Speaker 1: This is live coverage of the twenty twenty six Steelers
Speaker 1: Training Camp or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
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Speaker 2: Good evening, Steeler Nation, How were doing well? That's good
Speaker 2: us too. It is the bonus hour of the drive
Speaker 2: here on campus in Saint Vincent College of Course, Unity Township, Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2: The final hour of the nine hours of live coverage
Speaker 2: that we do here every single day that the Steelers
Speaker 2: have practice, because nobody covers training camp like we do
Speaker 2: here on your twenty four to seven home of the
Speaker 2: Black and Gold. West Shuler Matt Williamson with you for
Speaker 2: another hour, mattis some players.
Speaker 3: Starting to work their way.
Speaker 2: Down onto the field here for the evening walkthrough, just
Speaker 2: to paint the picture of the heat and the sunshine today.
Speaker 2: All the coaches and equipment staff and everybody who are
Speaker 2: out on the field waiting for the players to come down,
Speaker 2: they are pretty much all of them, about ninety five
Speaker 2: percent of them are standing in the shade behind the
Speaker 2: tree zone.
Speaker 3: Anyone that can in the shade, yes.
Speaker 2: Exactly right, just kind of all right. I'm not going
Speaker 2: to go out there in the sun until I have to,
Speaker 2: because it was a hot one here on campus today.
Speaker 2: Certainly there will be some weather rolling in in the
Speaker 2: back half of the week. Hopefully that won't affect anything
Speaker 2: out here, but that is obviously something that we will
Speaker 2: discuss when we all return on Wednesday. No sign of
Speaker 2: our line painting robot here today, Matt, So maybe he's
Speaker 2: got the day off. We'll see.
Speaker 3: I hope he didn't get cut.
Speaker 2: I hope not. It's early in camp to be getting cut, man.
Speaker 2: You gotta at least hang around till the end, till
Speaker 2: cut down day. Let's hit some tweets here like we
Speaker 2: like to do. To start the five o'clock hour. Sudesh says,
Speaker 2: who knew Matt was a reptile guy? I had a
Speaker 2: California kingsnake in my early twenties. He got over five
Speaker 2: feet long, and I let him go to a place
Speaker 2: where there was plenty of grub.
Speaker 3: I'm definitely not a reptile guy. I was crazy three
Speaker 3: or four years. Guys are crazy, and probably just because
Speaker 3: I thought it was cool or tried to be cool.
Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, it's a good way to impress girls.
Speaker 3: I was much more of an aquarium fish guy, though.
Speaker 2: You guys are nuts. Like what happened to a classic dog?
Speaker 4: Huh?
Speaker 2: How about just a good old dog?
Speaker 3: Birds and cats and dogs over the years too.
Speaker 2: I know that this won't make me super popular, but
Speaker 2: I've said this to my wife. Our dog only just
Speaker 2: turned thirteen a couple of weeks ago, so he is obviously,
Speaker 2: he honestly is. Still he can't really see, he's about blind,
Speaker 2: but he's still in pretty good health relatively. But he's
Speaker 2: also thirteen years old, so you know how that works.
Speaker 2: He's a he's much closer to the clubhouse than he
Speaker 2: is to tee and off on the front nine, and
Speaker 2: I said to my wife. I was like, I'm gonna
Speaker 2: miss only like crazy when he's He's a first and
Speaker 2: only dog I've ever had in my life. I was like,
Speaker 2: but I also, we're gonna take a little bit of
Speaker 2: a break because just raising two kids while you have
Speaker 2: a pet that's getting old. It's just it's a lot
Speaker 2: of extra work. A lot of extra work, yes, a
Speaker 2: lot of extra work that we don't quite need. And
Speaker 2: we've already got enough accidents and messes between the two girls.
Speaker 2: We don't need it from an animal I've missed. I
Speaker 2: think I would like that. That would be fun and relaxing.
Speaker 2: Maybe it'll have to get Yeah, maybe we'll have to.
Speaker 2: Maybe we'll have to get one of those in the
Speaker 2: basement here whenever things get finished up. Sudesh also says
Speaker 2: he's got me thinking that mad mechs Mad Max will
Speaker 2: be starting on the right side sooner rather than later.
Speaker 2: Could the Steelers have an elite offensive line once again?
Speaker 3: Yes, and yes, yes and yes.
Speaker 2: I mean I.
Speaker 3: Don't think the squint too hard to say that that
Speaker 3: day could be coming.
Speaker 2: I'm almost at the point now where I expect that
Speaker 2: day to come.
Speaker 3: You almost have to they invested. Yeah, if you'll get
Speaker 3: your return on your investment, then yeah, that's a problem.
Speaker 2: Three first round tackles, if you hit on two of
Speaker 2: them outstanding.
Speaker 3: I mean, second round center, second.
Speaker 2: Round center center, Yeah, fourth round guard Jennings Dunker, a
Speaker 2: third round guard. I mean, they they have really invested
Speaker 2: in that group. Betcer Anderson was a draft pick, albeit
Speaker 2: you know, right towards the very end, but he was
Speaker 2: still a draft pick. They have really invested in that group.
Speaker 2: It's starting to show, and it's still going to take time.
