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

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Speaker 1: your twenty four seventh home of the Black and Gold

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Speaker 1: SNR Steelers Nation Radio. Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale Lolly,

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Speaker 1: he is Matt Williamson and Matt. The dominoes have started

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Speaker 1: to fall in NFL free agency as we sit here

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Speaker 1: on a Wednesday. Actually free agency has officially now begun.

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Speaker 1: It began at four o'clock today, so as you listen

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Speaker 1: to this show, it's now free agent time. All the

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Speaker 1: stuff that happened before this didn't really happen unless the

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Speaker 1: guy had already been released by his previous team. So

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Speaker 1: all the panic, Like I was listening to some different

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Speaker 1: shows and reading some stuff, and you know, you're two

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Speaker 1: days into this thing, and well this, uh, you're not

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Speaker 1: gonna get this. You're not gonna get that. Nothing's even

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Speaker 1: been official yet, right, you know, and the panic is

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Speaker 1: setting in with stuff and it's rare. But we saw

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Speaker 1: Tyson and Lululu and some other you know, Ogan Jobi

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Speaker 1: with the Bears. You know where a reported deal doesn't

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Speaker 1: come to fruition, you know, so I but it is. Oh.

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Speaker 1: I wanted to offer you a happy New Year in

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Speaker 1: our listeners as well. Absolutely Year's Day, So hope everyone

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Speaker 1: was good last night, you know, kept it under control

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Speaker 1: on New Year's Eve. But happy New Year at all.

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Speaker 1: And Stealers have some stuff going on obviously. Well the

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Speaker 1: other thing about that, Matt is if if you remember, um,

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Speaker 1: it was basically the Tuesday night before the day before

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Speaker 1: free agency opened, was when Miles Jack got released last year. No, okay, yeah,

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Speaker 1: so there's there's gonna be some of that as well.

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Speaker 1: There's gonna there's gonna be more guys getting released as

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Speaker 1: teams try to restructure their salary caps and get things

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Speaker 1: under control. So you're gonna have a lot of that

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Speaker 1: kind of information happening here, and there'll be some additional

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Speaker 1: free agents out there. So just because you don't get

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Speaker 1: caught up in the first wave of free agency doesn't

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Speaker 1: mean that you're going to get shot out at a

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Speaker 1: certain position one hundred percent. And the Steelers got Ogen

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Speaker 1: Joey late in the process. There's a lot of examples

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Speaker 1: of those type of things as well. Not to mention,

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Speaker 1: maybe even some of this happens by the time people

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Speaker 1: listen to this. You know, what if, what if or

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Speaker 1: when Aaron Rodgers gets traded. What if Lamar offer sheets

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Speaker 1: come in DeAndre Hopkins, maybe some one of the Rams stars.

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Speaker 1: Like if some big players start moving around two people

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Speaker 1: are reshuffling their caps and cutting guys to make it work,

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Speaker 1: or it just presents other opportunities around the league. When

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Speaker 1: such a tidal wave of a move, you know, comes down. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: this is the fairest Bueller time of year. Life come

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Speaker 1: at comes at you pretty quick. You know, sometimes you

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Speaker 1: gotta take a step back and take a look at everything,

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Speaker 1: you know. But the Steelers making three moves to this point,

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Speaker 1: it's all been reported, although the team hasn't officially announced

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Speaker 1: me and they won't do that until after. You know,

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Speaker 1: names are on papers. But after losing Cam Sutton, they

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Speaker 1: go out and they make a move for a corner

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Speaker 1: back and bring him Patrick Peterson on a two year deal.

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Speaker 1: Thoughts on that movement. Yeah, okay, So I made a

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Speaker 1: list of you know, corners to consider if Sutton doesn't

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Speaker 1: work out, and Peterson was one of them. And I

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Speaker 1: was a little reluctant to put him on that list.

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Speaker 1: And this was weeks ago, just because of his age, right,

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Speaker 1: you study him in Minnesota this past year, he was really,

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Speaker 1: really good. I mean, it was the best corner in

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Speaker 1: the league, like he was for five years or so.

