Speaker 1: This is the Steelers Preview Show on WDVE Pittsburgh, presented
Speaker 1: by Unibet. The only thing better than a Steelers win
Speaker 1: is a Steelers win that pays double down on your team.
Speaker 1: With Unibet, proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, here are
Speaker 1: your hosts, Mike Persuda, Matt Williamson, and Merril Hodge.
Speaker 2: Good evening and welcome to another edition of Steelers Preview
Speaker 2: right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point
Speaker 2: five DVE and SNR. Mike Pursuda, along with Matt Williamson,
Speaker 2: our factor back Meryl Hodge will be along directly as
Speaker 2: we do our best to get you ready for the
Speaker 2: Steelers and the Bengals Saturday at Actorshuer Stadium. Although Matt,
Speaker 2: it's Christmas week and the three day losing streak has
Speaker 2: cast a grinch like oh may on Stealervasion.
Speaker 3: Very grinchy. Yes, it's been a rough week. Do chat
Speaker 3: about this team. To be honest with you.
Speaker 2: Let's catch up with the particulars from today's practice participation reports,
Speaker 2: as we always do to lead things off. Kenny Pickett
Speaker 2: is not gonna play. He has listed as out after
Speaker 2: being a limited participant in practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Speaker 2: I think Pickett's got a shot to play in Seattle
Speaker 2: a week from Sunday.
Speaker 3: But he's moving around pretty decently throughout the week, but
Speaker 3: just not quite.
Speaker 2: It'll be Mason Rudolf in the rematch against Cincinnati on Saturday.
Speaker 2: Trent and Thompson's safety is out he hasn't practiced all
Speaker 2: week because of a neck injury. Elijah Riley who is
Speaker 2: still on the reserve injured list but could be activated,
Speaker 2: he is questionable, and safety Mika Fitzpatrick is out. Madam thinking,
Speaker 2: with Trent and Thompson down and Fitzpatrick down, we're probably
Speaker 2: gonna see Eric Rowe get activated off the practice squad,
Speaker 2: and well you might see Miles Jack also getting activated
Speaker 2: off the practice squad at a at inside linebacker Riley
Speaker 2: maybe from the reserve injured list. They're running out of guys.
Speaker 3: Say you just flat out running out of guys. He
Speaker 3: took the words out of my Mouth's safety Eric.
Speaker 2: Rose an interesting guy, thirty one, decent career. Yeah, this
Speaker 2: is his ninth NFL season, assuming he gets in the
Speaker 2: NFL maybe Saturday. Saturday's Today started the year with Carolina
Speaker 2: but got released. He has got experience with Philadelphia and
Speaker 2: New England. He was in three straight Super Bowls. Yeah.
Speaker 3: Oh, he's had a decent career. I mean, like when
Speaker 3: he came out, people weren't sure is he a corner?
Speaker 3: Is he a safety? Didn't run corner forty times? But
Speaker 3: he's got good size, physical and the fact you mentioned
Speaker 3: in New England, I think is all you need to know,
Speaker 3: because Beelichick asked him to do a lot of different stuff.
Speaker 2: Actually had an interception in that AFC Championship game when
Speaker 2: the Patriots beat the Steelers in New England, played in
Speaker 2: the Patriots Super Bowl against Atlanta, played in the Super
Speaker 2: Bowl the Patriots lost to Philadelphia, and then he was
Speaker 2: on the reserve injured list when New England beat the Rams. OK.
Speaker 3: I can't comment what he has left, but he's had
Speaker 3: a good career.
Speaker 2: He's got a couple of rings, and he was I
Speaker 2: said a moment ago. He played in three Super Bowls,
Speaker 2: played in two straight Super Bowls, and was on teams
Speaker 2: that reached three straight Super Bowls. Cincinnati, No Jamar Chase shoulder.
Speaker 2: He's out of course the Bengals. All we already have
Speaker 2: on the reserve injured list quarterback Joe Burrow, defensive tackle
Speaker 2: Dj Reader, who tore up a knee against the Vikings
Speaker 2: huge last Sunday, and cornerback cam Taylor Britt. So Cincinnati's
Speaker 2: going to be depleted. But the Bengals have been cruising
Speaker 2: ever since the Steelers beat Jake Browning in Cincinnati.
Speaker 3: I mean, these teams couldn't have gone any different directions
Speaker 3: since their Week twelve matchup, which was probably the Steelers'
Speaker 3: best outing of the year. But I do think those
Speaker 3: injuries are important. I mean, I don't think you need
Speaker 3: to listen to us to know that Jamar Chase is
Speaker 3: an elite player and this team's really struggled to stop
Speaker 3: the run. And now without Dj Reider, a big, mobile
Speaker 3: nose tackle, it's probably gonna get harder for them.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Cincinnati thirty first in rushing offense and twenty eighth
Speaker 2: in rush defense. Yeah, and yet despite not having the quarterback. Yeah,
Speaker 2: the Bengals are competing. They are contesting for a playoff spot.
Speaker 3: It's amazing, and it amazes me that the defense, I mean,
Speaker 3: statistically is bad at everything. I mean, it really isn't
Speaker 3: all that much different than previous years. They have a
Speaker 3: lot of the same guys. I mean, tight ends are
Speaker 3: tearing them up. As we saw with Friarmouth in Week twelve.
Speaker 3: You can really attack them outside the numbers, and their
Speaker 3: run defense is poor.
Speaker 2: Of course, George Pickens the headline story with the Steelers
Speaker 2: this week, even as they wondered, at least until today,
Speaker 2: whether it would be Mason Rudolph or Kenny Pickett at quarterback.
Speaker 2: And I wanted to take a minute here, Matt as
Speaker 2: we kick things off, to just go back to it
Speaker 2: two a couple of years ago when Pickens was drafted
Speaker 2: by the Steelers on the second round. Of course he's
Speaker 2: put on tape what he put on tape in Indianapolis.
Speaker 2: And then he said a couple of days ago he
Speaker 2: didn't block for Jalen Lorn on that goal line run
Speaker 2: because he didn't want to get hurt. And you know,
Speaker 2: my best look, Mike Tomlin has said he's gonna still play,
Speaker 2: and Pickens obviously has some growing up to do, some
Speaker 2: maturing to do. But I've heard some reports that this
Speaker 2: was something that Steelers shouldn't have seen coming, that that
Speaker 2: Pickens was a known problem, that there were red flags,
Speaker 2: and yeah, there were some, but you and I both
Speaker 2: do a lot of draft work for a lot of outlets,
Speaker 2: and I recall hearing that, Yeah, there were some things
Speaker 2: that you wanted to see Pickens clean up in terms
Speaker 2: of his presentation, but it was described to me as
Speaker 2: what they say in football terms, knucklehead stuff. Yeah, nothing
Speaker 2: that threatened you know, oh this is a bad seed
Speaker 2: or this guy's a bad dude or.
