker 2: To listen to some of that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, grass and driving around here absolutely, back and forth
Speaker 3: to Indie. I did a lot of that kind of
Speaker 3: stuff too, So I'm trying to get ahead of the draft.
Speaker 3: I always say that, and then the NFL hits me
Speaker 3: like a title wave and get.
Speaker 2: That always happens.
Speaker 3: Ye.
Speaker 2: But Dane's last draft quarterback primer of the preseason. Obviously
Speaker 2: this will change as the college football season starts, but
Speaker 2: here's where he has his quarterbacks.
Speaker 3: And folks, this is on the athletic you can go
Speaker 3: and see safeties. You can see inside line, every position,
Speaker 3: and maybe we'll go through them between now and we've
Speaker 3: got college kickoff.
Speaker 2: We got a couple of weeks.
Speaker 3: I just want to know him better.
Speaker 2: And he starts by saying it will be tough for
Speaker 2: the twenty twenty seven quarterback class to live up to
Speaker 2: the immense hype, But then he also thinks, you know,
Speaker 2: it has a real chance to have a more kind
Speaker 2: of high end draft eligible, top draft eligible quarterbacks than
Speaker 2: we've seen in a few years.
Speaker 3: I've said this before, but we heard this last year
Speaker 3: with club Nick and Aler and nuss Meyer and guys
Speaker 3: that did not end up being first round picks or
Speaker 3: were well worse or didn't come back. What's different, folks
Speaker 3: about this year? And I'm not saying this will live
Speaker 3: up to the hype. The hype is unbelievably crazy. But
Speaker 3: there's more names this year than last year. For you
Speaker 3: got a better chance.
Speaker 2: Because last year maya around campus had like names. Now
Speaker 2: it's got it's like twenty Yeah, by the time we
Speaker 2: get to Halloween, I'm sure I'll I've cut some of
Speaker 2: those names.
Speaker 3: Of course, of course, and someone come out and two
Speaker 3: guys will get hurt. But then you'll add to the
Speaker 3: name to the list too.
Speaker 2: We haven't even discussed here, but I will say.
Speaker 3: Too, just in terms of physical traits, that won't change.
Speaker 3: This group has better physical traits, yes, you know, like size, speed, strength.
Speaker 3: You know nus Meyer and club Nick weren't overwhelming, you
Speaker 3: know what I mean.
Speaker 2: He also, which I like, points out the guys who
Speaker 2: could still return if they wanted to, which is always
Speaker 2: a little murky.
Speaker 3: Right. Well, we thought Dante more would be.
Speaker 2: He would have been. He would have been a top
Speaker 2: ten pick for sure. I think he would have gone
Speaker 2: second overall probably.
Speaker 3: I think it's right and come out because be a
Speaker 3: jet he.
Speaker 2: Wanted to be a shark instead. That's a West Side
Speaker 2: story joke for for you theater kids out there. Number
Speaker 2: one on this list Matt is arch Manning.
Speaker 3: He's not the consensus though he's not.
Speaker 2: I think Arch and Dante Moore the consensus one and two. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I've seen a couple people. I think our guy Mench
Speaker 2: might be one of them who's had Leonora Sellers in
Speaker 2: one or But for the most part, it's Arch one,
Speaker 2: Dante two or flip flop. Like I know, McShay has
Speaker 2: more one Dante or More one Arch two. But at
Speaker 2: this point, those are the two big guys Arch Manning
Speaker 2: of course of Texas six four, two hundred and thirty pounds.
Speaker 2: What's crazy, Matt is he could still come back for
Speaker 2: another year if he wanted to. Yeah, I don't think
Speaker 2: that will be the case.
Speaker 3: Does More have to come out at this point where.
Speaker 2: It does not have to come out either, Both of
Speaker 2: those guys could return if they want to. More six
Speaker 2: three two fifteen he's you know, uh loves Basically his
Speaker 2: best trade is his touchy touch, an accurate and his
Speaker 2: ability to create when the script breaks down, when the
Speaker 2: pocket breaks down. Whereas for Arch it's kind of I
Speaker 2: get these two are like a fun Yin and Yang.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're very different.
Speaker 2: Arch It's like he's got the size, not that Dante
Speaker 2: More is a tiny guy, but arch has the pre
Speaker 2: prototypical size, He's got the prototypical arm strength and all that. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but he just needs some polish on the finer details
Speaker 2: of his game.
Speaker 3: Which is kind of funny. It more plays more like
Speaker 3: a Manning than Manning does, really, you know what I mean,
Speaker 3: It's true, it kind of does.
Speaker 2: And Archie is a you always make this joke like
Speaker 2: it's because you know, just because he's a big, white,
Speaker 2: goofy looking guy arches, he's that's his draft profile is
Speaker 2: gonna have sneaky athletic.
Speaker 3: Of course, under all, he's a very good athlete. He's
Speaker 3: not at all.
Speaker 2: He doesn't move like Peyton Manning and the he moves
Speaker 2: like his dad, who was a who was going to
Speaker 2: be a Division one wide receiver. And by it, I
Speaker 2: think and by all like even uh, you know, Archie
Speaker 2: Manning will tell you Cooper was the best athlete out
Speaker 2: of Peyton and Eli.
Speaker 3: And Archie was a run around quarterback before those existed, right.
Speaker 2: And so arch has a lot of that that people
Speaker 2: just don't cause his last name and because he looks
Speaker 2: like the typical prototype stand up pocket passer. But I
Speaker 2: think those two at this point, whatever order you want
Speaker 2: to put them in, are the clear cut number one
Speaker 2: and two.
Speaker 3: Along these lines, this is a question for you, do
Speaker 3: you think those are the best two teams in the country.
Speaker 3: A lot of people seem to think that.
Speaker 2: They're in the conversation. They're in the conversation. Ohio State
Speaker 2: is great, Miami is going to be great. I think
Speaker 2: Indiana could be really good again. You know, George is
Speaker 2: always crazy talented, but.
Speaker 3: They have as short odds as anyone to win it all.
Speaker 3: Texas and Oreon, Yes, yes, absolutely, I know they've got
Speaker 3: a lot of transfers, a lot of guys.
Speaker 2: I would be shocked if they're both not playoff teams. No,
Speaker 2: and I know that's twelve teams now, so that doesn't
Speaker 2: mean as much when it was four. But I would
Speaker 2: be a highly disappointing year if for both of those,
Speaker 2: If they're not at least in the college football Plaoff,
Speaker 2: it would be a very They might be looking for
Speaker 2: new head coaches if they're If they're not in the
Speaker 2: college playoffs.
Speaker 3: Like I know, Texas has one of the top receivers
Speaker 3: in the country the transferred over from Auburn. They stole
Speaker 3: a great linebacker from Pitt who could be a first
Speaker 3: round pack.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Giles, I think number three. I meant to send
Speaker 2: that to you the other day though. It was this thing.
Speaker 2: It was basically a breakdown of the top twenty five
Speaker 2: teams in college football, how any first round picks they
Speaker 2: potentially had on the roster, and how many draftable guys
Speaker 2: in general they had on the ross Ohio State and
Speaker 2: Texas were like five or six first round drafted guys.
Speaker 3: That just as an edge guy, they've.
Speaker 2: Seventeen like overall could be drafted. It was just absolutely insane.
Speaker 2: That's the It's the kind of greed they speak about
Speaker 2: in the Bible. Matt Williams number three though on this,
Speaker 2: on this on his list, surprised me a little bit,
Speaker 2: but he's continuing to rise up in all these conversations.