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Speaker 1: I mean, this is a Hall of Fame player, This

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Speaker 1: is a special player. And history isn't kind the corners

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Speaker 1: his age, but they are to Champ Bailey and Darryl Green,

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Speaker 1: and yeah, I'm great. The guys who were the superior

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Speaker 1: athletes when they came into the league age a little

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Speaker 1: more gracefully than a guy who came into the league

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Speaker 1: as a four five guy, for example, And he wasn't

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Speaker 1: the fastest guy to begin with, and now he's lost

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Speaker 1: a step, Well, if you can't make up for it,

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Speaker 1: you know, and we don't know that this has happened

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Speaker 1: to Patrick Peterson, But if Patrick Peterson lost a step,

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Speaker 1: he's still a four four five guy. You know, ninety

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Speaker 1: percent of his athleticism when he entered the league is

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Speaker 1: still at least league average at that position. And your

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Speaker 1: mind sharper than it was, you know. So again, he's

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Speaker 1: not a top five corner anymore, and he was for

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Speaker 1: a big stretch. But he's coming off a really good year.

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Speaker 1: I don't think this is in the card certainly this year.

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Speaker 1: But he was two hundred and twenty pounds as combined

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Speaker 1: two ninety. Yeah, he's now listed at one nine eight,

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Speaker 1: So he probably has gotten lighter over the course of

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Speaker 1: his career as he's tried to maintain that speed. You know,

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Speaker 1: that's that's typically what guys do, is they'll come in

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Speaker 1: a little heavier and then lighten up as their career

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Speaker 1: goes on. But even you know it's six one, you know,

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Speaker 1: two one hundred pounds, he's still you know, a big guy.

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Speaker 1: I looked up to numbers, um so last year in Minnesota, Uh,

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Speaker 1: he only played man coverage seventeen percent of the time,

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Speaker 1: which is why you look at the you know, five

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Speaker 1: interceptions and fifteen pass defenses. Yeah, yeah, he's got his

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Speaker 1: eyes on the quarterback a lot, a lot. Well where

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Speaker 1: else where else could you do that at Matt oh,

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Speaker 1: no question, you know, and the great history of man

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Speaker 1: and zone. I mean he's an old time I mean

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Speaker 1: that is, he doesn't really have deficiencies other than age.

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Speaker 1: I brought up his size though, because I don't think

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Speaker 1: this is in the cards or at all their their thoughts.

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Speaker 1: But like a Charles Woodson or a Rod Woodson, I

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Speaker 1: could see safety being the last two years of his

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Speaker 1: career too. Oh, he could easily do that. Yeah, Now

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Speaker 1: does he want to do that? That's the that's the question,

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Speaker 1: you know, because I you know, I asked that question

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Speaker 1: of Joe Hayden a couple of years ago. No, obviously,

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Speaker 1: Joe Hayden is not the same size as Peterson and

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Speaker 1: he wanted nothing to do with that. So, you know,

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Speaker 1: just Peterson did. Now I did look it up. They

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Speaker 1: they did play him in the box seventy five snaps

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Speaker 1: last year, So he's done. He's done some you know,

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Speaker 1: dime linebacker stuff type stuff. Um of those that seventeen

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Speaker 1: percent man coverage rate last year, well, he gave up

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Speaker 1: three receptions on twelve targets this according to Pro Football

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Speaker 1: Focus when playing man defense. Yeah, I mean their past

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Speaker 1: defense as a whole atrocious. But it wasn't him. It

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Speaker 1: wasn't him. Yeah he was. He was very good rush, right,

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Speaker 1: he had a great year. I think when you look

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Speaker 1: at that edition a what it does and I just

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Speaker 1: wrote about this for Steelers dot Com. He brings a

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Speaker 1: swagger to your cornerback room for sure. Oh yeah, A pedigree. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's got the pedigree, he's got the resume. It's all there. Uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, everything that that guy's When when that guy

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Speaker 1: says something to the other cornerbacks in that room, everybody

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Speaker 1: else is gonna listen. Um. You know that was my

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Speaker 1: first thought when they signed him too, because to take

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Speaker 1: that a step further, like of the LSU dbs, he's

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Speaker 1: like the godfather, you know, like Aaron mathou Stingley. I mean,

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Speaker 1: all these great dbs that have followed him at LSU

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Speaker 1: look at him like he's don you know, like they

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Speaker 1: look up through him as like a mentor for advice.