Speaker 3: Anything like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And you know the problem, the reason he went
Speaker 2: in the second round was he had that knee injury
Speaker 2: that cost him almost the entire season before. But if
Speaker 2: you think back to that, he came back from a
Speaker 2: spring acl and played the last four games just because
Speaker 2: he wanted to help his team win the National Chair Championship.
Speaker 2: And when he was in college he was a devastating blocker,
Speaker 2: a wide receiver.
Speaker 3: And it was last year too, and he was he
Speaker 3: was a history of the NFL doing it.
Speaker 2: I'll pick that we all thought at the time, great value, right.
Speaker 3: Yes, I'm still on board with that. I mean, going
Speaker 3: back to that part of it, A lot of these
Speaker 3: ultra talented players, you see the defensive tackle a lot,
Speaker 3: you see it wide receiver a lot. They don't have
Speaker 3: to become diverse craftsman you know, the big defensive tackle
Speaker 3: can just throw guys out of his way for years
Speaker 3: until you get to the league. And Pickens got away
Speaker 3: with that for much of his career, and then that
Speaker 3: last season at Georgia he gets hurt. As you mentioned,
Speaker 3: I think he ran under twenty routes the entire year
Speaker 3: and they were a on the National Championship game, So
Speaker 3: of course he's gonna go. Ye played in the Semis too, Okay, okay, yeah,
Speaker 3: but I mean he wasn't even a full time player the.
Speaker 2: Board games at the end of the year at the
Speaker 2: end of the including the playoffs.
Speaker 3: So that was a great receiver draft, you know, a
Speaker 3: lave Wilson. I mean, a lot of guys went really high.
Speaker 3: So the fact that he fell wasn't shocking at all.
Speaker 3: I mean, considering he hadn't put much on tape, he's
Speaker 3: recovering from an injury, and frankly that those four games
Speaker 3: of referenced, he didn't even look like himself. I mean,
Speaker 3: he was out there gutting it out and as a
Speaker 3: part time dude he did.
Speaker 2: I recall against Michigan, he knocked a cornerback on his
Speaker 2: backside blocking. Yeah, he had a great catch down the
Speaker 2: seam where he dove for the ball, caught it, and
Speaker 2: then spun so that when he hit the ground, the
Speaker 2: ball wouldn't hit first body control And yeah, he showed
Speaker 2: me enough. Oh yeah, at the end.
Speaker 3: And we've seen that every step of the way here,
Speaker 3: both training camps and lately. The blocking hasn't been there,
Speaker 3: of course, but he has blocked as an a Steeler
Speaker 3: uniform well and aggressively. And as for his personality, I
Speaker 3: don't know him obviously, I don't hang out with him.
Speaker 3: But what I was told then and I think reflects
Speaker 3: now is knuckleheadedness as you mentioned, but more so or
Speaker 3: at least as much immaturity and extreme competitiveness. He wants
Speaker 3: to win. And you know, I'll tell I can work
Speaker 3: with that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Mike Tomlin has said he's going to keep
Speaker 2: working with them. Hey, it's not a good look. No,
Speaker 2: he couldn't have said anything worse than he did the
Speaker 2: other day, but it's a it's a young guy that
Speaker 2: needs to mature and there's a lot of talent there.
Speaker 2: And you know, what else are you going to do?
Speaker 2: At this point? You are still in contention for the playoffs,
Speaker 2: probably a lot of people have written his team off
Speaker 2: three wins to get to ten and seven still might
Speaker 2: not get him there, but they're going to try to
Speaker 2: get there.
Speaker 3: And see what roll over on Saturday. Yeah right, So,
Speaker 3: I mean I know people are, well, you got to
Speaker 3: suspend him to play Calvin Austin and Alan Robinson and
Speaker 3: Miles Boykin. I mean, your your job is to win here,
Speaker 3: and if you were, if you were out of contention
Speaker 3: mathematically eliminated, that's a different story. But now you got
Speaker 3: to light a fire under him. And hey, I don't
Speaker 3: know how that locker room operates, but if there was
Speaker 3: a Pounce or a the Castro or a Villanueva, maybe
Speaker 3: they would police it themselves, you know.
Speaker 2: And I think that's so much turnover and so much
Speaker 2: youth on that offense, and I think that's shining a
Speaker 2: light on the leadership that they maybe don't have on
Speaker 2: that side of the ball.
Speaker 3: And if Mason Cole is a leader, Alan Robinson's a leader,
Speaker 3: well they're not good enough, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's not Pouncy, it's not the Castro. I mean,
Speaker 3: you need your your best players to be leaders, and
Speaker 3: that's something they need to worry about soft season.
Speaker 2: That's one thing's for sure. All eyes are going to
Speaker 2: be on George Pickens Saturday. Yes, at act for sure,
Speaker 2: Staaten Bonds. Steelers Preview on DV is brought to you
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Speaker 2: Steelers win is a Steelers win. To pay double down
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Speaker 2: the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're just getting warmed up tonight, so
Speaker 2: keep it here. When we come back, we're gonna give
Speaker 2: the ball to the factor back Meryl Hunt. You know,
Speaker 2: he never has to whind about not getting the ball
Speaker 2: on our show because we feed him. We hand it
Speaker 2: to him, we toss it to him, we throw it.
Speaker 3: To He blocks when he's not getting the ball, and
Speaker 3: he blots.
Speaker 2: And he's not getting the ball. So keep it here
Speaker 2: with Matt Williamson, Mike Pursuit of This is Steelers Preview
Speaker 2: right here on your Steelers Flagship one A two point
Speaker 2: five d ve E and s n R.
Speaker 1: Back to the Steelers Preview show presented by Uni Bet
Speaker 1: on DV.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to the review. Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson
Speaker 2: with you till eight o'clock tonight, getting you ready for
Speaker 2: the Steelers and the Bengals Saturday at Aktresher. The Greater
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh Community Food Bank reminds you to sack hunger, get food,
Speaker 2: volunteer or donate at Pittsburgh Foodbank dot org. Time now
Speaker 2: to welcome the star of our show to the show,
Speaker 2: Our Factor back, Merril Hodge and Merrill A lot to
Speaker 2: unpack a three game losing streak and the George Pickens saga. Uh,
Speaker 2: he put on tape what he put on tape in
Speaker 2: Indianapolis and has put on tape what he's put on
Speaker 2: tape this year. He said what he said the other day.
