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Speaker 1: Your tuns About Drive on your twenty four to seven

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Speaker 1: home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio. Back

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Speaker 1: on the drive here on this Thursday, as we continue

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Speaker 1: to react to all the moving and shaking across the

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Speaker 1: National Football League. Slower today, but a busy start to

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Speaker 1: this week with a little bit of drama as well.

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Speaker 1: Joining us now to discuss it all. Covers the Steelers

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Speaker 1: for the Post Gazette. He's now part of the Steelers

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Speaker 1: Audio Network family here yeah, as well, doing a show

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Speaker 1: with our guy Ed. Make sure you're checking them out

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Speaker 1: on the Steelers standard of course. Brian backo back, Oh,

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Speaker 1: thanks for taking the time, buddy, and hey, welcome to

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Speaker 1: the party. What's it been like so far? Getting going

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Speaker 1: on the Steelers Audio Network?

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Speaker 2: My pleasure, Wes. Yeah, what's up, Matt, It's been good

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Speaker 2: so far. You know, Wes, you know me and Matt

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Speaker 2: you might know this too. I don't really get too

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Speaker 2: much into the other sports. I'm pretty much all NFL,

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Speaker 2: all Steelers, all the time. Part of that's just my

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Speaker 2: job covering them at the Post Gazette. And you know,

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Speaker 2: people who know me personally or read some of my

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Speaker 2: stuff will be like, oh, are you you know down

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Speaker 2: in Bradenton or anything.

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Speaker 3: I'm like, no, I don't do anything with the pirates.

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Speaker 3: I don't have to worry about any of that. In

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Speaker 3: the NFL. As you guys definitely know is it's twenty

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Speaker 3: four to seven.

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Speaker 2: The cycle is always cranking anyway, so you can still

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Speaker 2: keep plenty busy in that.

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Speaker 3: I've been doing that on the airwave. It's no doubt.

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Speaker 1: Well, let's kind of get into it then here. I

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Speaker 1: think a few significant moves by the Steelers this week,

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Speaker 1: namely the trade acquisition of Michael Pittman junior, signing veteran

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Speaker 1: cornerback Jamel Dean from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then

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Speaker 1: adding back to back thirteen hundred yards from scrimmage running

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Speaker 1: back Rico Doubele. Do you have a move of those

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Speaker 1: three that stands out as your favorite to this point.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I think they're all pretty tough to really

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Speaker 2: find fault with or quibble with. I think they're all

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Speaker 2: pretty sound acquisitions, but the Pittman one was probably the

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Speaker 2: most notable to me. I thought it was the one

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Speaker 2: that probably required the most creativity from Omar Kahn and

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Speaker 2: sort of out thinking maybe some of the other gms

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Speaker 2: out there, you know, the free agents, the unrestricted guys.

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Speaker 2: Everybody's got that cheat sheet in front of them. But

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Speaker 2: I think sometimes it actually takes pounding the pavement a

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Speaker 2: little bit to find a good value like Pittman. And

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Speaker 2: I also just think he fits what they want to

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Speaker 2: do here as well. I think he fits what you know,

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Speaker 2: Mike McCarthy's offenses is going to do. And he makes

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Speaker 2: a lot of sense from a character and vibe standpoint

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Speaker 2: in the Steelers' locker room as well. We haven't always

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Speaker 2: been able to say that with receiver acquisitions over the years,

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Speaker 2: but I really like the Pittman ad.

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Speaker 4: So let's talk left guard. What are your thoughts there?