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Speaker 1: He's an A plus guy that way. Well, you think

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Speaker 1: the Steelers might be you know what I mean, They're

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Speaker 1: still going a draft corner. Yeah, this doesn't preclude them

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Speaker 1: at all from doing that. And that's the great thing

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Speaker 1: about all of the moves that they've made, Matt, is

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Speaker 1: that it doesn't stop them from drafting anybody at those positions.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I think all their moves are Verry Kevin

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Speaker 1: Colbert esque in that you can line up and play

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Speaker 1: with them now and be very satisfied slash happy with it.

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Speaker 1: But that doesn't mean you can't draft a linebacker, an

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Speaker 1: offensive lineman, a d lineman, in a corner and you

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Speaker 1: probably will, but you don't have to reach either, right,

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Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's covering your butt want one, you know?

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Speaker 1: So uh yeah, I think to Peterson, you know, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you wanted Kim Sutton back, and it would have been

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Speaker 1: nice to have camp Sutting back. He's a twenty eight

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Speaker 1: year old player, but you got a guy who's a

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Speaker 1: future Hall of Famer to come in and play the position.

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Speaker 1: I think he can still play based on what we

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Speaker 1: supped from last year. Yes, and as you mentioned, even

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Speaker 1: if he can't play cornerback any longer, maybe he's still

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Speaker 1: in the mix, you know, in your nickel and dime

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Speaker 1: packages at the very least, at the very least I'm

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Speaker 1: thinking a year from now, you know, I'm right. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: So that's I mean to me. And it's a contract

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Speaker 1: that you can easily get out of exactly. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they've been very good about that the last couple of years.

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Speaker 1: Two year deals that are essentially a one year deal

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Speaker 1: with the team option is basically the way structured, which

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Speaker 1: is great because some guys you want to bring back

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Speaker 1: something don't um. But it gives you a lot of

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Speaker 1: the power and they don't kill your cap. The other note, though,

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Speaker 1: you mentioned he has aligned in the box. He's not

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Speaker 1: going to be a slot you know. I mean no,

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Speaker 1: no slot is not complete yet. Yeah, when he's when

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Speaker 1: he's lining up in the box, he's in the box. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know. But he's a guy who you know, if

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Speaker 1: you're if you're playing the Baltimore Ravens, and you would

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Speaker 1: have put him on Mark Andrews. Oh he could do that.

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Speaker 1: He could do that, no question, no question about it.

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Speaker 1: Or in a joku or yeah, any of those guys. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: right right, And we haven't mentioned Kaz, but bringing back

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Speaker 1: KZ also helps your slot opportunity because Kazy and Orminca

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Speaker 1: can be your slot now. Yeah, but you I still

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Speaker 1: think you're looking for something there, whether that be in

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Speaker 1: the draft or in free agency. The other move that

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Speaker 1: was announced that they made on Monday or not announced,

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Speaker 1: but the other move that came out on Monday was

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Speaker 1: the signing of Gardened Herbig and h He is six four,

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Speaker 1: three hundred and thirty four pounds. He's like the exact

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Speaker 1: opposite in terms of testing from Peterson, like Peterson was

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Speaker 1: the top of the top leve. You know his historic

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Speaker 1: performance in his in his physical testing. Well, her Big,

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Speaker 1: her Big isn't super athletic, you know, he's That's why

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Speaker 1: I mean, he's not gonna He's not gonna while you

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Speaker 1: with any of that kind of stuff. Did do twenty

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Speaker 1: nine reps on the bench, which okay, but he is

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Speaker 1: a maler and in a nasty run blocking interior offensive

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Speaker 1: lineman who has played right guard, he's played left guard,

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Speaker 1: and he's played center in the NFL. This is not

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Speaker 1: a projection. He's played all three of those spots right

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Speaker 1: And I did a deep dive for him this week

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Speaker 1: on my article and really went into his background. He's

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Speaker 1: a Hawaiian kid that went to Stanford, super smart, super

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Speaker 1: high energy, personable, smart, you know all those things, and

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Speaker 1: played quite well for Stanford and was considered a draftable player,