Speaker 2: Let's start with this. How does that impact Pickens on Saturday?
Speaker 2: And how do you think that impacts the Steelers?
Speaker 4: Well, it's it's not going to propel them to a win.
Speaker 4: Let's put it that way. He's to propel him and
Speaker 4: eliminate all of the major issues they had. You know,
Speaker 4: it's it's unfortunate that a guy, you know, unfortunately see
Speaker 4: it all time. You see a guy who's who's got
Speaker 4: great talent and I say this all all the time,
Speaker 4: actually getting ready for the draft. If somebody doesn't have
Speaker 4: a passion for being a real pro. And they don't
Speaker 4: have a high IQ and they're smart, then whatever their
Speaker 4: god given talents are is going to be cut in half.
Speaker 4: And I say that because George Dickens is gifted, but
Speaker 4: he uses about half of these gifts about half of
Speaker 4: the time. And you can't play in our league and
Speaker 4: be consistent in our league or even be enough threat
Speaker 4: in our league when you do that. You know the
Speaker 4: play he chooses not to not to keep blocking to
Speaker 4: help his teammate out who blocks for him all the time.
Speaker 4: By the way, you know that pick that Mitchell through
Speaker 4: the Mitch through That was one of the most horrific routes. Now,
Speaker 4: Mitchell should never have You never reward somebody for doing
Speaker 4: something wrong. But the route that he ran was about
Speaker 4: his bad route. I mean, this is not Georgia where
Speaker 4: you throw it up to this, you know, to George
Speaker 4: Pickens and the safety and George is gonna come down
Speaker 4: with the U ninety percent at the time. You have
Speaker 4: to run the correct route. It is one of the
Speaker 4: I mean the route he ran there, I actually shake
Speaker 4: my head, just like I didn't even know why Mitcheude
Speaker 4: even choose to throw the football to it was. It
Speaker 4: was a pathetic rowd. You have a single high saving
Speaker 4: one safety in the middlefield, you don't try to run
Speaker 4: over the top of him, and you don't run two him.
Speaker 4: And that's exactly what he did. That route was designed
Speaker 4: to come underneath.
Speaker 2: He took an angle that Pickens took an angle that
Speaker 2: Trubisky wasn't expecting, and he tried to kind of guess.
Speaker 2: He tried to kind of where he was going to
Speaker 2: end up.
Speaker 4: Well, that's my point. Don't reward it, don't you don't.
Speaker 4: First of all, he was supposed to come flat. It's
Speaker 4: clear that that if that cannot be guess worked Okay,
Speaker 4: if it's a single high safety, it's very clear we
Speaker 4: run over the top of him and we're not running
Speaker 4: to him. We got to run flat and across the field.
Speaker 4: Because keep mind, they put this playing in. You know,
Speaker 4: actually this is one of This is the play if
Speaker 4: you remember against Cincinnati Bengals when they came, you know
Speaker 4: that they threw that they got one of their big
Speaker 4: plays early in the game, sixaxt sing play and and
Speaker 4: it was run right. I mean, that's his inconsistency is disturbing.
Speaker 4: You know, Now he gets away with it. That's because
Speaker 4: leadership lets it happen. I mean, that's on Mike Tomlin,
Speaker 4: that's on the position coaches, and that's on everybody. You
Speaker 4: can sit there and say what you want. You can
Speaker 4: have a silver tongue and you come pontificate in front
Speaker 4: of the media and say a bunch of garbage. At
Speaker 4: the end of the day, it's on you. You allow that,
Speaker 4: and all your other players are watching that, and it's okay.
Speaker 4: So your your standard is not a standard. I mean,
Speaker 4: if that's your standing that, I'm not a championship not
Speaker 4: gonna win championship doing that and having that inconsistency in
Speaker 4: what you demand your players to do, what you allow
Speaker 4: your players to do, I mean they're they're in the
Speaker 4: spot there are because of.
Speaker 3: That, Meryl, do you see an underdeveloped route runner overall,
Speaker 3: not just you know here and there, I mean they
Speaker 3: all are. I meant to me, he's open way more
Speaker 3: than Pickings, at least over the last two years.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Deontay is a better in and out of breaks. Yeah,
Speaker 4: that's what gets him open. Okay, he's still not you
Speaker 4: know you you don't look at him going, Man, that's
Speaker 4: a real pro there, it's a real pro. That's pro man.
Speaker 4: Every play you better be there's not one guy, not
Speaker 4: one guy on that offense that you could throw the
Speaker 4: football to that you would say, Okay, that's a pro
Speaker 4: that right there is a professional NFL player and that
Speaker 4: is one as a guy who works his tail off
Speaker 4: at his craft and his profession, not one guy one.
Speaker 3: Do you think Deontay's regretting that is.
Speaker 4: Uh, it hasn't gotten better? Yeah, since I would say yes, yeah,
Speaker 4: he hasn't gotten many better. The same guy, the same
Speaker 4: guy who was coming out of college. Everbody liked him
Speaker 4: coming out of college too because of his you know,
Speaker 4: at the end of the day, we're out running is
Speaker 4: about separation. You know, it's not about you know, speed
Speaker 4: like if you have speed like Randy Moss, you know,
Speaker 4: really didn't get in and out of break. He got
Speaker 4: better at it actually, you know, after he went to
Speaker 4: the Raiders and he thought his career was over, he
Speaker 4: woke up when he got to New England and then
Speaker 4: he really started to become a pro. You know, his
Speaker 4: pure speed. There's just not many guys like that were here.
Speaker 4: Just you know, you're six five and you just got
Speaker 4: enormous speed and you had he had had a lot
Speaker 4: of talent around him too, so it wasn't just like
Speaker 4: he was the only guy. But the avaendability, the ability
Speaker 4: to get in and out of breaks is the most
Speaker 4: important thing, you know, Listen, I can argue it's the
Speaker 4: most important aspect. If you want. If there's two lines,
Speaker 4: I don't care what your position is, even quarterback. Often
Speaker 4: you wine and deep as one and you could pick speed,
Speaker 4: or you could pick agility, and you can only pick one.
Speaker 4: I would you would stand in that line with agility,
Speaker 4: the ability to start, stop and read it. That is
Speaker 4: where I would stand, and you got a much better
Speaker 4: chance of playing football and being really good at whatever
Speaker 4: position you select than if you just have speed. And
Speaker 4: you know, none of these guys are developed. You know,
Speaker 4: I still think that's some of the biggest problems that
Speaker 4: that they have across the board. On offense, you got
Speaker 4: coaches that just you watch some of the drills and
Speaker 4: you just take your head like, what are we done?