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Speaker 4: Do you think they're comfortable going in with Anderson and

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Speaker 4: a third round pick? Do you think they still could

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Speaker 4: be in the market for Wyatt Teller or Joel Batonio

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Speaker 4: or some other veteran. I mean, do you think there's

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Speaker 4: more shoes? There's definitely another shoe to drop there. What

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Speaker 4: were you getting on that?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, because I mean just listening as you're asking, madam,

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Speaker 2: and I know, I don't think they'd be comfortable with

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Speaker 2: just Spencer Anderson in a in a rookie even if

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Speaker 2: it's a second round or a third round, because I

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Speaker 2: think when you get into comfort, but you need more

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Speaker 2: than just a couple options there. And that's why I

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Speaker 2: think they will ultimately go with a veteran. But I

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Speaker 2: don't know if it's going to be one of those

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Speaker 2: bigger names that you threw out there. I think, you know,

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Speaker 2: kind of paying attention and staying ahead on the comp

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Speaker 2: pick formula is clearly something that that Omar Khan has

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Speaker 2: been good at doing these last couple of years. It's

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Speaker 2: it's like he's it's like he's microwaving something with his

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Speaker 2: left hand and he's got.

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Speaker 3: A slow cooker, he's got a chili stew going with

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Speaker 3: his yeah.

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Speaker 2: With his right hand on the stovetop to make sure that, hey,

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Speaker 2: we're not going to be behind the eight ball. We're

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Speaker 2: not going to get left out of the party again

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty seven. If this quarterback dre class turns

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Speaker 2: out to be legit. So I think he's done a

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Speaker 2: good job of keeping his foot in both of those streams.

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Speaker 2: So I think they'll go out and get somebody else

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Speaker 2: who's NFL capable.

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Speaker 3: I think Spencer Anderson is is NFL capable.

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Speaker 2: I don't want to short sell him, but you know,

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Speaker 2: just with his versatility, he's probably suited as a sixth

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Speaker 2: man who can fill in when needed, versus being the

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Speaker 2: the everyday guy. So I do think they'll draft one too,

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Speaker 2: because I think it also makes a ton of sense

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Speaker 2: to get another younger guy who can grow and develop with.

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Speaker 2: And you know this will make you feel old, but

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Speaker 2: Zach Frasier, Mason McCormick. Truth, I'll thought there soon to

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Speaker 2: be the older guys on the We were.

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Speaker 4: Talking about that yesterday. You might not be able to

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Speaker 4: bring all three back. I mean, you better draft the

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Speaker 4: guard because maybe McCormick will be gone in a two

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Speaker 4: years or whatever. You know.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I guess Withano at least the fifth year option,

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Speaker 2: maybe you'll be able to to stagger it a little

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Speaker 2: bit with those three guys.

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Speaker 4: But you can't imagine Fraser ever going anywhere exactly.

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Speaker 2: Anything to say, right right, Hey, Wes, I mean, you

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Speaker 2: know one thing I know about you. You're a man

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Speaker 2: of wealth and taste, but you're also a man of

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Speaker 2: West Virginia football. What do you make of Gino going

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Speaker 2: back to where he started? I mean, does he have

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Speaker 2: anything left in the tank? To help the Jets or

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Speaker 2: is it or is it kind of lights out time?

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Speaker 3: Now?

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Speaker 1: Now listen, mister Baco. I know you're the real reporter

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Speaker 1: amongst the three of us, but we asked the questions

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Speaker 1: around here. Okay, no, we we did talk about it

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Speaker 1: a little bit. I'm a little worried that it's going

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Speaker 1: to go south and then all this kind of goodwill

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Speaker 1: that Gino built up towards the end of his time

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Speaker 1: in Seattle and they wrote me off and I didn't

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Speaker 1: right back though, and being a nice story is going

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Speaker 1: to get forgotten by a terrible year in Las Vegas

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Speaker 1: and a terrible year in New York.

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Speaker 4: I am.

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Speaker 1: I am a little worried about that. Do you think

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Speaker 1: do you think I'm correcting my concern there?

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Speaker 2: Well on the surface, yes, because even like when when

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Speaker 2: Ed and I were talking on our show about we

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Speaker 2: did a Steelers Week one quarterback starterft where we each

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Speaker 2: picked five guys that you know, we're just trying to

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Speaker 2: get the starter right. And sure I didn't have Gino

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Speaker 2: on my list because I'm like, number one, I don't

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Speaker 2: think the Steelers would would really be interested in going

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Speaker 2: that route.