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Speaker 1: went to the Combine and Orlando Brown did Yeah, big

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Speaker 1: fats what got you know what I mean? And I

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Speaker 1: don't know this for a fact, but just looking at

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Speaker 1: his tape the last couple of years with Philly and

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Speaker 1: Jets the past year, it looks like his body's in

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Speaker 1: a better place than it was coming out of school

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Speaker 1: when he was sloppier and heavier. But he was never

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Speaker 1: going to be a tester or anyway. Yeah, right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he has, he's and he's an interior offensive lineman. If

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Speaker 1: he went hit in a tackle, if he's two inches

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Speaker 1: taller and he's a tackle and he posts some of

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Speaker 1: those times, he still gets drafted. Yeah, He's still get drafted.

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Speaker 1: Orlando Brown still got drafted despite running a five six

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Speaker 1: forty right, right, right, But a lot of snaps. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: In over two thousand career snaps, which is essentially two

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Speaker 1: seasons worth of snaps right over. Over his four seasons

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Speaker 1: and the first year he hardly played, he's given up

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Speaker 1: four sacks and has eleven penalties. No, I mean, that's

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Speaker 1: that's solid, solid um. You know, often on one of

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Speaker 1: the best lines in the league, you know, the Eagles line.

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Speaker 1: He was not a liability at all. He's averaged six

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Speaker 1: hundred ninety four snaps over the last three years. You know,

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Speaker 1: So is he a plug and play starter? No, the

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Speaker 1: other teams haven't looked at him that way, but every

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Speaker 1: time he's been in there, he has been more than serviceable.

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Speaker 1: An attitude guy, somewhat of a trendsetter in terms of physicality,

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Speaker 1: mauling those type of things. One of the things we

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Speaker 1: didn't mention though he's only twenty four, twenty four years old. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: poforsably young and he came out early. So yeah, I

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Speaker 1: think you add more youth to the youthful experience to

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Speaker 1: that room. I think, you know, obviously he's not coming.

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Speaker 1: Most of his experience has come at right guard. He's

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Speaker 1: played six sixteen hundred and fifty snaps at right guard,

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Speaker 1: three seventy seven at left guard, forty nine at center

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Speaker 1: in his career. I think James Daniels staying at right guard.

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Speaker 1: That's the right guard. I think the center stuff is breaking. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean I don't think you play He's a guard

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Speaker 1: the can center that can plays. He's he's essentially he's

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Speaker 1: Matt Feiler. Yeah, without the right taple right, without the

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Speaker 1: right tackle capability right right. But yeah, he's a guy

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Speaker 1: that can play any of those three interior spots. Can

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Speaker 1: probably you know, okay, at center, he's probably gonna get

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Speaker 1: you out of a game that type of that's yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think that's where is that game from. But it

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Speaker 1: left and right guard. He's he could be a starter,

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Speaker 1: and so you bring him in. Kevin Dotson's got one

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Speaker 1: more year left on his contract. This guy's actually younger

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Speaker 1: than Dotson, which is crazy. Yeah, and he and he

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Speaker 1: has you know, herbig has basically the same amount of starts.

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Speaker 1: And you tell, you know, you had a competition last

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Speaker 1: year at left guard between Dotson and Kendrick Green. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you're you're you're telling Kevin Dotson, Hey, Kevin, you had

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Speaker 1: He had eleven penalties last year by himself. Um. And

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Speaker 1: and so you know, Kevin Dotson's problem thus far in

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Speaker 1: his career is consistency. The highs look really high and

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Speaker 1: the lows are really low. Let's not what coaches like,

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Speaker 1: especially if i'm guards. Yeah, it's gonna be a stable

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Speaker 1: guard level playing. Yeah, yeah, you're gonna make some mistakes,

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Speaker 1: but let's not. Let's not you know, have a penalty

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Speaker 1: every other game or something like that. Um. So you

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Speaker 1: bring him in, You let him compete with Kevin Dotson,

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Speaker 1: even if he doesn't win the job. Right, you've upgraded

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Speaker 1: your backup situation on the interior. Oh yeah, I mean

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Speaker 1: you're not gonna get five starters to basically play seventeen games. Again.