Speaker 2: At CJ. Carr, the Notre Dame quarterback, who is I
Speaker 2: totally get it, also also still an underclassman. Yeah, could
Speaker 2: could could come in another football family, and he says,
Speaker 2: I get it. Saying that CJ. Carr's best trade is
Speaker 2: the feel for position sounds vague, but Car shows a
Speaker 2: ton of promise in critical areas for such a young player,
Speaker 2: considering his lineage in football upbringing, that shouldn't be a surprise.
Speaker 2: Lloyd Carr's grands Lloyd Car's grandson. If I think there's
Speaker 2: other cars, yeah, Lloyd Carr was the legendary Michigan head coach.
Speaker 2: Don't let Mike pursue to hear me say that, or
Speaker 2: he'll come in here and try and fight MEJ Car
Speaker 2: is efficient with his operation and understands how to find
Speaker 2: vulnerable matchups in the defense.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and mcshae loves him. The more I found out
Speaker 3: about him, the more I like him too. I've kind
Speaker 3: of always said that if I'm in charge of the
Speaker 3: Steelers next first round, major investment trade, first round picked
Speaker 3: for him, he'd better be a really, really good athlete.
Speaker 3: But Car might be fine. I mean, that's not He's
Speaker 3: not Lenora Sellers.
Speaker 2: He's not. He's six two two fifteen. He fits though.
Speaker 2: You must be this tall to ride the AFC North.
Speaker 3: Ride like that worries me of saying a little bit.
Speaker 3: I don't know if he's physical enough for me.
Speaker 2: If I'm New Orleans, I'll draft him all day.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, I know.
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, so talking about how he needs to improve
Speaker 2: upon his rookie mistakes. But he's one of the younger
Speaker 2: guys in this group, and last year was his first
Speaker 2: year as a starter, you know, dune it ut it up.
Speaker 3: I remember mcshae saying after he got back from the
Speaker 3: Manning passing camp, the car.
Speaker 2: Is the most impressive one, he said, yeah.
Speaker 3: And he said something long lines of two, just like
Speaker 3: his command of the position, you know, in the leadership
Speaker 3: and the smarts were really really high level.
Speaker 2: And he's like, if he if he eliminates those rookie mistakes.
Speaker 2: He talks about two bad interceptions that he threw against
Speaker 2: Pitt last year that he remember those. Yeah, that he
Speaker 2: has a chance to be a top top pick in
Speaker 2: this draft. But again though he could still return, which
Speaker 2: is nuts because of these top three guys, they could
Speaker 2: all still go back. And this is kind of the
Speaker 2: world we're living in with college football now.
Speaker 3: Number four man, he hates that as a draft analyst,
Speaker 3: but you know.
Speaker 2: Agreed, Yeah, it's much more difficult. It's in a lot
Speaker 2: of ways it's beneficial now because we get to see
Speaker 2: these guys in multiple systems, multiple coaches.
Speaker 3: But like he either went to the Senior Bowl as
Speaker 3: a senior or the year before he came out as
Speaker 3: an underclassman.
Speaker 2: Matt, you and I were at the combine at the
Speaker 2: end of February and we still didn't know if Trendad
Speaker 2: JOm Bliss was going to be in the draft or not.
Speaker 3: Was the thing you sent me about somebody gained college
Speaker 3: eligibility that's in the NFL.
Speaker 2: Like like fifteen guys who are in preseason right now,
Speaker 2: just got injunctions to return to college football. This dude
Speaker 2: who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week is
Speaker 2: going back to Old Miss or LSU.
Speaker 3: How does that happen?
Speaker 2: It's because because because college sports are the Wild West
Speaker 2: now and there's no rules and there's no commissioner. Yeah yeah,
Speaker 2: and everybody just wants to win.
Speaker 3: You can't be both.
Speaker 2: It's it is, It's insane. We saw some of that
Speaker 2: in basketball, where there was like the guy who played
Speaker 2: for like the Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets and then
Speaker 2: went back to Kentucky or Baylor whatever.
Speaker 3: I just so it's possible for like Peter W. Pitts
Speaker 3: perfect example, they walk out back and they're sitting there
Speaker 3: watching the Steelers practice right now. Could they be like, hey, buddy,
Speaker 3: you want to come back be a Panther next year
Speaker 3: instead because you're not making this team.
Speaker 2: Was Desmond Reid in a camp with an NFL team
Speaker 2: maybe the dude yeah, and now they're talking about him
Speaker 2: and going back.
Speaker 3: Really I didn't know that.
Speaker 2: I would imagine he was at least a UDFA somewhere.
Speaker 3: I think he might have had a seventh round pick.
Speaker 3: So it's just like happened.
Speaker 2: Once you once you attend an NFL mini camp or
Speaker 2: training camp, once you are in the position rooms, once
Speaker 2: you wear the uniform, you shouldn't be You're done. It's
Speaker 2: like you're not a student athlete anymore.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you can't be half pregnant, right, you know, Like
Speaker 3: you're a professional athlete now.
Speaker 2: And I realized there's a little more gray area in
Speaker 2: the NFL at least, But like these guys in the NBA,
Speaker 2: I don't care if you were in the G League.
Speaker 3: That's still a professional, right right, right, I.
Speaker 2: Played Triple A baseball for a year and then go
Speaker 2: back to college, Like, get out of here with that.
Speaker 3: It's yeah, I think Reid was actually drafted.
Speaker 2: The state of college sports, Matt right now is not great.
Speaker 3: And uh I really dislike that.
Speaker 2: I do too. There's like fifteen guys that have all
Speaker 2: been granted in an injunction to be able to return
Speaker 2: to college football after having played in training.
Speaker 3: Can oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: It's it's insane to me. It's ridiculous to me. It's
Speaker 2: honestly a farce, if I'm being completely honest. Number four
Speaker 2: on this list, Matt one of the guys that I
Speaker 2: am most intrigued to see this season because it's a
Speaker 2: it's a real jump up for him. Is Drew Mestamaker,
Speaker 2: the quarterback for Oklahoma State last weekend. Uh in September,
Speaker 2: I'll be seeing him with my own two eyes down
Speaker 2: in Morgantown is a Stokahoma State Week four of the
Speaker 2: college football season. It's like September twenty sixth, I think
Speaker 2: Oklahoma State will be rolling into Morgantown, and I'm obviously
Speaker 2: very excited to see this guy. Six three, two hundred
Speaker 2: and ten pounds. Also an underclassman doesn't have to come
Speaker 2: out for the draft. Everything mcshay's been saying is that
Speaker 2: he's hearing Messa. Maker has basically like almost committed two
Speaker 2: years to Oklahoma State, which sounds like his former head
Speaker 2: coach too.
Speaker 3: He was the starter in high school.
Speaker 2: He was a walk on at North Texas two years.
Speaker 3: I think he was a safety and punter in high.
Speaker 2: School and had a meteoric rise and was really good
Speaker 2: at North Texas. Obviously, his head coach got hired by
Speaker 2: Oklahoma State and he followed him there.
Speaker 3: But he can really sling it.
Speaker 2: But he said is according to Dane his best trade
Speaker 2: is he attacks every inch of the field. He's not
Speaker 2: shy about possing it all over the yard.
Speaker 3: Has like a Matthew Stafford feel.
Speaker 2: It's a good one. I really like that must improve
Speaker 2: his mental reps. You know, he's relatively he's relatively young.
Speaker 2: He's a party Texas needs to play it, you know,
Speaker 2: taking a big step up here into power for college football.
Speaker 2: And his number four, I mean I've seen him pretty
Speaker 2: highly on War's list. Four I think is the highest
Speaker 2: I've seen him.
Speaker 3: In a class like this, In a class like this,
Speaker 3: that's high praise.
