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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale Lolly here with Matt Williamson,

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Speaker 1: and uh well, it's a Tuesday here in Pittsburgh. It

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Speaker 1: means it's a Mike Tomlin Tuesday. Tomlin meeting with the

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Speaker 1: media today at the U p M. C Rooney Sports Complex,

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Speaker 1: and uh well, saying a lot about reiterating a lot

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Speaker 1: of what he said after Sunday's game, Matt, Chris, Matt

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Speaker 1: Williamson here with me, Tom Dale Lilli. He is Matt Williamson,

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Speaker 1: uh relaying a lot of what he said after Sunday's

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Speaker 1: sixteen to ten lost to the Miami Dolphins that um

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Speaker 1: awfully tough to win when you don't get any turnovers

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Speaker 1: and you turn the ball over three times yourself, especially

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Speaker 1: when you know you had opportunities to pick the football right,

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Speaker 1: I mean, of course, and we were here to do

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Speaker 1: exactly this. You could analyze, boy, this guy missed a

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Speaker 1: block or the running backed into as well as he

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Speaker 1: should have. But in the reality, history is so strong

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Speaker 1: with turnover differential leading to wins and losses. It's sometimes

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Speaker 1: just that simple. Say a loss, I mean in nine

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Speaker 1: of time or whatever it is. And if you're gonna

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Speaker 1: turn down the gifts that they gave you. Well, then

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Speaker 1: you deserve to lose. It's just the way it goes.

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Speaker 1: Here's an interesting staff for you, Matt. In the Steelers

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Speaker 1: two wins this year, they have zero turnovers. I knew

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Speaker 1: they were plus I didn't realize they were zero in

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Speaker 1: their five losses. Now they have turned to football over

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Speaker 1: seven nine twelve times, twelve times in their five losses.

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Speaker 1: That's pretty that's a pretty simple mathematic thing. You can

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Speaker 1: use that for Matt stats. By the way, I'm pulling

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Speaker 1: them up. Actually, I actually have my laptop here because

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Speaker 1: it's a little frightening coming up this year or this week.

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Speaker 1: To be honest with you, the Eagles are the best

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Speaker 1: turnover differential in the league. Well, second best is plus

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Speaker 1: six there plus twelve. They don't turn double. I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's bonker. They've turned the ball over twice all season.

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Speaker 1: That's a recipe. Again. You want to talk about tried

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Speaker 1: and true rest a piece exactly. You don't turn the

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Speaker 1: football over and you're an above average, even an above

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Speaker 1: average team, you're probably gonna win the time, no doubt.

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Speaker 1: And that's kind of where it's going with this. And

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Speaker 1: it's a big picture thing too. I mean, they're the

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Speaker 1: epitome of it. But the most takeaways, second most interceptions.

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Speaker 1: They've thrown two interceptions and haven't lost a fumble. You know,

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Speaker 1: that's pretty darn Good's amazing. But I really think I

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Speaker 1: was listening to Mike Lombardi's podcast on the way here,

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Speaker 1: and he is really down on NFL coaching. He praised

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Speaker 1: Tomlin the Stalwarts, you know, but I mean doing things

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Speaker 1: like going for trying to convert a fourth down, Yes,

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Speaker 1: a fourth and three in field goal range when you're

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Speaker 1: leading by six points. He was killing He was killing

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Speaker 1: the Browns, he was killing the Chargers, a lot of

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Speaker 1: these analytically based crowds that just love turning down points

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Speaker 1: as he as he says it, and he's been harped

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Speaker 1: on this for years, which is such a Belichick thing,

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Speaker 1: is that it's any games in the league are lost

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Speaker 1: as they are one like was Miami and notice will

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Speaker 1: be better team than the Steelers Sunday night. I don't

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Speaker 1: think so. I don't think so. I mean one one

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Speaker 1: of those interceptions, to let alone four of them that

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Speaker 1: were given to you take the gifts, you know, and

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Speaker 1: and teams like the Chargers and you know, are not

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Speaker 1: living up to their expectations because they're losing games. You know,

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Speaker 1: they're hurting themselves with coaching decisions and things of that nature.

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Speaker 1: And what Lobarti sided was, look at the Giants, they

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Speaker 1: don't make any mistakes. They're boring, they run like crazy,

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Speaker 1: or the Bears last night, you know, like, just don't

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Speaker 1: screw it up, and you're more than in the fight.