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Speaker 3: Number two he might be cooked.

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Speaker 2: But then I started thinking, I'm like, look at how

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Speaker 2: bad that Raiders team was.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's what Matt's been saying to right.

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Speaker 2: Like, so maybe we maybe we're writing him off too

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Speaker 2: early again. But yeah, it's it's gonna be a tall

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Speaker 2: order two to to make this Jets squad relevant as well.

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Speaker 2: So he sort of goes from one out house to another.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, I'm just just curious to pick your brain

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Speaker 2: on nex. When I really started thinking, man Gino is

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Speaker 2: trying to be a miracle worker for arguably the worst

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Speaker 2: team in the league a year ago.

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Speaker 3: Maybe we shouldn't be completely out on him just yet.

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Speaker 4: So I assume Rogers was the first pick in your

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Speaker 4: quarterback draft. Was Will Howard second, or Kyler Murray or

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Speaker 4: who else? Who else was high picks?

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Speaker 2: So we we both took a five man, you know,

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Speaker 2: team of sorts, and I think I won the coin

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Speaker 2: toss and and asked, ed, does he want the Earth? No,

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Speaker 2: I took the first pick and let ed get the

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Speaker 2: next two like pick up basketball start, So of course

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Speaker 2: I went Roger. Yeah, of course I went Rogers first.

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Speaker 2: And I was shocked because I thought the next logical

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Speaker 2: move for anyone would be you get the other two

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Speaker 2: guys under contract, Howard and Rudolph. But I think Ed

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Speaker 2: picked Kyler Murray. And you know this was last week,

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Speaker 2: so I think he took Malik Willis as well the

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Speaker 2: big cuts. So then I ended up with will Howard,

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Speaker 2: and then I somehow ended up with Mason Rudolph. So

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Speaker 2: suffice to say, I feel great that on my list

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Speaker 2: of five, I have the Steelers twenty twenty six week

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Speaker 2: one starter.

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Speaker 4: You at least have two that will be in Latrobe.

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Speaker 4: It's a good start.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe I'd be shocked if not. Yeah, and the

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Speaker 3: other guys that I know.

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Speaker 2: Ed had a well, some of his are already kind

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Speaker 2: of da I mean, as we said, I think he

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Speaker 2: had Snoop hunt Ley.

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Speaker 3: I'm like, well, in theory ed the Steelers could trade for.

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Speaker 2: Him before week one, Yeah, that looks very unlikely. Of course,

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Speaker 2: Malik Willis, we know he's going to be in Miami

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Speaker 2: for sure. And I think my other two where I

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Speaker 2: went safe again, I went for singles.

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Speaker 3: I think I had Carson Wentz and Kirk Cousins.

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Speaker 2: Yea, yeah, Well, if Rogers doesn't doesn't play next year,

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Speaker 2: then all bets are off and I'd be going with

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Speaker 2: familiarity of a Brian Angelico or something along those lines.

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Speaker 3: But we shall see.

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Speaker 2: I'd still be I I don't know about you guys,

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Speaker 2: I'd still be shocked if Rogers isn't the guy.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was gonna I was gonna say I had

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Speaker 1: a feeling that that was that that was your opinion,

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Speaker 1: But good to good to hear it from you. It

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Speaker 1: is Brian Bacho with the Seer Steelers audio network host

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Speaker 1: The Steelers Standard with ed Troop also covers your Pittsburgh

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Speaker 1: Stullers for the Pittsburgh Post Caazette. Uh Bacco. First wave

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Speaker 1: of free agency is over. You know things have slowed

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Speaker 1: down a little bit, but obviously there is still that

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Speaker 1: second and third wave. There are still some names out

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Speaker 1: there that you know, aren't maybe trophy fish that you're

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Speaker 1: gonna hang on the wall, but still significantly sized fish.