Speaker 2: Number five, the aforementioned Trinidad Chamberless Shambless.
Speaker 3: I think I don't think he's too short for my liking.
Speaker 3: The more I look into him, six foot two ten,
Speaker 3: he's he's probably five eleven and a half.
Speaker 2: He might be the you always use this the Jalen Warren, right,
Speaker 2: like the Jalen Warren is the if you're smaller than
Speaker 2: Jalen Warren, you're a small back. If you're bigger than
Speaker 2: Jalen Warren, you're a big back. Maybe that's maybe that's
Speaker 2: Trinid Dad for the for the quarterback, he's kind of
Speaker 2: like the lines he.
Speaker 3: Make it and he's hardy, and he's not bryce young.
Speaker 2: The more and more I watch of him, I like
Speaker 2: him me too, and I'm really excited to watch him
Speaker 2: this year. Outside of that, as you and I like
Speaker 2: to the Lane Kiff and Mickey Mouse offense absolutely, and
Speaker 2: I'm sure they'll still do a lot of that stuff
Speaker 2: at Old Miss because it's a lot of carryover on
Speaker 2: the coaching staff.
Speaker 3: But he doesn't played little, No, he does not play
Speaker 3: little right.
Speaker 2: And he's also now twenty three, twenty four years old.
Speaker 2: He better, he better have a this mark. This looks
Speaker 2: easy Kenny Pickett type.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: Here he is out of eligibility he has. He's the
Speaker 2: first one.
Speaker 3: On this list really last year.
Speaker 2: If it wasn't for an injunction. His best trade is
Speaker 2: he's just an instinctive playmaker. He must improve his coverage recognitions.
Speaker 2: Number six Matt the guy who might be my my
Speaker 2: QB one for the Steelers at this point because obviously
Speaker 2: I'm not having Arch Manning and Dante more on that
Speaker 2: list because I don't think the Steelers are going to
Speaker 2: be bad enough to draft those Leonora sellers out of
Speaker 2: South Carolina. Six four two forty five Best traits the
Speaker 2: physical gifts. There aren't many quarterbacks with Sellers talent and
Speaker 2: traits in this class or in college football, a unique
Speaker 2: dual threat weapon. His superpower is how he creates conflict
Speaker 2: for defense with the ball in his hands.
Speaker 3: He's a guy. Again, I'm not experts on these is
Speaker 3: studying as much I can where I think there's a
Speaker 3: very believable story that he's in the first overall conversation,
Speaker 3: I do too, or Man, I don't know if he's
Speaker 3: ever going to put it together. Let's take a third
Speaker 3: round flyer on.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, yeah, I told you about this a
Speaker 2: couple of months ago. But during the World Cup, like
Speaker 2: me and all my high school buddies got together at
Speaker 2: our local watering holes USA games, a lot of my
Speaker 2: buddies that I hadn't seen in a few years and
Speaker 2: stuff like that. It was a lot of fun and
Speaker 2: they were picking always. I'm sure it's the same with
Speaker 2: your friends always picking my brain about Steelers stuff and
Speaker 2: what do you think about this? And I was telling them,
Speaker 2: I was like, I just think Archie Dante Moore are
Speaker 2: even if they have down college football seasons, are nailed
Speaker 2: on top five picks. And I don't think the steel
Speaker 2: Even if you paint a picture where Aaron Rodgers gets
Speaker 2: hurt and it's a disaster for the Steelers, I don't
Speaker 2: know if they're gonna be that bad to pick in
Speaker 2: the top five.
Speaker 3: And usually teams don't trade out of that spot. I'll
Speaker 3: just give up. Move from nine to two.
Speaker 2: Two's not moving right, exactly right. It's the Jets and
Speaker 2: the Cardinals.
Speaker 3: They're not moving. Jane Daniels, right right.
Speaker 2: Caleb Williams, exactly right. And so I told my buddies.
Speaker 2: I was like, if I'm building my realistic Steelers quarterback
Speaker 2: big board right now, if guys who I think the
Speaker 2: Steelers could draft in the first round of twenty twenty seven,
Speaker 2: I think Sellers is my QB one for through a
Speaker 2: black and gold lens.
Speaker 3: Now, they all could be disasters. And how much fun
Speaker 3: would camp be next year? If it's like it's a
Speaker 3: Howard Aller Sellers combination, some one of these guys is
Speaker 3: going to be our starter. They may all be awful
Speaker 3: and never have good careers.
Speaker 2: That would be so much fun.
Speaker 3: We have a blast, We have so much.
Speaker 2: I would in your in your go fish conversations, Yeah,
Speaker 2: I would take that right now.
Speaker 3: I think I would do. I would take say one
Speaker 3: to hit and one to be an okay backup, or
Speaker 3: I can find I signed Rudolph through the backup whatever
Speaker 3: I mean. But does he wanted to hit?
Speaker 2: And his must improve for sellers is something that I
Speaker 2: really like. It's just pressing the easy button, he says.
Speaker 2: I understand because he had nothing around him last year
Speaker 2: and everything was crumbling down with the program. But like
Speaker 2: take the easy way out. Dump it down sometimes, throw
Speaker 2: the ball away, don't put yourself in harms way.
Speaker 3: You don't have to run over defensive tackle. I mean,
Speaker 3: just let someone else do.
Speaker 2: That and all the of all the correctable things. I
Speaker 2: think that would be pretty high.
Speaker 3: On the list. Yeah, yeah, number seven. So again, how
Speaker 3: deep does he go in this list?
Speaker 2: I think he goes I think he goes ten. Okay, no,
Speaker 2: he goes he goes, he goes seven, Yes, he goes seven.
Speaker 2: He goes seven. So his last one in Matt. All
Speaker 2: these guys are still underclassmen. All these guys could still
Speaker 2: have eligibility except for Trinidad. Number seven is Darien Mensa,
Speaker 2: the Miami signal caller who of course transferred from Duke.
Speaker 2: We talked about him a little bit. Uh he's got
Speaker 2: I mean he's got like Will Levis level arm talent
Speaker 2: where he just makes some throws that true. Like, my god,
Speaker 2: this guy's gonna be amazing, best trade, willingness to attack
Speaker 2: deep middle of the field, windows and over the middle
Speaker 2: of the field. Must improve his timing, his progression and
Speaker 2: his timing.
Speaker 3: Going to Miami's proved fruitful for the last two transfers.
Speaker 2: It absolutely has, absolutely has, so.
Speaker 3: He staying in there. He doesn't have LSU, Dude, he doesn't.
Speaker 2: He doesn't have Nava from US. He obviously doesn't have
Speaker 2: Brendan Soresby, who's not going to play this season. John
Speaker 2: John Matteer from Oklahoma, Iron Brown from all Josh Hoover
Speaker 2: from Indiana. I mean he's the LSU guy is Sam
Speaker 2: sam Levitt likes him.
Speaker 3: So here's I see why.
Speaker 2: So here's uh, here's his overall here's his kind of
Speaker 2: overall ranking. So he doesn't do right ups on him,
Speaker 2: but he puts top fifteen draft eligible Okay Manning more
Speaker 2: car mess to Maker Sellers, Trinidad Mensa. And then he
Speaker 2: goes Sam Levitt Julian saying Drake Lindsay out of Minnesota,
Speaker 2: who Nate Tice loves.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but Nato' even tell you he's got a blind
Speaker 3: spot from Minnesota dudes and big strong, old school nineteen
Speaker 3: eighties pocket passers, because that's what he was.