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Speaker 1: You're in the lead. If if the Steelers win that

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Speaker 1: game on Sunday, they score a touchdown on one of

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Speaker 1: those two possessions in Miami loses that game. Seventeen sixteen,

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Speaker 1: Dolphins Nation Radio Today and yesterday, Nuts McDaniel, why did

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Speaker 1: you pass up the field goal? Yeah, it was foolish.

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Speaker 1: It made no sense to all. In my post game notes,

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Speaker 1: I said, this guy is a phenomenal offensive mind, and

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Speaker 1: we've seen a lot of those guys come into the league,

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Speaker 1: but being a head coach is a different gig and

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Speaker 1: he's learning to be a head coach. Will he get there?

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Speaker 1: I don't know. But he can design offense as well

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Speaker 1: as anybody. That's great. But sometimes in this this world,

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Speaker 1: there's the Peter principle where you hit your head on

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Speaker 1: the ceiling of where you should be and then you

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Speaker 1: go past it and you're you know, over, you know, overextended.

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Speaker 1: He could be that guy. I think Staley is that guy,

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Speaker 1: you know. I mean it's not only did the Dolphins

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Speaker 1: go for that in that situation, they ran it twice.

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Speaker 1: They ran it not with rahe Mostered, they ran it

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Speaker 1: with Chase Edmonds who hardly like it was amazing, Like

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Speaker 1: what are you doing? What are you doing? I mean,

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Speaker 1: you're just outsmart yourself, you know. Yeah. It was just crazy. Um. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: So you know when when people talk about again, I

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Speaker 1: don't want to bang the table on analytics again in

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Speaker 1: all the you know, and I saw like somebody put

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Speaker 1: out Mike Tomlin passed up. It was a fourth and

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Speaker 1: one in the second half of that game Sunday from

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Speaker 1: in their own territory, like if they're around their own

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Speaker 1: thirty something like that fourth and one, the Steelers punted

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Speaker 1: the ball and somebody immediately tweets out to the analytics

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Speaker 1: show that punning in that situation gives you a one

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Speaker 1: point two percent chance less of a chance of winning

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Speaker 1: the game. Yeah, that's great. I know, I know what

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Speaker 1: I do know if you go for in that situation

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Speaker 1: and you don't get it, you do lose the game.

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Speaker 1: Your chances, your chances of winning the game go out

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Speaker 1: the window. I should be on more on top of it,

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Speaker 1: but there was a coaching decision. I had a real

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Speaker 1: problem with Tomlin punning. And it was a fourth and one.

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Speaker 1: I think it was at midfield though, and you said

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Speaker 1: it was deep in his end that this was this

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Speaker 1: was earlier in the half. This from the field. There

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Speaker 1: was another one later in the half. I think in

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Speaker 1: that situation he was trying to fit play field position, thinking, Okay,

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Speaker 1: Miami hasn't moved the football the entire half. I get it,

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Speaker 1: and the c r D was coming around, and that

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Speaker 1: was the one. That was the one situation. They had

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Speaker 1: eleven possessions in that game. Ten of those possessions they

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Speaker 1: started at their own twenty five or in they got

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Speaker 1: the ball back after that punt, the fourth and one

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Speaker 1: punt they got it back. That was the one time

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Speaker 1: that they get it at their own thirty nine when

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Speaker 1: they got it back. Boys. Starting field position is a

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Speaker 1: big problem for this team, especially even on defense. Only

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Speaker 1: the Saints have worst starting field position and every time

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Speaker 1: and so there's a lot of that hidden stuff that

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Speaker 1: we'll start coming back to the mean. My complaint with

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Speaker 1: and been plan on going down this road. But my

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Speaker 1: condescence I brought up on that third and one, fourth

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Speaker 1: and one. My complaint was after the second down I

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Speaker 1: would have the way I would have handled it doesn't

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Speaker 1: mean it's right. Was I'm gonna go for third and

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Speaker 1: fourth year, So on third, I'm not gonna just run

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Speaker 1: my jumbo into a line. I'm taking a shot there

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Speaker 1: knowing that on fourth I'm gonna give it to Ji

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Speaker 1: and hopefully get the half yard or whatever, you know,

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Speaker 1: as opposed to third you were talking. It was. It

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Speaker 1: was third and three and they threw a pass to

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Speaker 1: Harris and it ended up being he got two yards.