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Speaker 1: Matt asked you about guard and I still think offensive line.

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Speaker 1: I think that's probably the most likely next move that

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Speaker 1: we could see the Steelers make. But are there any

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Speaker 1: other areas that you're keeping an eye on, or you

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Speaker 1: may be looking at the other side of the trenches

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Speaker 1: for defensive line? Would you like to see the Steelers

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Speaker 1: add a safety. You know, I know they did add

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Speaker 1: Darnell Savage, but do you think there could still be

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Speaker 1: something in the secondary, maybe not just safety specific, but

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Speaker 1: any other areas where you'd still be interested in adding

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Speaker 1: As we hit kind of this second and third wave

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Speaker 1: a free agency with the draft still what six or

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Speaker 1: seven weeks away, Well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it does quarterback count because the agent, So let's

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Speaker 2: say it does.

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Speaker 3: He said he said at the end of last season.

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Speaker 3: How did he put it?

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Speaker 2: He's like, yeah, I'll be a free agent. So it

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Speaker 2: was a one year deal. Obviously both sides understand the

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Speaker 2: dynamics there, but yeah, we'll throw that out of course.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I mean I think interior offensive line, no doubt, especially

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Speaker 2: since Ryan McCollum. It's sort of quietly low key just

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Speaker 2: you know, been that guy last couple of years. He

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Speaker 2: became the new BJ Finny, the new J C. Hassen

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Speaker 2: I or so if he's not back, they'll have to

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Speaker 2: get somebody else in those shoes. But yeah, I mean safety,

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Speaker 2: I feel like Darnell Savage is you know, he's probably

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Speaker 2: more of a Chuck Clark Jabe Pepper's type of replacement

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Speaker 2: rather than someone who you're actually going to see out

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Speaker 2: there a lot. I know Kevin Colbert always used to

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Speaker 2: say they want to have twenty two.

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Speaker 3: They want to feel like they have twenty two starters.

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Speaker 2: Before the draft. So, you know, a starter caliber player

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Speaker 2: at every position. I'm not sure they have that right

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Speaker 2: now at safety barring, of course, the wild card that

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Speaker 2: is Jalen Ramsey and where they'll use him.

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Speaker 3: But I think this was.

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Speaker 4: Actually my question for you. Do you think he's a

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Speaker 4: slaughter free.

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Speaker 3: I think either one.

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Speaker 2: But I think it would make more sense to use

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Speaker 2: him as that big slot because you get more of

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Speaker 2: the blitzing.

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Speaker 3: I think he's yeah, and I think he's.

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Speaker 2: So good at at the pass rush component of it

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Speaker 2: when you ask him to do it. So but but hey,

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Speaker 2: I can see him making the full time transition to

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Speaker 2: safety to do There were a lot of times last year, Matt,

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Speaker 2: like you know, midweek or whatever, when that transition happened

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Speaker 2: after the Colts game, that you know, Ramsey's kind of

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Speaker 2: a tough nut to crack in those interviews, those those

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Speaker 2: scrums on.

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Speaker 3: Fridays after practice. But I really wanted to try.

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Speaker 2: To like just drill down a little bit on hey Man,

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Speaker 2: you've identified as a shutdown corner for what probably the

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Speaker 2: last fifteen years of your life, if not more like,

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Speaker 2: where's your head head at in terms of maybe I'm

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Speaker 2: not that anymore? And how difficult is it to sort

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Speaker 2: of uproot that whole I guess self image if you will, so, yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'll be curious.

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Speaker 4: Rodberts, Charles Woods and you know, yeah.