Speaker 2: That's what you l Yeah, that's that's ten Matt. And
Speaker 2: then he has Nico I am leaving Aliava, Desmond Williams junior,
Speaker 2: the Washington quarterback DJ Lagway from Baylor. We talked about
Speaker 2: him a little bit last year. He was at Florida
Speaker 2: C J. Bailey from n C Stateola from Oregon, which
Speaker 2: is interesting because I don't think he's gonna play it
Speaker 2: this year. And then Marcel Reid, the tiny but crazy
Speaker 2: athletic Texas A and.
Speaker 3: If he not, did I miss him?
Speaker 2: From usc Uh he had Miava, so it's weird. He's
Speaker 2: got top fifteen draft eligible, and then he's got top
Speaker 2: fifteen seniors, so he has Mayava third on the senior
Speaker 2: quarter like.
Speaker 3: The ones that happen, they have to come out.
Speaker 2: He's got Trinidad one, Sowresby two, Miava three my tier four,
Speaker 2: but then he doesn't have Miava or or Materier.
Speaker 3: Is one in his top correct fifteen correct man.
Speaker 2: There's a lot of names too, like Gunner Stockton from Georgia,
Speaker 2: Noah Fida from Arizona. I mean there's some there's some
Speaker 2: names here, dude.
Speaker 3: Like one or two of those could have a monster season.
Speaker 3: I want to talk about them in his first round.
Speaker 2: Monster monster year. Kevin Jennings at SMU, Avery Johnson at
Speaker 2: Kansas State. These guys are all high pedigree recruits who
Speaker 2: you know, one great year and all of a sudden
Speaker 2: they're at the conversation.
Speaker 3: It happens every year. I mean, I think I could
Speaker 3: go on and on about dudes we want weren't talking about.
Speaker 3: There were very early.
Speaker 2: Picks every year, and it happens at every position, not
Speaker 2: just quarterback obviously, and as Matt said, we'll do some
Speaker 2: more of these for some other positions. Big shocker here.
Speaker 2: I just looked at his wide receivers real quick, and
Speaker 2: he's got Jeremiah Smith number one. Can't imagine that, but.
Speaker 3: That number two, dude, is Manning's guy that transferred in.
Speaker 3: That would be most people think it. Almost any other
Speaker 3: year he'd be the number one. Yeah, he's a special
Speaker 3: type dude, but he just happens to go into super free.
Speaker 2: Excited to get college football season rolling here and excited
Speaker 2: to really sink into these around campuses once we get
Speaker 2: into September. Let's talk a little final thoughts ahead of
Speaker 2: Steelers jets tomorrow night when we return. Was Shooler Matt
Speaker 2: Williams and it's the drive Steelers Nation Radio on the
Speaker 2: Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 4: And now a word from our sponsor, bud Light. There's
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Speaker 7: I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
Speaker 7: hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
Speaker 7: It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
Speaker 7: I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL draft live
Speaker 7: with the ultra low lag and after what went down
Speaker 7: in the first round, still getting video calls from my
Speaker 7: best friend rubbing it in that he called all the picks.
Speaker 3: I told you they were building their own line.
Speaker 1: I went to bet good.
Speaker 5: One hundred percent fiber Internet with Verizon FiOS, because when
Speaker 5: it comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
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Speaker 1: Get that hot dog costume ready, bruh your tunes about
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Speaker 2: Preseason game number two on the Horizon for the Steelers,
Speaker 2: of course, Friday night, seven o'clock Akersher Stadium, when the
Speaker 2: New York Jets role into Pittsburgh, Matt it's obviously, and
Speaker 2: we talked about this a little bit at the start
Speaker 2: of the show, but it's obviously a big opportunity for
Speaker 2: Will Howard, who's going to start the game. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: we would think, we don't know, I think this part
Speaker 2: for sure, but we would think Will Howard gets the
Speaker 2: first half, Drew Aller gets the second half.
Speaker 3: Guessing but subject to change, right.
Speaker 2: It's subject to change. Maybe they want to see an
Speaker 2: extra series from someone. It's always possible someone picks up
Speaker 2: a little bit of a knock or an injury too,
Speaker 2: as much as you don't want to say that knock
Speaker 2: on Wood. But for now we know at least the
Speaker 2: plan is to see plenty of those two young guys.
Speaker 2: Anything you want to see from them next anything in particular,
Speaker 2: you want to see them build upon what we saw
Speaker 2: in that first preseason game.
Speaker 3: Hmm. They both did so much, but a lot of
Speaker 3: it this is taking nothing away from them, because like
Speaker 3: there's been a lot of buzz about like how well
Speaker 3: ty Simpson did this first his first outing, and then
Speaker 3: I've heard people be like, yeah, but the route concepts
Speaker 3: really made it easy on I'm like, well, that's the
Speaker 3: it's a coach's jobs, right, you know, that's a that's
Speaker 3: their job in week ten. It's not to make it
Speaker 3: as as tough as possible on your quarterback.
Speaker 2: This isn't this isn't Navy Seal training.
Speaker 3: No, right, we try to win games. You know. We
Speaker 3: wanted to complete passes, We want to move the football.
Speaker 3: We can get first downs. So I do think maybe
Speaker 3: this show a little bit more diversity with the other
Speaker 3: like the next chapter of install of the offense, maybe
Speaker 3: they're willing to do that. Maybe they just don't want
Speaker 3: to show the world what chapter two is anyway. Fact.
Speaker 3: I mean just these are very generic and you can say
Speaker 3: about any rookie quarterback or very new quarterback like in
Speaker 3: Howard's case, is step one look like you belong? Those
Speaker 3: aren't certain numbers, just anyone. Did he pass the eye test?
Speaker 3: Is he comfortable in his skin? Is he going where
Speaker 3: he's supposed to the football? Does he look like he belongs?
Speaker 3: Then do it a second time, then it's like not
Speaker 3: a fluke anymore.
Speaker 2: Yeah, right, right right. You gotta you gotta be able
Speaker 2: to do it more than once to prove that you
Speaker 2: can't do it consistently. You'll you'll laugh at this. Like
Speaker 2: when I was growing up playing guitar, playing piano, my
Speaker 2: dad would always bendy, You'll always be lording over me
Speaker 2: as I practiced. And if it was like a tough
Speaker 2: piece or scale or something that I was trying to learn,
Speaker 2: I'd sit there and I get frustrated.
Speaker 3: Bang.
Speaker 2: I'd finally get it once and I'd be like, all right,
Speaker 2: I got it, I'm done. My dad would be like, no,
Speaker 2: you're not doing it again.
Speaker 3: This is it riding a bike or yeah, until.
Speaker 2: You can do it five times in a row. You
Speaker 2: haven't nailed it. Yeah, yeah, you can get lucky and
Speaker 2: do it once. Yes, yes, yes, continue continue to build
Speaker 2: upon that. Maybe still training wheels, but maybe you loosen
Speaker 2: them up a little bit there.
Speaker 3: I mean, like your dad's a perfect example, though, Like
Speaker 3: I gotta perform four nights a week or whatever. I
Speaker 3: can't get it right once.
Speaker 2: I gotta be able to get it right every single time.
Speaker 5: Yah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that for sure with those two. It's gonna
Speaker 2: be a lot of fun watching those two. Matt. One
Speaker 2: thing that I would like to see cleaner offensive line
Speaker 2: play in front in front of both young.
Speaker 3: Quarterbacks, including the run game. I don't see bigger holes.
Speaker 3: I see better line play across the board, less penalties
Speaker 3: from that group, more continuity, better blocking, yeah from and
Speaker 3: I don't know who's gonna play and how much, you know,
Speaker 3: because I don't think we're gona see Max.