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Speaker 1: Actually he got one and a half because he got

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Speaker 1: tackled short of the sticks. He reached out and they

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Speaker 1: marked it. It was it was a little bit more

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Speaker 1: than a yard in that situation, and he punted um again.

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Speaker 1: I thought, with the way the defense was playing in

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Speaker 1: a one score game, maybe maybe at that point, you know,

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Speaker 1: they got their hands on a few footballs, maybe he's

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Speaker 1: hoping that the defense comes up with a play trying

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Speaker 1: to give it to He was trying and right after

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Speaker 1: that if I remember correctly, it was right after that

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Speaker 1: that punt two or through one to the outside and

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Speaker 1: there was nobody there. It was just like it might

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Speaker 1: have been the worst. Yeah, there was nobody out there.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I think maybe he thought at that point

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Speaker 1: that they had to a figured out, and I think

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Speaker 1: they did, and I think that they did. I think

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Speaker 1: that was the case, thinking, Hey, we're gonna get he

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Speaker 1: keeps throwing us the ball, We're gonna catch one of them.

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Speaker 1: You know, he's gonna throw in the minca and Minka

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Speaker 1: is gonna catch it and take it for a touchdown.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna we're gonna be leading. I just did a

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Speaker 1: podcast and stock up is the defensive staff because they're

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Speaker 1: putting these guys in great positions to make plays. They

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Speaker 1: just have to do it. Um, they're they're communication, the tackling.

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Speaker 1: I think that the defensive coaching has really excelled the

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Speaker 1: last couple of weeks. And that's really promising because then

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Speaker 1: you get Superman back sooner or later. Superman's gonna be

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Speaker 1: coming back here soon. Sorry, Mike Tomlin did mention him today.

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Speaker 1: Uh he said he he said, Uh. Calvin Austin and

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Speaker 1: t J. Watt the two guys. He didn't mention to

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Speaker 1: Monte Casey boing, but he said Austin and what um

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Speaker 1: are probably both out this week? Um people are people

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Speaker 1: are treating Calvin Austin like he's gonna come into this

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Speaker 1: offense and be the savior. It's crazy to me. I'm

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Speaker 1: super excited to see him. He's like, like, I liked

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Speaker 1: what I saw the first two weeks of training camp.

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Speaker 1: I liked him in college. If he were a veteran

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Speaker 1: player coming back like this, if it's DeAndre Hopkins coming

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Speaker 1: back suspension, I mean, and the people's well, they could

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Speaker 1: stake you know. First of all, there's no room at

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Speaker 1: the end to fit him into the equation. Second with

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Speaker 1: the receivers, like, who are you sitting well? Because I

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Speaker 1: assume Sims is gonna bump Gunner out of the equation.

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Speaker 1: But he's healthy. I don't think you can sit down

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Speaker 1: boy king because he's really good on specialty and he

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Speaker 1: gives you, Yeah, he he offers you something that he

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Speaker 1: does offer him and he gets his jersey dirty consistently.

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Speaker 1: Would have to be Sims, right, or you keep one

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Speaker 1: extra on game day and I don't know where you

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Speaker 1: cut that corner. You'd have to cut a corner. You'd

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Speaker 1: have to, yeah, to keep you Steve never played for

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Speaker 1: you or practiced to keep seven receivers to to to

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Speaker 1: have a guy. Just if it comes down to it,

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Speaker 1: it wouldn't surprise me that they just say, you know what,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna put him back on I R. And that'll

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Speaker 1: be is, that'll be it for the season. Doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: you know, that will disappoint people, but that doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: they're down on It's the fourth round draft pick. Next

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Speaker 1: year is a different story, the different story. But you're

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Speaker 1: trying to you know, the thing that happens here. I

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Speaker 1: was a somebody's you know, ask him about what how's

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Speaker 1: he how's he developing here? He's not developed, He's not developed.

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Speaker 1: Once the season starts, he hasn't played football in a

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Speaker 1: long time, development goes out the window. Large. You're still

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Speaker 1: working with guys, obviously, of course, but you're getting ready

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Speaker 1: to beat the Eagles. Yes, the idea that during the

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Speaker 1: week is to prepare for the next game, not working

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Speaker 1: on fundamental developing fourth round wine receiver. Um. But back

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Speaker 1: to the original point. A lot of games being lost

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Speaker 1: in the NFL right now, and you know, Hey, I'm

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Speaker 1: I don't hide it. I love analytics, but the world

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Speaker 1: knows you're gonna go for it on fourth now too.