Speaker 4: I mean, I gotta I don't know what that is,
Speaker 4: you know, I mean just you know, you throw a
Speaker 4: medicine ball to the right and then you run through
Speaker 4: the goblet. I Our league is about hitting, hitting, the
Speaker 4: getting the line of scrimmage as quick as you had
Speaker 4: you can get into the hole. Through the hole and
Speaker 4: being decisive as a runner. So throwing a medicine ball
Speaker 4: to the left and delaying before we attack the gauntlet
Speaker 4: with our ball in our left hand, that's don't know
Speaker 4: what that does, test, I don't know what that does.
Speaker 4: It translates to developing players. You know, you got some
Speaker 4: of your guys that have fifteen minutes off in practice,
Speaker 4: didn't even have a drill or anywhere to go. Your
Speaker 4: best running back, there's fifteen minutes off during practice. Walter
Speaker 4: Payton never took fifteen minutes off in practice, and there's
Speaker 4: a guy who could take fifteen minutes off in practice.
Speaker 4: There's always something you should be doing at practice and working.
Speaker 2: But there was another play in that game, late second quarter,
Speaker 2: Mitch Trubisky threw a ball that looked like was behind
Speaker 2: Pat Fryarmoth. Friar Mouth subsequently said that he should have
Speaker 2: stopped and sat down against his own as opposed to
Speaker 2: continuing toward the middle of the field. Trubisky also had
Speaker 2: a couple of bad throws to the one he just
Speaker 2: threw away uh before they decided not to kick the
Speaker 2: fifty seven yard field goal and then the last interception. Uh,
Speaker 2: he just sailed it over Picking's head. So now they
Speaker 2: turned the Mason Rudolph. Uh what uh? What do you
Speaker 2: think can change with Rudolph now becoming the third quarterback
Speaker 2: to get a shot at trying to jump start this
Speaker 2: offense here?
Speaker 3: Is that a movie you would have made as well?
Speaker 4: Uh? Well, you know what, more than likely, yes, just
Speaker 4: because there's the kid's been sitting there and now here
Speaker 4: I bring him into him. Listen, this change, is it
Speaker 4: gonna mean that you're gonna write the ship? Now? We've
Speaker 4: got way too many problems across his board to right
Speaker 4: the ship with one guy, you know. But to me Mason,
Speaker 4: you know, listen when when they went and got Mitch,
Speaker 4: you know which I never understood. I don't know who
Speaker 4: who talked the Steers into that. I don't know who
Speaker 4: made that call. I don't know where they've got I
Speaker 4: just don't I'll never understand that one. But in training camp,
Speaker 4: Mason acid beat him out. If you watch practicing games,
Speaker 4: Mason will pick him out. Mason played better, practice, better everything.
Speaker 4: But you know, obviously they got me retarter, and that's
Speaker 4: what that's Unfortunately, what happens sometimes, you know, they don't
Speaker 4: you know, it doesn't like it Russell Wilson Dill where
Speaker 4: your draft kid in the third round and you went
Speaker 4: and got somebody already and then all that kid beat
Speaker 4: him out. So you know what, we are going to
Speaker 4: play the guy who's better and beat him out because
Speaker 4: that's why we compete. And that's why we say we're
Speaker 4: going to compete, and that's why we do training camps
Speaker 4: because we're going to play the best guy and the
Speaker 4: guy earned it. But I mean, they didn't do that,
Speaker 4: and so you know, who knows. I know, I don't.
Speaker 4: I liked some of the things that Mason Rudolphs does
Speaker 4: and I just I think that that there might be
Speaker 4: a spark with his energy and his confidence, and you know,
Speaker 4: he's an opportunity for him him to play. But you've
Speaker 4: got so many deficiencies. You know, Shoot, we did some
Speaker 4: protection a little boot as we got five offensive linemen
Speaker 4: that bought three defensive linemen. When our quarterback gets throttled,
Speaker 4: we can't block three guys with five guys. You got
Speaker 4: route guys that are you know the fiarmw thing. Okay,
Speaker 4: that is a consistent issue across the board with this
Speaker 4: team not understanding where to sit down and where to
Speaker 4: feel and be in a zone concept is still mind
Speaker 4: boggling to me that you don't know that at this
Speaker 4: point on the season. So all those things going to
Speaker 4: just clear up now. But you know, with you know,
Speaker 4: Mason does do some some job, good job with anticipating
Speaker 4: attacking down the field, so you know he might do
Speaker 4: some things that you know that the myths doesn't do
Speaker 4: very well and take some shots and get some players
Speaker 4: and energy going with this team, you know, but there's
Speaker 4: so many other issues that are they're plaguing this offense
Speaker 4: that unfortunately that one guy isn't going to solve them all.
Speaker 2: I'll go back to that training camp for second, maryor
Speaker 2: I'm gonna I'm gonna disagree with you here for a second.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 2: You were talking about the first camp of Trubisky and
Speaker 2: Picket correct.
Speaker 4: It was?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember grading it this way. I thought Trubisky
Speaker 2: was the most splashy, the most spectacular, even though he
Speaker 2: was up and down a lot. I thought Rudolph was
Speaker 2: the steadiest, and I thought Pickett improved the most, but
Speaker 2: he had the furthest to come because he was a rookie,
Speaker 2: and when he started, he was really bad for the
Speaker 2: first three four days. I didn't look at it as
Speaker 2: they were all starting at the starting line and you know,
Speaker 2: running a forty and who got there first. I think
Speaker 2: I think there was a way to interpret each particular
Speaker 2: guy how they were playing versus what they needed from them,
Speaker 2: and I thought they made the right call. But that's
Speaker 2: just my opinion.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's well, that's why we don't. That's why
Speaker 4: I think coaching is a great you know, I love
Speaker 4: coaches coaching. That's why I've I've coached at every level
Speaker 4: I've I've been in those environments and you get all
Speaker 4: that feedback when you get done with a training camp
Speaker 4: or a position where you're battling, and you do get
Speaker 4: your coaches the way in to make sure you didn't
Speaker 4: see you miss something. You can't see it all. You
Speaker 4: don't know at all. I don't claim you can't ever
Speaker 4: claim to know it all. That's probably the biggest demise
Speaker 4: as a coach. Then you wait, you know, you get
Speaker 4: people that you trust the way in on on it
Speaker 4: to shed light on things that you men not have
Speaker 4: thought of or you didn't see. I just thought when
Speaker 4: I watched him because I had I mean, I've watched
Speaker 4: mister Bisky from.