Speaker 2: I don't think we're gonna see Max unfortunately, but I
Speaker 2: would still expect to see some of that starting quote
Speaker 2: unquote starting five Altanu, McCormick, Fraser, Anderson Cook.
Speaker 3: Yes, I don't know how long I'm keeping Fraser and.
Speaker 2: FELTONU absolutely and I'd like to see Faltonu whip some
Speaker 2: butt on a series and then yeah over the sideline.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah. So this is a bit of a dilemma though,
Speaker 3: when you really look at the depth charge if you
Speaker 3: pull up our lads or whatever is I think their line,
Speaker 3: and we've talked about this for months is really deep.
Speaker 3: I think they are gonna be really happy with the
Speaker 3: last guy on their roster o line wise, but after
Speaker 3: that there's like nothing, So you almost have to play
Speaker 3: a lot of your guys that are gonna be on
Speaker 3: the team, maybe more than you want. And I think
Speaker 3: Dunker's fighting a little something, you know, like, and I
Speaker 3: don't want Fraser out there long, you know, like, it's
Speaker 3: not as easy a puzzle to put together as you
Speaker 3: think you're like. The other one I would definitely want
Speaker 3: to see. Two though, is if Max doesn't play, and
Speaker 3: let's just you know, this pains me to even say it.
Speaker 3: Let's just take him out of the equation for a minute.
Speaker 3: Can Broderick fight Cook to either be the starting right
Speaker 3: tackle or the third tackle overall? When Max takes a
Speaker 3: starting right tackle job, can he be better than Cook?
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's definitely.
Speaker 3: I think that's something to definitely keep an eye on.
Speaker 2: Because I think we're hoping that Max will get back
Speaker 2: soon and take the reins of that starting position.
Speaker 3: But if he doesn't, somebody has to play.
Speaker 2: If he's not in there, two dogs one bone wouldn't
Speaker 2: be the worst thing ever between Cook and Broderick. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Broderick's deployment, yeah, tomorrow night.
Speaker 3: I think he led the team in offensive snaps the
Speaker 3: first go round. Something to keep an eye on, But
Speaker 3: I just think that I guess you don't even have
Speaker 3: to mention Max. Is Broderick better than Cook?
Speaker 2: Is Proderick better than Cook?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I speaking of the run game, I'm with you.
Speaker 2: I want to see some more success there, and a
Speaker 2: lot of that starts with the offensive line. But I'm
Speaker 2: very interested to see the usage and the deployment of
Speaker 2: Eli hyden Reich. And then I mean, is this really
Speaker 2: the final nail in the coffin for Caleb Johnson? If
Speaker 2: Caleb Johnson gets two carries again, I think we'll be
Speaker 2: coming in here on Tuesday saying Cyanora.
Speaker 3: I'm ready to do that now. But maybe they shock
Speaker 3: us and they run them a whole second half. So yeah,
Speaker 3: that would be the that'd be the definitive answer.
Speaker 2: And heiden Reich I would expect to still get snaps
Speaker 2: in the backfield, but I'd love to see him line
Speaker 2: up in the slaughter at wide receiver a little bit too.
Speaker 3: A guy like tanya though I don't think has anything
Speaker 3: to prove anymore. You know, like there's I did a
Speaker 3: podcast on side record last night that there's fewer of
Speaker 3: these fringe guys are questioned guys than at any point
Speaker 3: that I can remember, with two preseason games left, and
Speaker 3: I know any have won in the books. That doesn't
Speaker 3: mean Tanyan's you know, fit him for a gold jacket,
Speaker 3: but it's like he answered enough questions that he belongs.
Speaker 3: Even like the receivers, like who's gonna who's that guy
Speaker 3: that's gonna like step up.
Speaker 2: And be up in Maybe it's Bernard, maybe it's Wilson.
Speaker 3: I'd like to see them out there acting like starters. Yes,
Speaker 3: you know, Pittman and Metcalf I'm sure won't play all
Speaker 3: pre season. I wouldn't think, so who else will we
Speaker 3: keying on in the third quarter. There's just not as
Speaker 3: many easy things.
Speaker 2: There's not really not There's not like that seventh round
Speaker 2: rookie that's right, maybe it would be Hide and Raike
Speaker 2: if you were in that position group, that's a that's
Speaker 2: that's a good call by you.
Speaker 3: Just across a roster, there's not as many of those
Speaker 3: guys as usual, Like Slaughter comes to mind with corner.
Speaker 2: There's not those at the wide receiver position, no or
Speaker 2: tight end or you know, speaking of corner, Matt, that
Speaker 2: was kind of my last thing. Is just the secondary. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's a lot of those guys we haven't seen, whether
Speaker 2: it be Ramsey and Joey Porter Junior, even someone like Eccles.
Speaker 2: We've barely seen any of Deshaun Elliott, Riskers miss some time.
Speaker 2: I just want to continue to I feel really good
Speaker 2: about Jammel Dean, feel really good about Asante Samuel Jr.
Speaker 2: But I want to I want to continue to see
Speaker 2: Dylan Everett. I want to continue to see some of
Speaker 2: these young guys, Robert Spears Jennings throughout the secondary because.
Speaker 3: I think a little ding too him and Dunker, a
Speaker 3: lot of these.
Speaker 2: I wonder if those are the type of dings where
Speaker 2: in the past it would have been you're a rookie,
Speaker 2: get out there and show us what you got where
Speaker 2: Mike McCarthy takes the complete opposite approach, and it's like,
Speaker 2: I just want you to get to September healthy. We'll
Speaker 2: figure everything else out.
Speaker 3: Makes you worry, who can they put out there if
Speaker 3: some of those dudes aren't. I mean, they're gonna be like,
Speaker 3: definitely cutable dude.
Speaker 2: And if you think about what we kind of quote
Speaker 2: unquote envision for the starting secondary Dean and Porter on
Speaker 2: the outside, Ramsey is that star if you will, right
Speaker 2: Williamson love that term, that kind of slot, big nickel safety.
Speaker 2: And then Brisker and Elliott. We obviously haven't seen that
Speaker 2: once in training camp or anything, because a couple of
Speaker 2: those guys haven't even played. But of those five that
Speaker 2: I just named, Dean's the only one that we've really
Speaker 2: seen get any type of extensive work. Five we've seen
Speaker 2: a little bit of, but not much, Elliott a little
Speaker 2: bit of but not much. And then no Ramsey, no Porter.
Speaker 2: I just want eckles. Yeah, I just want data points
Speaker 2: with that group.
Speaker 3: Man. Yeah, I'm excited about the corners in particular. I
Speaker 3: have some safety worries, but I'd also like to It's
Speaker 3: not as important as like O line, but playing together
Speaker 3: matters there, you know, passing this coverage off and understanding
Speaker 3: timing and your teammates and a lot of these different
Speaker 3: exotic zones and things like that. It would be nice
Speaker 3: for him to play together a little before you face
Speaker 3: Kyle Pits and Drake London. Yeah, right, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly I don't need those guys, you know, getting
Speaker 2: work in day in and day out together, but at
Speaker 2: some point I would like to see that start to
Speaker 2: come together. Matt, that's kind of that's kind of my
Speaker 2: thoughts heading into, uh, heading into tomorrow night's contest with
Speaker 2: the Jets.
Speaker 3: I imagine we'll see a lot of brunner. I think
Speaker 3: you'll see a lot of like out a Wayoh, I
Speaker 3: would play. Black is a guy I mentioned, I would
Speaker 3: play a lot. I like him. I think he's better
Speaker 3: suited for the nose, but he still comes out of
Speaker 3: his stance kind of high. And he's one that I
Speaker 3: would play a ton of snaps just to stress him,
Speaker 3: because I don't think he'll handle it well, to be honest,
Speaker 3: But that doesn't mean I don't like him, you know,
Speaker 3: Like I think he'll come out a stance higher and
Speaker 3: hire and hire. He'songous, you know.