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Speaker 1: Sure, Baco, what do you make of the big NFL

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Speaker 1: story of the week. Of course, I feel like it's

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Speaker 1: a requisite requirement now if you do anything in football media,

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Speaker 1: you got to at least talk about this for a

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Speaker 1: few minutes. Of course, the Max Crosby trade drama, the

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Speaker 1: agreement with Baltimore, and then the you know, the failed

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Speaker 1: physical and now he's in staying in Las Vegas and

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Speaker 1: or at least back with Las Vegas and tweeting now

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Speaker 1: that he's staying and throwing in a nice egg Groland

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Speaker 1: Poe quote in there too is a kind of a

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Speaker 1: backhand towards Baltimore. Don't let that go unnoticed. This has

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Speaker 1: just been a wild situation, and Matt and I, you know,

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Speaker 1: obviously talked about it plenty more earlier in the week,

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Speaker 1: But I feel like this is something that's going to linger.

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Speaker 1: This is something that's not going to go away. It

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Speaker 1: might be a big talking point at the NFL owners meetings,

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Speaker 1: the league meetings here in a few weeks. What do

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Speaker 1: you make of all this?

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Speaker 2: I feel like it's one of those deals where the

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Speaker 2: ravens are you know, however you feel about their I

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Speaker 2: guess ethics here. They probably view it as, Look, there's

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Speaker 2: a set structure here, roles that you can and can't break,

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Speaker 2: and everything we did is within the allowable structure and

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Speaker 2: the legalities of this process. If you don't like that,

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Speaker 2: maybe change the process. Like I think we've probably all

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Speaker 2: been in, you know, fantasy leagues or something with guys

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Speaker 2: where they're.

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Speaker 3: They're finding every loophool they can.

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Speaker 2: You know, they're bend, they're bending rules, but they're staying

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Speaker 2: within the framework of of what's permitted. And it's annoying.

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Speaker 2: But sometimes it's annoying because you weren't the one to

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Speaker 2: think of it, or you didn't exploit it first.

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Speaker 3: So I don't necessarily blame them. I we'll never.

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Speaker 2: Know what to believe, right, you can't really be in

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Speaker 2: Eric the Costa's head unless somebody wire tapped their closed

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Speaker 2: door meetings. But we'll never really know where their head

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Speaker 2: was out on the whole cold Feet thing with Crosby

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Speaker 2: and the Hendrickson market shaping up as it did. But

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Speaker 2: I think if there's any sort of fallout here, it's

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Speaker 2: going to be. Yeah, maybe the NFL just needs to

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Speaker 2: sort of rethink how this works and maybe cut down

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Speaker 2: the lag time between agreed upon terms and deals and

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Speaker 2: when they can be made official.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, definitely bizarre.

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Speaker 2: It got me back to thinking of some Steeler situations

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Speaker 2: like this. You know, Tyson Alawatu, yep, for sure, you know,

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Speaker 2: not nearly as high profile, but even guys like Larry

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Speaker 2: Ogan Jobi, who they only ended up in Pittsburgh because

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Speaker 2: he failed a physical I believe with the Bears.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's great, have to be contract. Yeah, and then.

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Speaker 2: The Steelers brought him in so and even some of

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Speaker 2: the guys they've drafted.

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Speaker 3: You know that.

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Speaker 2: Peyton Wilson, he had a well documented, lengthy injury history

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Speaker 2: in college, Darnell Washington, they were kind of whispers, I

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Speaker 2: guess more about him and in red flags at the combine,

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Speaker 2: but the Steelers took both with confidence and I would

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Speaker 2: say have hit on both thus far.

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Speaker 4: We've talked at the no end but the cost that

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Speaker 4: came out I think today and said, my job is

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Speaker 4: to put the best team on the field for the Ravens,

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Speaker 4: and I think he did that. You know, I'd rather

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Speaker 4: have Hendrickson and two first than Crosby.