Speaker 2: I did think Rudolph looked better than I had seen
Speaker 2: him previously, if if that adds a little context to it,
Speaker 2: I thought he was making quicker decisions and throwing with
Speaker 2: more actors see then at any time before in his
Speaker 2: Steelers career.
Speaker 4: Which I completely agree. And I just just from what
Speaker 4: I had, I know of Mitchell Trubisky and knew what
Speaker 4: to expect to I think that's part of it. You
Speaker 4: know that you're not going to change those things. They
Speaker 4: haven't changed. That's why they ran him out of Chicago. Okay.
Speaker 4: And people say got better in Buffalo, Well, he didn't
Speaker 4: play in Buffalo, so I don't know how that happened.
Speaker 4: But you know, yeah, I mean I maybe learned a
Speaker 4: little something. But you know, we talked a couple of
Speaker 4: weeks ago about you know, I'm trying to be fair
Speaker 4: with you because listen that that's just the evidence. It's
Speaker 4: not me, you know, saying things that haven't already happened,
Speaker 4: and they're not a history for him. I would like
Speaker 4: it to be better for him, I would, but it's
Speaker 4: just be better for the Steelers. But they he just
Speaker 4: he was like that in college. I'm telling you the
Speaker 4: exact same thing, Accountge, and he got done. You're just like, man,
Speaker 4: he just I would have never put my job on
Speaker 4: the line in the first round for that kid. So
Speaker 4: and that's why when they went and got him, I
Speaker 4: was I was really surprised. I was like, I don't
Speaker 4: know who was the evaluator on that. I don't know
Speaker 4: who would have made that call, but that was I
Speaker 4: don't know, I just that was. That was a headshot
Speaker 4: has shaper for me.
Speaker 3: So Merrill both lines of scrimmage in Indianapolis, particularly the
Speaker 3: second half of the game. Is that a one out
Speaker 3: of ten a D minus a F plus. I mean, like,
Speaker 3: does it get much worse there?
Speaker 4: You're you know, Matt your it's so funny you mentioned that.
Speaker 4: It's just so funny mentioned that now you know what
Speaker 4: I can see it on in the defense. They are
Speaker 4: they are beat down, Like I just see it in
Speaker 4: their body lanes. They're beat down. And I'm not gonna
Speaker 4: say any particular players because it'll come off wrong because
Speaker 4: being beat down it doesn't mean that they're quitting. Beat
Speaker 4: Down means they they've played too much to this point
Speaker 4: and then you know which they have. You look at
Speaker 4: their stats, snaps and when they're how much they've been
Speaker 4: on the field, how much you know, how many injuries
Speaker 4: they've had in the back end, they just they're beat
Speaker 4: down unit. You know, they've they've they stood a lot,
Speaker 4: you know, and played i think sexually well based on
Speaker 4: all of the things that have happened to them. And
Speaker 4: they continue to fight. But you can tell it's taking
Speaker 4: its toll. And you can really see it nicole game.
Speaker 4: You can see it, especially towards when it got to
Speaker 4: the fourth quarter. It was just body language was telling
Speaker 4: you everything. Man, you know, and that's why these are
Speaker 4: great games for evaluation how you want to build going
Speaker 4: forward and who you're going to build with.
Speaker 2: Meryl Uh, I'm with you on that. And I hate
Speaker 2: to even bring up injuries because they're part of the
Speaker 2: game and everybody has them. But when you get as
Speaker 2: many at two positions as the Steelers have sustained at
Speaker 2: inside linebacker and now safety, I mean, yeah, you can
Speaker 2: only go so far calling up guys who are retired
Speaker 2: and saying hey, come play. I mean there is a
Speaker 2: saturation point, right. It's it's not an excuse, it's.
Speaker 4: A fact right, I completely agree with you. But you
Speaker 4: can just you can see it now in the overall
Speaker 4: movement of the eleven guys that are on the field. Yeah,
Speaker 4: you can just see it. There's this they're wilting, you know.
Speaker 4: And it's it's not that they keep fighting, they keep
Speaker 4: playing hard, that's not it. It's just it's just they've
Speaker 4: it's taking a toll on them. You know, You're exactly right.
Speaker 4: You can only get you can only go so deep,
Speaker 4: so far, so many times. You know, I keep written
Speaker 4: my rafter Cleveland game. You know, it was right. I mean, gosh, dang,
Speaker 4: all the people that had plugged in and filled in
Speaker 4: and in like a week's notice. It was ridiculous. Well,
Speaker 4: it's one of the most most enjoyable things I had
Speaker 4: watched all year, is that defense over those couple of weeks,
Speaker 4: with those players being plugged in and playing at such
Speaker 4: a high level. And you know, then a few more
Speaker 4: injuries came and it just was too much. It's just
Speaker 4: been too much, you know, And you can see it.
Speaker 4: So it'll be it'll be interesting to see how they
Speaker 4: can handle Cincinnati. Yes, Cincinnati. You know, I was surprised
Speaker 4: Cincinnati didn't play as well, the first time they played him.
Speaker 4: That actually kind of took me by took me off guard.
Speaker 4: To be honest with you, I thought they'd played better.
Speaker 4: How they are playing now is what I was expecting.
Speaker 4: But having played him them once, I think it'll be
Speaker 4: interesting to see how they handle their run, they're running game,
Speaker 4: in their screen game, and the stuff that they're doing
Speaker 4: offensively right now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, the biggest problem. I'm not overly impressed
Speaker 2: with the Bengals. I think I think Browning hung in
Speaker 2: there in that Minnesota game, and he was better at
Speaker 2: the end of it than he was at the beginning
Speaker 2: that last drive, and then in overtime he really made
Speaker 2: some plays. But they're using the rookie running back out
Speaker 2: of Illinois, Chase Brown, Chase Brown on some screens and
Speaker 2: things of that nature, and they throw two tight ends
Speaker 2: a lot. And you know, oh, by the way, the
Speaker 2: Steelers are having problems an inside linebacker and safety and
Speaker 2: those are the guys who cover the tight ends and
Speaker 2: the running backs, and that's been showing up the last
Speaker 2: couple of three games.
Speaker 3: But they've really reinvented the passing game. I mean, that's
Speaker 3: not what Burrow did.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, no, you're right,
Speaker 4: you're right. Well listen like the Colts, listen when they
Speaker 4: got down scoring territory where who would touchdowns too? Tight
Speaker 4: ends and running backs, And that's exactly where Cincinnati will do. Now,
Speaker 4: I'll tell you this. The one thing to the Steelers.