Speaker 2: Like that, And then you take him into the film room, go,
Speaker 2: here's what this.
Speaker 3: Is what we need to work on. And he'll never
Speaker 3: play that may snaps in a regular season game, but
Speaker 3: I would stress him.
Speaker 2: It's a good call. Good call. So that's what we're
Speaker 2: keeping an eye on tomorrow night at Akressure staked.
Speaker 3: What's his face? The speedball off the edge for James Davis?
Speaker 2: Davis, great call. Yeah, and Jack Sawyer a little bit too.
Speaker 3: Can put a little more conversation.
Speaker 2: Look like he's maybe feeling a little pressure.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's Can Davis be disruptive?
Speaker 2: Good? Good, good, last one to throw out there. You
Speaker 2: can catch Matt on the pre pregame show four hours
Speaker 2: before kickoff with our buddy Tom Opferman on DVE. Matt
Speaker 2: will also be Matt and I I'm passing, I'm patting
Speaker 2: passing Matt the baton for the post game show with
Speaker 2: Mike Persuda's like.
Speaker 3: I let you borrow the patona You're like.
Speaker 2: Saying Bolt, I'm just I'm kind of giving a back
Speaker 2: to the guy that everybody wants to see.
Speaker 3: But if you guys want to stop, say hello, cool environment.
Speaker 2: And then I'll be doing the halftime show on on
Speaker 2: DVE as well.
Speaker 3: So any clue on weather. I mean, it's been poor
Speaker 3: in all day to day that we know.
Speaker 2: Do a hastily done little radar on my phone, on
Speaker 2: my phone here search it looks like it's supposed to
Speaker 2: be looks like it's supposed to be sunny in high
Speaker 2: seventies tomorrow pretty much all day good. So that'll be good,
Speaker 2: good football weather to get the guys out there, get
Speaker 2: a little sweat going and uh the blood pumping, and
Speaker 2: see what everybody's got here. Week two of the preseason
Speaker 2: against the Jets, Friday night at home under the lights.
Speaker 2: One more segment to go. When we return. You know
Speaker 2: what that means. We will get to your tweets to
Speaker 2: close down the day's proceedings. You know where to get
Speaker 2: at us if you want to get involved. West Huler,
Speaker 2: Matt Williamson. It's the Drive Steelers Nation Radio on the
Speaker 2: Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 4: And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's
Speaker 4: nothing better than the clean crisp. There's nothing better than
Speaker 4: the clean crisp. Uh what if we just got out
Speaker 4: of here and grabbed some bud Lights. So man, we're
Speaker 4: on air for four more hours.
Speaker 6: I'll figure it out. Sounds good to me. Anything for
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Speaker 7: I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
Speaker 7: hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
Speaker 7: It's one hundred percent fiber Internet that's super reliable. So
Speaker 7: I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
Speaker 7: with the ultra low lag and after what went down
Speaker 7: in the first round, still getting video calls from my
Speaker 7: best friend rubbing it in that he called all the picks.
Speaker 1: I told you they were building their own line. I
Speaker 1: went to bet good.
Speaker 5: One hundred percent fiber Internet with Verizon FiOS, because when
Speaker 5: it comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
Speaker 5: Call one three three for Rizom to switch today.
Speaker 1: Get that hot dog, assume ready, bruh your tunes about
Speaker 1: drive on your twenty four to seven Home of the
Speaker 1: Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2: Down the home stretch here, final segment of the day.
Speaker 2: You know what that means? We go to the Twitter
Speaker 2: for your question, comments, concerns, and reactions. The ex Twitter,
Speaker 2: as Dale would have called it at wesle Yuler at
Speaker 2: Williamson NFL is where you can get at us. Matt
Speaker 2: also wanted to I know we said this at the
Speaker 2: beginning of the show, but remind people again that's starting
Speaker 2: next week we will be back on YouTube for those
Speaker 2: of you who like to consume the podcast and video
Speaker 2: form and just the you know, the easy nature of YouTube.
Speaker 2: We will be back there starting on Monday with our
Speaker 2: guy TV back in the studio with us. Everything is
Speaker 2: coming together here nice.
Speaker 3: And that's like full time.
Speaker 2: It's back back back at it like we never left.
Speaker 2: Let's see here, get to some tweets before we get
Speaker 2: up at out of here, Matthew says, is it fair
Speaker 2: to say that with Mason not playing in tomorrow's preseason game,
Speaker 2: it probably means Will Howard doesn't make the fifty three
Speaker 2: man roster barring injury.
Speaker 3: I don't think anything's safe to say.
Speaker 2: I don't think anything safe to say except for Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers and Drew Aller or making the team.
Speaker 3: Yes, and I think they like all four. I think
Speaker 3: that's safe to say. Howard will shake out. I don't know.
Speaker 3: I think we'll see a ton of snaps for the
Speaker 3: two young guys over these two games. I would I
Speaker 3: wonder what's going on the south side in terms of reps. Yeah,
Speaker 3: because you still don't think about Atlanta. I'm sure Rogers
Speaker 3: is out there a lot, But I don't think anything
Speaker 3: is safe to say.
Speaker 2: I don't either, except for, like I said that Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers and Drew Aller are making the team. Yeah, making
Speaker 2: the initial fifty three.
Speaker 3: I would say that, and they like all four.
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, you're not cutting Aaron Rodgers and you're not
Speaker 2: cutting your third round pick. No, Jeff says, with Rudolph
Speaker 2: not playing, in your guys opinion, is there anything to
Speaker 2: read into that? Or is it really just letting Howard
Speaker 2: and Aler get more playing time? Is cook the starter
Speaker 2: week one with Iana sure not playing? Looks like to
Speaker 2: see good things out of the Running Game tomorrow night.
Speaker 3: Yes, I very much agree in the Running Running Game. Absolutely,
Speaker 3: I like to get the Running Game going. Yeah, I
Speaker 3: don't know if.
Speaker 2: There's anything to look into it, except for if I
Speaker 2: was to draw a conclusion Matt, where I would lean
Speaker 2: would be that they're comfortable with Mason as the number two.
Speaker 2: They don't need to see anymore Mason, and they just
Speaker 2: want to see as much as they can of the
Speaker 2: two young guys.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we talked about to being the show and it's
Speaker 3: been some similar questions. Not that you guys are wrong
Speaker 3: for asking, it's just I think they want to give
Speaker 3: them every rep they possibly can. They need the most
Speaker 3: most growth, and they know what they have in the
Speaker 3: top two guys. As for right tackle, maybe it's my
Speaker 3: love for Hanachore, but I'm not willing to say he's
Speaker 3: not the Week one started yet.
Speaker 2: It's funny Matt and I were debating this. You're debating
Speaker 2: this out with Trobe over a couple of cold ones
Speaker 2: nights ago, where I was like, man, it's gonna almost
Speaker 2: impossible for Max to start Week one now, and you
Speaker 2: were like, I don't know.
Speaker 3: Sometimes co whichould just be like, he's got so much
Speaker 3: more talent than Cook. I'm just putting him out there.
Speaker 2: And maybe for the first three or four weeks it
Speaker 2: would be a toss up, but then after that it'll
Speaker 2: be clearly the better player.
Speaker 3: Like he's practicing this week, like in the next three,
Speaker 3: four or five days, I still give Max a real chance.
Speaker 2: Same baby, I'm nuts. I would if he does too,
Speaker 2: But I want to see him. I want to see
Speaker 2: him start practicing here soon and at least see him
Speaker 2: up in Buffalo. Hopefully.