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Speaker 2: Not just the best team on the field for the Ravens,

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Speaker 2: but the overall health of the organization.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Of course is always is always the team that you're

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Speaker 2: putting on the field for the next season or the

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Speaker 2: next game. But what's the team you're gonna put on

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Speaker 2: the field a year from now, and a year after

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Speaker 2: that and a year after that. So they're they're factoring

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Speaker 2: all of those considerations, and I don't know. I still

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Speaker 2: think I liked the trade for them when it looked

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Speaker 2: like it was headed that way. I didn't blame them

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Speaker 2: for finally saying, you know what, we've built a ton

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Speaker 2: through the draft. We've invested a ton of first rounders.

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Speaker 2: It's time to push some more chips in the middle

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Speaker 2: and get over this hump with Lamar with a real

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Speaker 2: game wrecor if Hendrickson can still be that, then absolutely,

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Speaker 2: I think this is a better path for them. What

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Speaker 2: I really want out of this now, guys, is Crosby

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Speaker 2: back to the Raiders. Maybe that team's a little more fun,

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Speaker 2: a little bit more entertaining.

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Speaker 3: I guess this is cliche.

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Speaker 2: I feel like the NFL is better when the Raiders

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Speaker 2: are relevant. You know, they're just one of those fan

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Speaker 2: bases that's so historic. I'd say the same things about

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Speaker 2: you know, the Steelers if I was in another market,

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Speaker 2: or you know, the Packers or somebody like that. So

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Speaker 2: I want to see Mendoza and Max Crosby. Can we

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Speaker 2: get like a mini series on those two.

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Speaker 3: Guys hanging out? Can you think of two more different personalities?

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Speaker 3: Are you?

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Speaker 1: I'm just expecting Mande after a year in that locker

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Speaker 1: room with Max Crosby, will have like tattoos all over

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Speaker 1: his neck and his knuckles and and everything will be

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Speaker 1: all tatted up. Though that's a great call. I'm black,

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Speaker 1: and there certainly is. There's certainly some Vegas maybe casinos

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Speaker 1: or gambling companies that should be looking to UH to

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Speaker 1: sponsor a podcast between those two. For sure, that'd be

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Speaker 1: a lot.

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Speaker 2: Of He's gonna be like his older cousin. He's gonna

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Speaker 2: be like his older cousin that you'd hang out with

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Speaker 2: when they visit you know once a year or something

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Speaker 2: in the summer, and like when they leave, you're you've

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Speaker 2: gone from a boy to a man. So yeah, I

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Speaker 2: want that buddy cop comedy for Crosby uh In Mendoza.

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Speaker 1: Like my older cousin Jared, who was four years older

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Speaker 1: than me, we all got one right, used to used

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Speaker 1: to used to leave me cases of Iron City beer

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Speaker 1: in my little trunk of my mas to three whenever

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Speaker 1: he would come visit before he would head good friend

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Speaker 1: before he would head back home to Northern Virginia. Brian

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Speaker 1: Beco also a good friend. Dude, are you just talking

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Speaker 1: to us on your cell phone right but right now

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Speaker 1: by the way, because the connection sounds phenomenal. It sounds

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Speaker 1: like you're in studio with us almost.

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Speaker 3: I I am not, but I certainly could be.

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Speaker 1: Kind of what kind of cell phone you thought on

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Speaker 1: the air? Oh on the okay? Well, very good sounding,

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Speaker 1: great good information, good connection.

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Speaker 2: Aaron Rodgers didn't rub off on me with the wired headphones, guys,

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Speaker 2: I'm still I like the convenience of bluetoothes.

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Speaker 3: What can I say?

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Speaker 1: Our video producer Tyler, who you know as well Bacco,

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Speaker 1: is holding up his wired headphones over here, he's been converted.

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Speaker 1: That you hold strong, my friend, because you sound great

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Speaker 1: and happy to have you here in the Steelers Audio

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Speaker 1: Network family. Thanks for taking the time for.

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Speaker 3: Us absolutely Talk to you guys again soon.

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Speaker 1: There he goes Brian Becko, great stuff with him as

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Speaker 1: always