Speaker 4: When twenty eight is in the backfield and there's a
Speaker 4: third down situation or chance to blitz, I blitz, I
Speaker 4: would witch. He ain't got a clue.
Speaker 3: That's why he has been wanting to place.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but if he's in there, man, I'm telling you
Speaker 4: what I have it automatic. If twenty eighth there, we're coming,
Speaker 4: I'm saying we are coming. He ain't blocked the son
Speaker 4: he's You got to argue he did some of the
Speaker 4: worst damage in the Super Bowl when they played the Rams.
Speaker 4: How what he did, how pathetic he is at past protection.
Speaker 2: You're talking about.
Speaker 3: I don't know the numbers.
Speaker 4: Yeah, mix mixing, No, I'm talking about mixing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's why Ryan was always in there a third
Speaker 3: down thirty thirty is the rookie.
Speaker 2: He's not good at blocking either, which I guess is
Speaker 2: whither throwing it to him?
Speaker 4: That was try Yes, right, yes, Ron, that's why they
Speaker 4: hate to seem lead, you know, because that was you know,
Speaker 4: he he covered him, He covered him there that twenty
Speaker 4: eight Just I'm watching k yesterday and I was just like,
Speaker 4: how can he not see the linebacker standing right in
Speaker 4: front of him that he's responsible for and.
Speaker 2: Run right hind and out like.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, kidd, and he's running the route like it
Speaker 4: ain't no big deal. I just like, guys, is like
Speaker 4: a wild several times in that game. This is like
Speaker 4: every game I watch. I'm just like, what is he doing?
Speaker 4: I'm like, hey, you put Yeah, I was like, no,
Speaker 4: wonder Joe Burrow and see that that. It's kind of
Speaker 4: stuff like that. I'll just tell you offensive line and
Speaker 4: get furious about because they get blamed for it. You know,
Speaker 4: the back didn't get blamed for it off just like
Speaker 4: it's playing for it. Oh off. The line has gotten
Speaker 4: better by the way, you know. It's just that those backs,
Speaker 4: especially twenty eight man, they make some major major mistakes.
Speaker 4: Not challenging though why not.
Speaker 2: I mean they fixed it, so there's no evidence they
Speaker 2: have blitz them. Hope you get a spark fromation Rudolph
Speaker 2: and maybe uh the special teams come up with another block.
Speaker 2: Kick or a big return or something timely to help
Speaker 2: change the momentum when you need to.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know they yes, unfortunately, that's this is this
Speaker 4: is who they are. You know, I think this is
Speaker 4: not it's gonna be hard to win the next three games. Oh,
Speaker 4: this is I felt the Colts matchup was probably the
Speaker 4: one where they had the best chance.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we did do Yeah, I actually thought on paper
Speaker 3: they matched.
Speaker 4: Okay, yeah, the way Cincinnati's playing, the way Seattle's playing,
Speaker 4: and the way Baltimore is playing. Now, Baltimore may have
Speaker 4: packed may be packing it up by then, you know,
Speaker 4: with who knows where they'll be sitting, you know, as
Speaker 4: far as playoff race goes. But if everybody plays this is,
Speaker 4: it's just gonna be hard. It's gonna be hard to
Speaker 4: win the next three. Get one of the three, it'll
Speaker 4: be very hard.
Speaker 2: Well, it's not supposed to be easy, right, Meryl.
Speaker 4: Well, it's never it's never easy. But this is extraordinarily hard.
Speaker 4: It's almost like you're fighting yourself. You know, it's like
Speaker 4: they're they're they're fighting themselves, you know, like they don't
Speaker 4: even look like they don't even look like a team,
Speaker 4: you know, watching this offense, they don't even look like
Speaker 4: an offense. There's like eleven players doing eleven different things.
Speaker 2: Well, nonetheless, Meryl, nonetheless, Merry Christmas to you, and uh,
Speaker 2: we'll do this again next week before that Seattle game.
Speaker 4: Hey, I like that. On a brighter note, Merry Christmas.
Speaker 4: Absolutely absolutely, guess what end of the day they got.
Speaker 4: They got a line up and play, so you know what,
Speaker 4: and that's why they play it, you know, they don't.
Speaker 4: They don't do talk shows for wins and losses.
Speaker 2: They go play.
Speaker 4: So let's pray they win it. Man. All right, Mary
Speaker 4: Christmas to everybody.
Speaker 2: You too, Meryl, take care.
Speaker 4: We'll talk to you next week, all right, guy, see
Speaker 4: you guys.
Speaker 2: That was Meryl Hodge. You can gear up with the
Speaker 2: latest sideline apparel, hats or jerseys of your favorite players,
Speaker 2: authentic member Villa custom items and exclusives you can only
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Speaker 2: pro shops. Those are located at Akroscher Stadium, the Grove
Speaker 2: City Premium Outlets, and the Tanger Outlets. You can visit
Speaker 2: us online at shop dot Steelers dot com. One more
Speaker 2: segment to go, so keep it here with Matt Williamson
Speaker 2: on Mike Pursuda. This is Steelers Preview right here on
Speaker 2: your Steelers Flagship one or two point five d VE.
Speaker 1: Back to the Steelers Preview Show presented by Uni bet
Speaker 1: on DVE.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Steelers Preview. Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson
Speaker 2: with you until eight o'clock tonight. Merril Hodge fired up
Speaker 2: as as always.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he's got good reason to be. At
Speaker 3: least we ended on a good note, you know, wishing
Speaker 3: each other a merry Christmas and everything swell and jingle
Speaker 3: bells all the way.
Speaker 2: You know, what to expect is brought to you by
Speaker 2: Brian Patton and associates. It's all about the benefits.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: This has become more challenging inst the season. That's progress. Yeah,
Speaker 2: trying to figure out what to expect. Uh, I'm gonna
Speaker 2: change it to what I hope for.
Speaker 3: Okay, it is the season.
Speaker 2: Season. Yeah, on my Christmas list, if you will, there
Speaker 2: you go. I hope Mason Rudolph takes this as an opportunity.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I know he's a teammate and he wants to
Speaker 2: be there for his guys and win for his team.
Speaker 2: But Mason, you.
Speaker 3: Are in the spot, like, this is your chance.
Speaker 2: Play the game aggressively, trust yourself, play to win, and
Speaker 2: see what you can put on tape, because who knows.
Speaker 2: Maybe he's back here next year, maybe he's somewhere else,
Speaker 2: but he's got an opportunity to start a critical game.
Speaker 3: The whole nation washingt go play it, Go play it. Yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm the same way.