Speaker 3: We got to say he at least has to play
Speaker 3: the third preseason. Yes, there's no way his first game
Speaker 3: is going to be Week one.
Speaker 2: Ian said, it's funny, we have a lot of questions
Speaker 2: about the quarterbacks, as you can imagine.
Speaker 3: Yeah, how do you go? Our answer is going to
Speaker 3: be same.
Speaker 2: You know, how did you guys, you know, read into
Speaker 2: this situation. Did Mike McCarthy see enough because he's happy
Speaker 2: with Mason at quarterback two? Or did he see enough
Speaker 2: because he knows just what Mason is and he wants
Speaker 2: to see if Drew or Will can supplant him as
Speaker 2: quarterback two? Thank you, love you. I guess there could
Speaker 2: be an element of that second part. I guess there
Speaker 2: could be an element of we know what Mason Rudolph's
Speaker 2: in is. He's been in this league for ten years.
Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of tape to go off of.
Speaker 2: Right, let's see if one of the two young guys
Speaker 2: can can make us think that we can live without
Speaker 2: Mason on the roster. Right, that's part of it.
Speaker 3: I think that's part of it. I think part of
Speaker 3: it's also a compliment to Mason that we know what
Speaker 3: you are, we like you. You're good too, no doubt, Yeah,
Speaker 3: no doubt.
Speaker 2: Brad says, if in all capitals the team has a
Speaker 2: fairly healthy quarterback season, do you think that they would
Speaker 2: re sign Mason Rudolph. I can't see them deciding in
Speaker 2: twenty seven to have an entire quarterback room, say Howard
Speaker 2: Aller and another rookie with zero regular season snaps. Now
Speaker 2: that's a good question.
Speaker 3: That is, and it's possible. I don't think it'd be
Speaker 3: hart I have even Like before the draft, I thought,
Speaker 3: no way Rogers or Rudolph's back, But that was short sighted.
Speaker 3: Rogers is going to retire Rudolph you could resign easily. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and he may even be your week one starter while
Speaker 3: Aller and Sellers are proving themselves or whatever, or you
Speaker 3: don't even draft one. Maybe it's you know, Rudolph's gonna
Speaker 3: hold down the fort until Aler's ready because he's showing
Speaker 3: us enough. I don't know. I would. I would love
Speaker 3: to narrow down the quarterback situation in Latrobe next year
Speaker 3: to three guys instead of four same but they did
Speaker 3: handle that extremely well. Like remember how much we talked
Speaker 3: about like pre draft, like it's really hard to get
Speaker 3: four guys reps. Well, it's easier when you use two
Speaker 3: fields compared to one.
Speaker 2: You know, they did a really work in the preseason
Speaker 2: and the only needs a little bit.
Speaker 3: And they got several guys that are coaching quarterbacks. They
Speaker 3: handled that, I thought very very well. They had a plan.
Speaker 2: Okay, now that we're going down this rabbit hole, though,
Speaker 2: let me ask you this. If you do draft a
Speaker 2: quarterback in the first round of April of the twenty
Speaker 2: twenty seven NFL Draft, do you need to come back
Speaker 2: with both Aler and Howard or do at that point
Speaker 2: you break the pull que over your leg and you go,
Speaker 2: this is the winner. And we had tryouts and this
Speaker 2: guy I don't need to Maybe I don't need to
Speaker 2: bring them both back with a first round rookie. I'll
Speaker 2: bring one back, the one that I think you're the higher.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I also don't want another like third round pick
Speaker 3: next year. If you're going you gotta go.
Speaker 2: First round or no quarterback? Agree first round? Or give
Speaker 2: me Mason and Drew Aller, you know, yeah, yeah, or
Speaker 2: Banker Mason or something else.
Speaker 3: No, never mind, No, but that's something right right, or
Speaker 3: some kind of placeholder Gino Smith and you know whatever.
Speaker 3: But I'm either going big in the draft or I'm
Speaker 3: not going at all. I don't need another body.
Speaker 2: No I am swinging for a grand slam, or I'm
Speaker 2: not even stepping into the batter's box.
Speaker 3: But again, do you want you know, you're two young
Speaker 3: guys that are gonna, like perfect example, this these three games,
Speaker 3: those two young guys are gonna play ninety percent of
Speaker 3: snaps when it's all said and done over three game stretch.
Speaker 3: I don't want to divide that between three in terms
Speaker 3: of game reps next year, I don't. I mean unless
Speaker 3: and so at that point you might just be like, sorry, Howard,
Speaker 3: you're out. It's also part of the argument for if
Speaker 3: you're only gonna keep three this year, Roger Rudolph Aler.
Speaker 2: If you already clearly are sitting in that room, as
Speaker 2: coach is saying, Aler has a much higher ceiling than
Speaker 2: Will Howard.
Speaker 3: Yes, and Rudolph so much better to versus the Falcons
Speaker 3: than Howard. Yes, that's two strikes against them.
Speaker 2: Well, it's it's a lot of fun. I do want
Speaker 2: to find this next franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twenty year
Speaker 2: type guy, of course, but it's also a lot of
Speaker 2: fun kind of speculating and all the different hypotheticals we do.
Speaker 2: Corbin says, FYI Hard Knocks episode two line painting robot,
Speaker 2: uh is.
Speaker 3: Somebody I did see that. Yeah, we probably won't be
Speaker 3: having those discussions anymore.
Speaker 2: I don't think we will, but it was a fun
Speaker 2: time when we did. J D says, I just found out,
Speaker 2: you guys, your podcast is on Spotify. You should announce
Speaker 2: that more.
Speaker 3: JD.
Speaker 2: Brother. When I say, when I say we're available on
Speaker 2: all podcasts platforms, that means Spotify, Apple, Google, Yeah, you
Speaker 2: name it. We're anywhere you can get your podcasts. We
Speaker 2: are there, and we are also on YouTube. But I'm
Speaker 2: glad you found us on spot because that's the number
Speaker 2: one podcast platform in the world.
Speaker 3: I use Overcast. I don't know why I've never heard
Speaker 3: of that, I don't think. And it's been fine. I
Speaker 3: remember I hated Apple originally on my phone, and so
Speaker 3: I just did a search and this came up, and
Speaker 3: it's been great. And we're on Overcast too.
Speaker 2: I used to hate the Apple podcast kind of dashboard,
Speaker 2: but they completely redid it. Okay, they completely read up
Speaker 2: months ago, and I like, so that's what I use
Speaker 2: now because it's just already on my phone.
Speaker 3: When I got this phone, I hated their podcast format.
Speaker 2: Uh JD says. With all the roster changes and guys,
Speaker 2: you know, changing numbers throughout the preseason, how does that
Speaker 2: affect you? Guys? Is it confusing? Do you have cheat sheets?
Speaker 2: A little bit of both. It's confusing.
Speaker 3: It's a lot harder on Rob King and lot and
Speaker 3: during practice.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's like, who's have a roster in front of
Speaker 2: us because there's a hundred guys on the field.
Speaker 3: Or you go the Steelers app and they have an
Speaker 3: updated roster on it. But yeah, I mean that's not
Speaker 3: new every year.
Speaker 2: Paulie says, love the show, guys. Any chance you think
Speaker 2: the Steelers could part ways with Patrick Queen to free
Speaker 2: up cap space to sign Joey Porter Junior?
Speaker 3: Thanks not this year.
Speaker 2: We had talked way back earlier in the offseason of
Speaker 2: potential cut cannaidates. Could Patrick Queen be one of those guys?
Speaker 3: But there was even rumors that Dallas offered to pick
Speaker 3: the Queen.