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Speaker 1: Like all these analytics stuff are based off of stats

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Speaker 1: that they accumulated last offseason and before. Well everyone knows that,

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Speaker 1: you know now, you know, like that's a big part

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Speaker 1: of it. So and it also like look at the

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Speaker 1: charge Look, I mean the Chargers, the Chargers have done

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Speaker 1: it more than any other team. Well, look at their situation.

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Speaker 1: Now you can say, well, they went for these fourth

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Speaker 1: downs last year. Well, last year they had their starting

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Speaker 1: left packle. Now they don't. No, they don't write um.

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Speaker 1: Last year, you know they were the power moving running

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Speaker 1: back or if you got if you got Keenan Allen

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Speaker 1: and Mike Williams on the field, it looks much different

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Speaker 1: than it does, you know, and fourth and short with

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Speaker 1: without those two guys on the field. I mean, this

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Speaker 1: this session wasn't bash Chargers, but they have neutered Justin Herbert.

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Speaker 1: I mean, his average depth of targets like the lowest

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Speaker 1: in the league. Like, oh, they don't trust their offensive

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Speaker 1: line and that's that's that's the thing I think that

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Speaker 1: is holding so many of these offenses back around the leagal.

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Speaker 1: It's the number one reason this is not The lack

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Speaker 1: of scoring for the Steelers is not just a Steeler problem.

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Speaker 1: It's a prone and I think it all starts with

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Speaker 1: the trenches. But there's other factors at play too. You know,

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Speaker 1: another thing that Lombardi kept honing on. He's like nobody

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Speaker 1: wants to kick a field goal anymore, you know, like

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Speaker 1: fourth and one going forward as opposed to not. Is

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Speaker 1: it different than should I kick a field goal or

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Speaker 1: go for it? You know, like just take the points.

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Speaker 1: It's hard to score in today's NFL, right now, don't

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Speaker 1: you guys realize that three is a successful drive? Average?

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Speaker 1: An average kicker in today's NFL is making those of

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Speaker 1: the time, right, right, unless you're asking them or a

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Speaker 1: wind or something, you know, right, unless you're the Browns

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Speaker 1: and you just send your kicker out there, no matter what.

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Speaker 1: Referenced the Browns and referenced Miami, referenced you know, the Chargers.

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Speaker 1: And I can't agree more because the counter arguments so

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Speaker 1: strong for the Giants and teams like that that just

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Speaker 1: aren't beating even Atlanta. They don't even throw the ball,

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Speaker 1: but at least they don't beat themselves, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean? Yeah, um, so it's interesting. So you know,

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Speaker 1: the Steelers versus the Eagles this week. It look I

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Speaker 1: mean this, this is kind of a David versus Goliath thing.

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Speaker 1: It is, but it also brings me back to the Steelers.

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Speaker 1: We were talking turnovers here. The Steelers can play as

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Speaker 1: close to the best as they can and not beat themselves.

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Speaker 1: But a rookie quarterback is gonna beat themselves. You know

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Speaker 1: what I mean. You don't want to hide them because

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Speaker 1: you want to develop them. You know what I'm just

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Speaker 1: handing off, Like you know what Mark Spriote is doing

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Speaker 1: right now, largely what Ben Roethlisberg did for people forget.

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Speaker 1: I mean, he was throwing the ball twenty times a game,

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Speaker 1: and I don't think we want that. I was on

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Speaker 1: a video with modes, you know, right or not right,

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Speaker 1: the arts or modes, and his point was well taken.

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Speaker 1: I just don't know how you do it. He said,

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Speaker 1: a great thing for Picket would be thirty attempts a game.