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Speaker 1: I mean, depth is going to be important. And he

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Speaker 1: could beat out Dots, and he could succeed Dots in

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Speaker 1: the year from now. He at a minimum, is your

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Speaker 1: your fourth swing guy that if Cole got hurt, you

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Speaker 1: would plug him in, probably to get you out of

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Speaker 1: the game. Maybe Hassenhauer would be in that mix as

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Speaker 1: well on game day. Who knows, but at least it

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Speaker 1: gives me that versatility. If James Daniels gets hurt, I

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Speaker 1: think immediately you put him in it right guard. So

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Speaker 1: there's a lot to like there over a two year

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Speaker 1: stretch where you may or may not have dots in

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Speaker 1: next year, and you know he's a good placeholder, that's

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Speaker 1: an ascending player, that's tough as an infectious personality smart.

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Speaker 1: So I think it's a real good signing. And the

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Speaker 1: beauty of it is, if he does become your starter,

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Speaker 1: he's twenty four, you can give him another contract absolutely right,

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Speaker 1: What would be twenty six when he's up? You know, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you give him four year deal. At that point you'll

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Speaker 1: know a lot more about him. We'll go to another

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Speaker 1: segment here in a minute. But I also think it's

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Speaker 1: noteworthy that they didn't sign the two hundred and ninety

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Speaker 1: eight pound guard that ran a four nine. Oh no,

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Speaker 1: I was gonna bring it up like net. We'll talk

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Speaker 1: about that in the next segment here. Yeah, I did

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Speaker 1: want to get to the Yeah, I did want to

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Speaker 1: get to the signing from today. And that's Cole Holcomb

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Speaker 1: that the panic that I was talking about was at

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Speaker 1: inside linebacker. Everybody's well, all these guys are all the

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Speaker 1: inside linebackers are gone. Well, there's still guys out there.

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Speaker 1: They went quick, but it was a deep pool. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and you got this guy, you know, on a three

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Speaker 1: year deal, So this is a little bit different. But

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Speaker 1: even the three year deal that you signed Cole holk

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Speaker 1: them too. You have Miles Jack for one just this season.

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Speaker 1: He signed for this season, so you got this guy

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Speaker 1: then for the next two seasons after that. So even

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Speaker 1: if you draft a guy this year, you still have

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Speaker 1: a potential starting spot for that guy, whoever you draft

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty four, opening up right, right right, that's

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Speaker 1: a good point. And maybe that's Mark Robinson. Maybe that's

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Speaker 1: a draft pick this year exactly. Yeah, it could be.

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Speaker 1: Could be. You're gonna have more more pieces than that puzzle.

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Speaker 1: But this guy covered again, covers your butt over the

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Speaker 1: next three seasons. Yes, And I don't know how much

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Speaker 1: time we have to get into his whole back, so

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Speaker 1: we have some Yeah, we can't. We got okay because

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Speaker 1: I think he's really interesting too. He's a little older

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Speaker 1: than herbig who's unusually young, but still it's his first contract.

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Speaker 1: He wasn't recruited at all, I mean, and goes to

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Speaker 1: North Carolina immediately earns a scholarship, gets better and better

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Speaker 1: and better. Was kind of a skinny yer kid early

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Speaker 1: in his college career that didn't take on blocks particularly well.

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Speaker 1: Was more athlete than he was diagnosed, know what plays coming.

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Speaker 1: He was more of a reactionary guy and that can

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Speaker 1: you know, and that you know stuck with him early

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Speaker 1: in his career with Washington too. Everything got faster, big,

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Speaker 1: or stronger, all those things. But he's starting to understand

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Speaker 1: the game much better. He only played seven games his

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Speaker 1: past year because of injuries, but they were a good

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Speaker 1: seven games. The year before that, he was an over

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Speaker 1: thousand snap count guy. He averaged ten tackles a game

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Speaker 1: last year. Yeah yeah, I mean, green Dot dude. He's

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Speaker 1: really starting to understand the game. And he's a remarkable athlete.

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Speaker 1: Not an okay athlete, yeah, a phenomenal athlete. I mean

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Speaker 1: his combine now he need to go to the combine.