Speaker 2: But when you make it through the draft without drafting one,
Speaker 2: when you don't bring any significant name there in free agency,
Speaker 2: I don't think Patrick Queen's going anywhere at this point.
Speaker 3: Just signing Landon Roberts isn't enough for me to make
Speaker 3: that change. I mean, I think Queen will never leave
Speaker 3: the field.
Speaker 2: I think Queen is the guy who will get the
Speaker 2: most snaps of the Steelers linebackers mouth.
Speaker 3: Will he be back after this when the contract's up?
Speaker 3: I have no idea. That's a totally different conversation, but
Speaker 3: I don't think anybody knows that answer.
Speaker 2: A couple of fun tweets that we got here Matt
Speaker 2: the first from sp Steelers haven't had a losing season
Speaker 2: since two thousand and three. They haven't finished last in
Speaker 2: their division since nineteen eighty eight. They have the most
Speaker 2: wins since the merger. They have the third most playoff
Speaker 2: wins since the merger. Yet ESPN says the Steelers have
Speaker 2: the third worst future in their power projections for twenty seven,
Speaker 2: twenty eight, and twenty two.
Speaker 3: Did you see those? I thought they were laughable.
Speaker 2: I had those in my notes for us to talk
Speaker 2: about on the final day of training camp. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: then I think just so much stuff happened, we never
Speaker 2: got to it.
Speaker 3: Part of me is glad that we didn't because I
Speaker 3: thought they were really poorly.
Speaker 2: I think that's a great way to lay it out.
Speaker 3: I mean, the biggest thing that you can't fight is quarterback. Quarterback,
Speaker 3: you know, is who their quarterback for the next couple
Speaker 3: of years. But like they had, like the Jets and
Speaker 3: Browns front office ahead of the Steelers, and like organization
Speaker 3: has seen what are we talking about here? What are
Speaker 3: we talking about here? Right? Like have you watched football
Speaker 3: for the last four decades?
Speaker 2: You can accuse the Steelers, like every pro franchise, even
Speaker 2: the ones that are the most successful right now, of
Speaker 2: things that they're not doing correctly or things that you
Speaker 2: wish they would do differently. But I think everybody has
Speaker 2: to admit that the Steelers are.
Speaker 3: Maybe that's not an accident that they win.
Speaker 2: Maybe the best franchise in all of American pro sports,
Speaker 2: especially if you take Baseball out of the equation where
Speaker 2: the Dodgers can spend a zillion dollars more than anybody else,
Speaker 2: the Steelers might be the best franchise in all the
Speaker 2: pro sports at not bottoming out like they probably are
Speaker 2: and hey, I have Matt. I've been saying this. I've
Speaker 2: been saying this to you and to Motes for the
Speaker 2: last two years. There is going to come a time
Speaker 2: again that the Steelers will have a losing season. They're
Speaker 2: not going to always have a winning record for the
Speaker 2: rest of our lives. The Steelers will have a losing
Speaker 2: season at some point. But they have it in twenty
Speaker 2: three bleep in years.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 2: There are kids, Matt, that have graduated college. My sister,
Speaker 2: My sister just graduated college a few months ago. Steelers
Speaker 2: have never had a losing season since she's been born.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's insane.
Speaker 2: And you think they have the thirtieth best out of
Speaker 2: thirty two teams outlook over the next three years in
Speaker 2: the NFL, no chance get out of here.
Speaker 3: Not to mention they've drafted well over the lad I mean, yes,
Speaker 3: there's some older Cam Hayward won't be in that equation,
Speaker 3: Aaron Rodgers won't be that equation.
Speaker 2: We know that DJ at that point will probably be
Speaker 2: a shell of himself.
Speaker 3: But they also have routes to get the court.
Speaker 2: They could also have the best offensive line in football
Speaker 2: for those three.
Speaker 3: Years, right, right, right. I thought that was crazy I'm like,
Speaker 3: you put the Jets front office ahead of the Steelers.
Speaker 3: What do we doing for the Browns? Yes, you guys
Speaker 3: have one anything.
Speaker 2: Ever, I would like to rank the Pirates front office
Speaker 2: ahead of the New York Yankees. I think they're doing
Speaker 2: a great job exactly. And then the last one, Matt
Speaker 2: was treated here from pe Blitz, who says, the Cleveland
Speaker 2: Browns have just announced that their current stadium will close
Speaker 2: down in twenty twenty nine and their new one will
Speaker 2: open in for the twenty thirty season. The Cleveland Browns
Speaker 2: Stadium opened in nineteen ninety nine. It will be shut
Speaker 2: down in twenty twenty nine. It has still to this
Speaker 2: point hosted zero playoff games. True, and I don't think
Speaker 2: they're going to this year.
Speaker 3: No, I know they won't this year.
Speaker 2: So we are potentially, Matt, three years away from the
Speaker 2: Browns having a thirty year stadium that never hosts a
Speaker 2: single playoff game. Oh, you want to talk about some banter,
Speaker 2: that would be a good one.
Speaker 3: That's a good stat I will say, I'm impressed with
Speaker 3: what they're doing now.
Speaker 2: I mean, I do think they've got a nice nest.
Speaker 3: Post Watson trade. They'll probably screw it.
Speaker 2: Up.
Speaker 3: I mean, history shows the Steelers usually win a lot
Speaker 3: of games and Browns usually lose a lot of games.
Speaker 3: But I think their rebuilding strategy is really sound from
Speaker 3: these last couple of draft classes and the Garret trade
Speaker 3: that if they can get more or manning any hits,
Speaker 3: I would fear them.
Speaker 2: Yes, And there's a lot if they have to find
Speaker 2: the quarterback, and there's a lot of teams that you
Speaker 2: can say that about. And the Browns have had some
Speaker 2: big swings in that department, and they.
Speaker 3: Haven't handled it really poorly.
Speaker 2: They haven't even really hit many doubles into the gap.
Speaker 2: They've struck out.
Speaker 3: The Baker's been like the best early pick they've had.
Speaker 2: Yeah, quarterback, But they do have a nice semblance of
Speaker 2: a nest there. And these things in this league can
Speaker 2: turn around very quickly, right, very quickly. But you also
Speaker 2: don't give them much benefit of the data.
Speaker 3: No, they lose all benefit of doubts. So the Jets,
Speaker 3: I mean, there's just there's a reason these things have
Speaker 3: gone on this way in this league.
Speaker 2: It's the reason, Matt, that I need to see the
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh Pirates playing meaningful baseball in mid August before I
Speaker 2: start believing. I mean, I guess technically now they're still
Speaker 2: come on, what are we doing here? What are we
Speaker 2: doing here? And that's the same way I am with
Speaker 2: the Jets. Yeah, I'm always Arizona Cardinals. You might have
Speaker 2: a great paper on roster, you might have all these resources.
Speaker 2: Until I see it, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3: Believe the Lions are like the only one in recent
Speaker 3: history that have really changed the words with the description.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a great call, Matt, good stuff today. Enjoyed
Speaker 2: getting back in the studio with you. No show tomorrow, obviously,
Speaker 2: is the pregame pre pregame show with Matt and Tom.
Speaker 2: We'll start at three o'clock and then Matt and I
Speaker 2: will be back on Monday to break down all the
Speaker 2: moving and shaking that happens tomorrow night against the Jets.
Speaker 2: That will do it for us today for Matt Williams
Speaker 2: and I'm Wes S. You Willer to take care everybody,
Speaker 2: and we will talk to you soon. As always, you
Speaker 2: know where to find us. It's on your twenty four
Speaker 2: to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation
Speaker 2: Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.