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Speaker 1: You know, I mean, what was the stat we had

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Speaker 1: going into Brady versus Steelers Guys that attempt fifty or

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Speaker 1: more passes in the last like ten years or like

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Speaker 1: ten one percent, except for breaking it was basically what

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Speaker 1: it is, let alone, al rookie. So you'd love to

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Speaker 1: get that number down. Um, that's easier said than done,

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Speaker 1: you know. I mean, at the same time, Matt, I've

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Speaker 1: liked it kind of handle. I've liked pick it when

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Speaker 1: he's in those situations, much like you know, the last

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Speaker 1: week's game, they're in that late game, in those two

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Speaker 1: last two drives, they need to move down the field

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Speaker 1: of score, and he starts attacking down the field a

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Speaker 1: little bit more, right, right, I think exactly exactly know

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Speaker 1: that's growth and development. Let him do that, don't. Don't

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Speaker 1: just have him go back and throw. You know, he

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Speaker 1: throws forty times and thirty five of them are five

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Speaker 1: yard passes right at or behind the line of scrimmage

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Speaker 1: or any of that kind of stuff too. No, they

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Speaker 1: need to attack down feel more. Now, I was critical

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Speaker 1: of them that with the status of Miami's corners, your

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Speaker 1: protection was good enough. I mean, it absolutely is, um,

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Speaker 1: and I would have attacked those corners more. Yeah, but

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Speaker 1: that means more passed downs, I guess. But I mean,

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Speaker 1: I mean, but if you're getting those chunk plays and

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Speaker 1: that's all we heard all offseason chunk Place sung, We're

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Speaker 1: gonna get chunk play sunk. They've got one passing play

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Speaker 1: of forty or more yards only the Arizona Cardinals. Have

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Speaker 1: few of the Cardinals with them, but a totally different

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Speaker 1: story and another coach that often does not Uh, that's

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Speaker 1: a team that beats himself a lot as well. It's funny,

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Speaker 1: you know when you talk about going by the book,

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Speaker 1: this guy goes by the book with a book. Now

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Speaker 1: for a lot of these younger coaches, is the analytics

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Speaker 1: book right right right, which isn't a tried and true book.

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Speaker 1: The other book, the other book is the big thick

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Speaker 1: coaching book the guys like Belichick and Tomlin and Pete

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Speaker 1: Carroll got from Brown From It's a book. It's like

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Speaker 1: the freaking Bible. It's it's one a lot of games

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Speaker 1: people used to complain with, Marty ball, Marty ball, Marty ball.

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Speaker 1: Want a hell of a lotti football games, double digit

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Speaker 1: wins like every year. It's not so bad. Yeah, I mean,

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Speaker 1: I'm all for adding new chapters of the book. I'm

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Speaker 1: not sure about rewriting the book. I mean, the book's

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Speaker 1: pretty tried and true and some great coaches have won

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Speaker 1: a lot of games by that book. So yeah, so, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, does that mean the Steelers should come out

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Speaker 1: and try to run the football like crazy against the Eagles.

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Speaker 1: That's probably not gonna get you. It probably won't end

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Speaker 1: up in a win. But their run defenses it's good,

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Speaker 1: not phenomenal. But you're still gonna move Jordan Davis and

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Speaker 1: hardgraven Cox and it's gonna be an interesting like you know,

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Speaker 1: do you do? You do? You shy away from those

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Speaker 1: big tubs in the middle and try to test the

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Speaker 1: seat in the outside a little bit more and maybe

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Speaker 1: is it more? You know, I haven't thought game planned

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Speaker 1: much with them. I just started kind of my scouting

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Speaker 1: digging in and they're kind of good at everything. It's

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Speaker 1: kind of like the Bills conversation. I mean, you know,

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Speaker 1: if if to me attacking this team, if that means okay, nausea,

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Speaker 1: Harris gets twelve touches in the running game, but I

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Speaker 1: throw him six passes in the in the in the

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Speaker 1: flats and try to get away from the big guys. Um,

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Speaker 1: okay to start. Yeah, I mean we'll see how I mean.

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't fight that right off the bat. This seem's

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Speaker 1: got corners, though they got pass rushers, they do beef.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they're gonna they're gonna rush up field, they're

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Speaker 1: gonna they're gonna test you're on the edges. They still

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Speaker 1: do a lot of that. Oh yeah. I added guys

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Speaker 1: like Reddick who are speed guys too off the edge,

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Speaker 1: and their linebackers aren't really well known. But they're super

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Speaker 1: well protected and playing well and you know, so they

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Speaker 1: don't have the certain of weaknesses unless Hurts has a

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Speaker 1: bad game, which we haven't really seen. But I don't

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Speaker 1: dent trust him yet. Yeah, I'm with you looking at

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Speaker 1: the run defense for these Philadelphia I know, their yards

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Speaker 1: for carries not great. Yeah, now, mind you, they've been