Speaker 2: Play fearlessly, play it confidently, and play to win.
Speaker 3: And kind of have we touched on. I think considering
Speaker 3: where Trubisky is, I do believe Rudolph gives him a
Speaker 3: better chance to win how this team is constructed, just
Speaker 3: in terms of less harming yourself, you know. I mean,
Speaker 3: but I don't want him to create or into a
Speaker 3: show either. I mean, take shots. This defense is very vulnerable,
Speaker 3: and hey, it might be your last chance to start
Speaker 3: an NFL game, So make a count.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: Maybe Mason Rudolf is the third bear Kenny Pickett was,
Speaker 2: I feel like a little too conservative, Okay, mister Bisky
Speaker 2: was a little too aggressive, right, Maybe Mason Rudolf can
Speaker 2: find that happy medium.
Speaker 3: I think that's possible. I mean, I don't think he's
Speaker 3: gonna like the world on fire, but deep down I
Speaker 3: don't think he's going to be the reason the Steelers lose.
Speaker 3: If they lose, and as we've touched on, the problems
Speaker 3: are many and they're plentiful, you know. And if he
Speaker 3: can not put the ball on Harm's way, be show
Speaker 3: some aggression and try to get the ball down the fields.
Speaker 3: The defense it allows a lot of big plays, but
Speaker 3: it all starts with the run game. I mean, how
Speaker 3: much of our conversations over the last fifteen weeks or
Speaker 3: whatever with Merrill has started with controlling the line scrimmage,
Speaker 3: running the football. I mean, that's where it starts with
Speaker 3: this offense.
Speaker 2: And that's why we were starting to get encouraged exactly.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: It was kind of an up and down start to
Speaker 2: the season. And then once they got Broderick Jones in
Speaker 2: the starting lineup, they started running the ball with distancy,
Speaker 2: They started running into heavy boxes, they started running when
Speaker 2: people were expecting them to run, and they were doing
Speaker 2: it man doing it, and they were winning football games.
Speaker 3: I thought that was something that we could count on,
Speaker 3: you know. Yeah, there was a foundation board there and
Speaker 3: then we could start building on that start even going
Speaker 3: back to last year, I mean, post by last year,
Speaker 3: they were a formidable run team.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that kind of went away, and well, the
Speaker 2: three game losing streak has ensued, and here we are
Speaker 2: the Steelers at seven and seven and trying to get
Speaker 2: to ten and seven. I'm not gonna bore everybody with
Speaker 2: all the details, but I did a little checking of
Speaker 2: schedules and kind of how everything is shaking out in
Speaker 2: the AFC, and I could see a path to the
Speaker 2: playoffs at ten and seven. They're probably gonna have to
Speaker 2: finish ahead of Buffalo and Houston, and for that to happen,
Speaker 2: Buffalo is going to have to lose to Miami on
Speaker 2: the last game of the regular season, and Houston's probably
Speaker 2: gonna have to lose to India on the last game
Speaker 2: of the regular season. But beat the Bengals and you
Speaker 2: can get yourself ahead of them and then win the
Speaker 2: next two and you could probably get yourself against Buffalo
Speaker 2: and get yourself past Buffalo and Houston with a little help,
Speaker 2: and then your three wild cards might be Indianapolis, Cleveland,
Speaker 2: and Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3: It doesn't look like CJ. Stroud's gonna play this week
Speaker 3: against the Browns, so maybe that's something that helps you.
Speaker 3: But I mean, I don't know if Seilers can beat
Speaker 3: anyway right now, I mean, let alone run the table.
Speaker 2: It is a one time it is a week to
Speaker 2: week league, it is, and this week they have another opportunity.
Speaker 2: I wanted to go back to Jake Browning a little bit. Yeah,
Speaker 2: he's interesting because when we saw him the first time
Speaker 2: at Pey Course Stadium in Cincinnati, I thought, Okay, well,
Speaker 2: this is a guy that's been on practice squads for
Speaker 2: four or five years, and that's what those guys look like.
Speaker 2: And of course he's played a lot better since. The
Speaker 2: more time he gets in there, he's warming to the task.
Speaker 2: But he wasn't great against Minnesota early in that game
Speaker 2: until three forty eight left in the fourth quarter. The
Speaker 2: Bengals are down twenty four. They need a touchdown to
Speaker 2: tie and force overtime, and he completes seven of nine
Speaker 2: passes for seventy two yards on a drive that ends
Speaker 2: with a touchdown, a ridiculous catch by one of the
Speaker 2: best I've ever seen, where he catches it at the
Speaker 2: one yard, had to come out of the end zone
Speaker 2: back to the ball, and then he was able to
Speaker 2: win mill it around as he's falling out aboundin Yeah,
Speaker 2: but Matt Jake Browning hit six different receivers on his
Speaker 2: first six completions.
Speaker 3: That's what they're doing.
Speaker 2: I think Jamar Chase left the game on the second play,
Speaker 2: who's a superstar of what turned out to be the
Speaker 2: game time drive. So it wasn't like the Steelers won
Speaker 2: the super Bowl. They just threw it to Stantonio Holmes
Speaker 2: every time because nobody could cover him. He had to
Speaker 2: read it, he had to trust it, and he had
Speaker 2: to throw it, and he.
Speaker 3: Did and that's been happening well. Spreading the ball around
Speaker 3: is definitely a theme over the last three games for
Speaker 3: the Bengals. I mean, I think in that Vikings game,
Speaker 3: twelve different Bengals caught the ball. I mean it's kind
Speaker 3: of like the Colts too. They don't have a star
Speaker 3: tight end, but there's four of them that coming in
Speaker 3: out of the game. Two backs are going to catch
Speaker 3: passes now, a bevy of receivers, especially with Chase not
Speaker 3: there not there. One thing we haven't mentioned yet though,
Speaker 3: is kind of like we got rob to this a
Speaker 3: little last week, not that it mattered.
Speaker 2: It was actually not the good interrupted. It was twelve
Speaker 2: guys targeted, eleven guys caught the ball. He threw it
Speaker 2: at twelve different players.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and that's what they're doing. And frankly, if
Speaker 3: you trust twelve guys enough to throw them the football,
Speaker 3: hunch my hunches, the Steelers aren't going to have a
Speaker 3: safety or linebacker that can cover them all, you know
Speaker 3: what I mean, Like you're gonna find something you'd like
Speaker 3: time and time again pre snap or early into the
Speaker 3: into the snap. What I wanted to ask Meryl about
Speaker 3: we kind of ran out of time though, is on
Speaker 3: a positive note, and it is the holidays. This Joey
Speaker 3: Porter junior dude's all right, and yes see, you know
Speaker 3: there's a maybe the brightest spot of the whole season.