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Speaker 1: He didn't go to the Combine. It was his pro

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Speaker 1: day stuff. I mean four five one forty six seven

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Speaker 1: seven three cone drill. It's crazy. Yes, there are cornerbacks

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Speaker 1: who had did the three cone this year at the Combine.

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Speaker 1: It didn't do six seven seven, yeah right right in

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Speaker 1: running backs and then did a standing broad jump of

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Speaker 1: eleven feet right. So all his explosives, his jump numbers

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Speaker 1: were elite, all of his change of direction, his three

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Speaker 1: cone as you mentioned, and shuttle were elite. And his

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Speaker 1: speed scores, not only his forty but his initial ten

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Speaker 1: were elite. You know, like, this was one of the

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Speaker 1: best athletes at any position and he was just raw,

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Speaker 1: just raw, and he was a little thinner. I think

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Speaker 1: he looks a little heavier now. I think he takes

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Speaker 1: on blockers a little better. Essentially, meant this guy, this

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Speaker 1: guy was Mark Robinson three three years ago, very similar

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Speaker 1: style of player, like he had played line he had

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Speaker 1: played more linebacker in college. But he's an athlete that

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Speaker 1: Washington took a chance on hook the time to develop him,

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Speaker 1: and now the Steelers are going to reap the benefits

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Speaker 1: exactly exactly. You know, they drafted Jaymon Davis and um,

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Speaker 1: you know, I mean so they're moving on. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I don't know they're moving on. It's just there was

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Speaker 1: a lot of linebackers in this class and this is

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Speaker 1: an ascending one as well. So I mean there's a

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Speaker 1: there's a trend here. I mean, um, guys that are

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Speaker 1: getting better that there's a lot of upside with He's

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Speaker 1: a good football player. Yeah, I think I think Steeler

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Speaker 1: fans are gonna like him. And uh, well he's got

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Speaker 1: a mullet. From what I episode, I think both of

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Speaker 1: these guys have are not lacking for personality. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think he'll I think he'll be a fan favorite.

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Speaker 1: And uh, you know, Steeler fans do like they're they're

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Speaker 1: linebackers that run and hit people, and he is a

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Speaker 1: run and hit linebacker who can cover. Yeah. I mean again,

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Speaker 1: people will be shocked with his athleticism. When he turns

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Speaker 1: it on to go, he goes, you know, and he

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Speaker 1: can you can keep up with receivers, covers a lot

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Speaker 1: of ground. So I like it. And he's a very

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Speaker 1: extensive special teams background, as he would imagine. I mean

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Speaker 1: he was special team or right off the bat at

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Speaker 1: North Carolina. Yeah, absolutely so interesting a couple of days

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Speaker 1: for the Steelers. Yes, they they look, you know, they've

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Speaker 1: lost a couple of guys here and there, but they've

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Speaker 1: replaced him almost immediately. You know, yesterday, so Monday you

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Speaker 1: saw Sutton sign with Detroit. The Steelers immediately signed Peterson.

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Speaker 1: A couple of hours later, Tuesday, Robert Splaine signs with

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Speaker 1: the Raiders. Well, the next day they signed Cole Holcomb. Like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna We're not gonna just go replace these guys.

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Speaker 1: And I think in both instances they probably did it

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Speaker 1: with a with a guy who was a little bit

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Speaker 1: better player, or in some cases maybe even a much

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Speaker 1: better player, not much trether of Holcomb's blind Yeah, without

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Speaker 1: a doubt. You can argue Sutton versus Peterson, you know,

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Speaker 1: because of the age stuff. But outside of that, I

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Speaker 1: think they've made the right moves and really helped their

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Speaker 1: their roster. We gotta take a break. I do want

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Speaker 1: to talk about what these signings mean, and we can

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Speaker 1: do that in the next segment. A Steeler fans, did

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Speaker 1: you know that you can listen to Steelers Nation Radio

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Speaker 1: anytime anywhere on your smart speaker. Just say Alexa, play

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Speaker 1: Steelers Nation Radio from my heart and Alexa will take

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Speaker 1: care of the rest. He is Matt Williams and I

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Speaker 1: am Dale. Lala. You're listening to The Driver and Steelers

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Speaker 1: Nation Radio. We'll be back with segment two right after

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Speaker 1: this