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Speaker 1: ahead a lot too, but they're giving up a hundred

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Speaker 1: and nine point eight rushing yards which just don't run

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Speaker 1: against them. And they're up and they're up. Yeah, there,

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Speaker 1: they have way more rushing attempts. They've run the ball

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Speaker 1: two twenty five times this year. Their opponents have run

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Speaker 1: at one thirty two, so it's almost a quarter. Yeah

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Speaker 1: it Hurts is a big factor of that too, and

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Speaker 1: but they don't. They're not as run heavy as they

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Speaker 1: were last year in terms of r page. Yeah, I

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Speaker 1: mean they went all in. They made a trade for

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Speaker 1: a J. Brown, and they're gonna throw them the football

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Speaker 1: and now they're balanced, but they almost run at a

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Speaker 1: two to one ratio to their opponents, and a lot

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Speaker 1: of that's because they're winning the fourth quarter. Yeah, so

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Speaker 1: it's gonna be an interesting game. What I I know what,

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Speaker 1: I don't slug fested up and you're still able to

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Speaker 1: run the fourth quarter, you might have a chance. You

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Speaker 1: know what, I what I don't want to see happening.

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Speaker 1: I've seen this happen a lot when the Steelers have

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Speaker 1: gone to Philadelphia. Is I don't want to see those

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Speaker 1: forty pass attempts and trying to block those guys in

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Speaker 1: that stadium. Yea, you know, I've seen Ben Roethlisberger gets

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Speaker 1: sacked eleven times in those games and not a fun place.

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Speaker 1: Super Bowl teams, teams that went to the Super Bowl,

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Speaker 1: and he's getting put on the ground that often because

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Speaker 1: that's I mean, the egos are built to rush the passer.

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Speaker 1: They are. And I don't mean to I'm not gonna

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Speaker 1: attack you guys with stats, but because I've been digging

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Speaker 1: in heavy. But they lost in week eighteen at home

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Speaker 1: last last year when they sat all their starters. They've

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Speaker 1: got like a eight or ten game winning streak at home.

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Speaker 1: Steelers are like a ten game losing streak in that building.

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Speaker 1: And or I've never seen them win there. Yeah, I

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Speaker 1: I've been covering the team for thirty years. You've been

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Speaker 1: there a lot. Yeah, probably all ten of those. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but they're all in ten in their last ten. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and the home road stuff isn't pretty this week, guys,

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Speaker 1: It is definitely not. This is gonna be a tall task.

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Speaker 1: It doesn't mean that the Steelers can't win it. Um,

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Speaker 1: I haven't even seen a line, but I'm willing I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna say I'd be willing to bet it is probably

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Speaker 1: around ten. I mean, this, this Philadelphia Eagles team is legit.

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Speaker 1: They're good in the trenches on both sides, and they're

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Speaker 1: coming off of buy in their home. Yeah, you know,

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Speaker 1: I mean, they got a lot of things going for

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Speaker 1: him right now. I assume they're very healthy too. They

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Speaker 1: definitely do again. This is Kenny Pickett is running the

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Speaker 1: gauntlet here for a young quarterback. Um, you know this

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Speaker 1: will be his his uh what forced start? Yeah? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: three of them will have been on the road. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: against really difficult opponents, you know, right, So but it

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Speaker 1: is what it is you coming, you know right. I

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Speaker 1: mean it's growing pains, not just like anyone any parents,

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Speaker 1: I mean your kids grow. You can pat him on

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Speaker 1: the back or you can kick him in the butt,

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Speaker 1: you know, sometimes both pat him, pat him on the butter,

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Speaker 1: or kick him in the in the back, either one,

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Speaker 1: either one. But yeah, we're gonna take a break. He

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Speaker 1: is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lali. You're listening to

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Speaker 1: the Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio and Matt. You

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Speaker 1: can check out the Steelers Weekend Review. It's hosted by

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Speaker 1: Wesley Juhler. It's a recap of the previous game as

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Speaker 1: well as a look at the Steelers next opponent. New

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Speaker 1: episodes drop every Tuesday. Are available on the Steeler's mobile app,

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Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, and wherever you get your podcast.

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Speaker 1: That course, that will come out tonight with Wesley Juler,

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Speaker 1: so you can check that, but you can also continue

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Speaker 1: to check out this show because we're gonna be back

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Speaker 1: with more right after this