Speaker 3: I can't wait to watch him against Higgins.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's we talked the first meeting about, you know,
Speaker 2: the start of Joey Porter against Jamark Chase. But now
Speaker 2: and this again, maybe this is a way the Steelers
Speaker 2: find their way out of the woods.
Speaker 4: Here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you can shut down the run and the
Speaker 2: Bengals aren't a great running team, no they're not. And
Speaker 2: if Porter can take away Higgins.
Speaker 3: No, I'll take my chances.
Speaker 2: Well, you know is uh are are you going to
Speaker 2: get beat by Andre Yosei vash.
Speaker 3: You might, I mean all the Andrea yashivashes they have
Speaker 3: compared to what your offense are one of the four
Speaker 3: tight ends. But I'm with you. That's to me is
Speaker 3: the path those guys Nickel and dime. You for two
Speaker 3: catches for twelve yards, so be it. But they I
Speaker 3: think Porter and Higgins can at least battle to a draw.
Speaker 3: And I think the Steelers can stop the run. But
Speaker 3: what if you lose another safety in the first quarter
Speaker 3: or anybody on defense, you know, I mean you're held
Speaker 3: together with duct tape as it is.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And the other thing that really stood out watching
Speaker 2: the Bengals play the Vikings, and again I fall into
Speaker 2: this trap a lot. I watched the team's most recent
Speaker 2: game Steelers are about to play. You probably need to
Speaker 2: watch more games than that to get a better read,
Speaker 2: a more accurate read.
Speaker 3: And the Vikings defense is very unique. I mean, like
Speaker 3: they lead the league in three man rushes and six
Speaker 3: man rushes, you know, like they blitzed like crazy.
Speaker 2: But what I was gonna get to what they did
Speaker 2: to Cincinnati offensively With Nick Mullins a quarterback by yeah
Speaker 2: right right back run Ty Chandler had twenty three carries
Speaker 2: for one hundred and thirty two rushing yards. He average
Speaker 2: five to seven a carry, all right. Justin Jefferson seven
Speaker 2: catches for eighty four yards, Jordan Addison six for one
Speaker 2: hundred and eleven yards and two touchdowns.
Speaker 5: I mean, they did whatever they want. They threw it,
Speaker 5: they move it up and down the field, and while
Speaker 5: four plays I think decided this game, maybe more than
Speaker 5: any other, Mullins threw an interception to Mike Hilton.
Speaker 2: He was trying to hit Jefferson. It was a really
Speaker 2: bad throw. That was on third and nine from the
Speaker 2: Ben was fourteen with four or six left in the
Speaker 2: second quarter.
Speaker 3: Then that way.
Speaker 2: Then the next possession, they're third and seven from the
Speaker 2: Bengals twenty two, twenty five seconds left in the half,
Speaker 2: and he's getting sacked.
Speaker 3: One of the worst places I've ever throw the ball.
Speaker 2: And it hits the player in the.
Speaker 3: Face of defensive line BJ Hill.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, and it bounces around, it bounces off Moulins
Speaker 2: at Hill is sitting on the ground and grabs it
Speaker 2: for an interception. Yeah.
Speaker 3: So here's there's at least one of the worst players
Speaker 3: I've ever seen this game. I mean, it really was
Speaker 3: because you threw three points away too, right, they gave.
Speaker 2: Away six points there, if not more because maybe you
Speaker 2: get a touchdown, particularly on the previous possession. And then
Speaker 2: in overtime they've got third and one at the Bengals
Speaker 2: forty two and they try to sneak and don't get it.
Speaker 2: And now it's fourth and one and they try to
Speaker 2: run the ball and they don't get it.
Speaker 3: They'll get it. Yeah, I thought they may have been
Speaker 3: the better team.
Speaker 2: I think there's any doubt, but the points they left
Speaker 2: on the field there and crucial mistake in overtime the
Speaker 2: Bengals had already that's all they need to need. All
Speaker 2: they needed was a field goal. They were maybe one
Speaker 2: more first down away from being in field goal range. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and those are four plays you didn't make, and I
Speaker 2: think all three of them are turnovers. If you turn
Speaker 2: it over on downs, that's just like an interception or fumble.
Speaker 2: Bay Exactly, there's your ball game. So can the Steelers
Speaker 2: exploit that defense and protect the ball. What's amazing score
Speaker 2: when they when they have a chance to score.
Speaker 3: Exactly, don't screw it up. But I mean, if you
Speaker 3: look at the numbers, you know I'm a numbers, dorc,
Speaker 3: I mean they're their defense is remarkably bad. I mean
Speaker 3: it's horrific against the run. It allows big plays like crazy,
Speaker 3: as we saw with Friar moves. Tight ends are torturing
Speaker 3: this team. They allow so much production outside the numbers, Like,
Speaker 3: I don't know what they do well on defense, except
Speaker 3: for they're really good and turnover differential and they have
Speaker 3: some good pass rushers. Hendrickson's a really good player.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the Bengals, just since you are a numbers geek,
Speaker 2: twenty first in total offense, thirty first rushing, thirteenth, passing,
Speaker 2: thirtieth in total defense, tied twenty eighth rushing twenty seventh passing, Steelers.
Speaker 3: Equally in both phases on defense, Steelers.
Speaker 2: Numbers aren't good either, twenty seventh on total offense, sixteenth rushing,
Speaker 2: twenty eighth, passing, twentieth in total defense, twenty second rushing,
Speaker 2: twentieth passing. But both of these teams are very good
Speaker 2: in the turnover differential, Cincinnati plus eleven and Pittsburgh at
Speaker 2: plus seven after taking a little step back the last
Speaker 2: couple of games. So we shall see, Matt that's gonna
Speaker 2: do it for us. Merry Christmas to you you as well,
Speaker 2: and we'll look forward to doing this again next Thursday,
Speaker 2: getting ready for the Steelers New Year's Eve trip to Seattle.
Speaker 2: Steelers preview on DVE is brought to you by Uni Bet.
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Speaker 2: Matt Williamson and Justin Miller, who once again did a
Speaker 2: phenomenal job running running the console and running the show
Speaker 2: and keeping us on the air on Mike PURSUITA. Thanks
Speaker 2: for finding us, however, and wherever you found us, we'll
Speaker 2: look forward to talking to you again next week. This
Speaker 2: has been Steel's Preview right here on the Steels flagship,
Speaker 2: one of two point five dv E. Good night, everybody,