Speaker 2: Obviously a lot of those guys are still very young.
Speaker 2: But I would and I'm not even saying it has
Speaker 2: to be necessarily right now in twenty twenty six, but
Speaker 2: if this group is not elite, if this group is
Speaker 2: not considered one of the best three or four in
Speaker 2: the league, at some point, I would, honestly, I think,
Speaker 2: even be a little bit let down.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I say that they have to be.
Speaker 2: The the what am I What am I looking for?
Speaker 2: What's the word I'm looking for? Just the potential there is.
Speaker 3: I can't imagine a line in the league has more
Speaker 3: draft capital. I mean, some of you know, like the
Speaker 3: Saints have had a couple of high picks, but They
Speaker 3: also went out and got David Edwards this year in
Speaker 3: free agency. You know, like not that he's superstar, but
Speaker 3: Dallas always drafts a lot, you know, but so he
Speaker 3: does have to be right top of list in terms
Speaker 3: of draft capital in their O line room right now.
Speaker 2: That might be a fun exercise to look at you actually.
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh Conversation asks who would you feel most comfortable with
Speaker 2: right now at wide receiver three, Bernard or Wilson. Also,
Speaker 2: if a genie came out of the bottle and said
Speaker 2: one of the two would have a better career, who
Speaker 2: would that be.
Speaker 3: I'd bet I'm Bernard for the genie. Yes, just because
Speaker 3: Wilson hasn't had right.
Speaker 2: We've seen two years of it already.
Speaker 3: Two years of yes, semi disappointment. I don't have an
Speaker 3: answer for the first one.
Speaker 2: It might still be Roman, just because they seem to
Speaker 2: sure trust him and Bernard comments or never seen him
Speaker 2: in an NFL stadium.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I don't know if it was Allan that said,
Speaker 3: I think it was. Maybe some weeks it's Bernard, In
Speaker 3: some weeks it's Roman, depending what style Corn or the
Speaker 3: opponent totally or what they're preferred coverages are at this
Speaker 3: stage totally Steelers.
Speaker 2: Berner tweets and says, loved meeting you guys last night.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was cool.
Speaker 2: It was cool being at camp today. My takeaway is
Speaker 2: Aaron Rodgers is constantly targeting Roman Wilson and it's looking good.
Speaker 2: From a rep standpoint. It seems Max is closer and
Speaker 2: closer to being a starter or sorry, Max Hanitsch or
Speaker 2: is closer to being a starter than Roger Jones's thoughts
Speaker 2: on those two today.
Speaker 3: I definitely think Rogers is very deliberate with who he
Speaker 3: targets in practice, and just chatting with folks last night,
Speaker 3: a lot of them are saying, boyd, he's only the
Speaker 3: only targeted Metcalf and then today it looks like you've
Speaker 3: was thrown to Wilson more, you know, So he's not
Speaker 3: going to waste his time throwing to dudes that aren't
Speaker 3: worth it.
Speaker 2: Yes, you know, Yes, I agree with you on that.
Speaker 2: That's a good way. That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 2: And yes, Max is definitely closer to being a starter
Speaker 2: than Broderick. Yeah, Max has been as as Matt put
Speaker 2: it when they do these offensive line drills, and this
Speaker 2: is part of the a lot going on that we've
Speaker 2: alluded to. There's two groups. There's the ones.
Speaker 3: Plus, so I think there's like seven.
Speaker 2: I think Hoffman's in there and and Max Honour is
Speaker 2: in there, and then there's all the other guys off
Speaker 2: to a different group. Uh, Broderck Jones is in that
Speaker 2: that second group, whereas is in with the one pluses
Speaker 2: along with brock Hoffman. So yes, he's He's definitely closer
Speaker 2: to being a starter than Progerick. Projerick, I think is
Speaker 2: just trying to work himself back to getting his body
Speaker 2: where he needs to be and healthy and putting on
Speaker 2: his weight and just kind of knocking off, yes, knocking
Speaker 2: off the rust from a major major surgery. Ye feel too,
Speaker 2: Ian says, good afternoon, gents. I've seen a lot of
Speaker 2: positive talks about the offensive line. Is Progerick playing guard
Speaker 2: out of the question, or do you think McCarthy and
Speaker 2: the new staff will go with the best players available?
Speaker 2: Approach love you stay cool today?
Speaker 3: Well, their history shows they do a lot.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say outline that they play. Mike McCarthy plays
Speaker 2: probably more than anybody tackles at guard throughout his tenure.
Speaker 3: But I think you said that well too, that I
Speaker 3: feel like Broderick's just kind of like working himself back
Speaker 3: to the line he was at before health. Yeah, I'm
Speaker 3: not sure now's the time for position change. Maybe you
Speaker 3: played no guard at all. Things happened quick in there.
Speaker 3: That doesn't mean he's not capable, but I think you
Speaker 3: need to get the step two or three of this
Speaker 3: back to normal stuff before you'd even consider it.
Speaker 2: Good tweet from Andy here, given that there's a new
Speaker 2: defensive coordinator, what's the impact of Joey Porter Junior not
Speaker 2: participating in training camp? Also need to know what your
Speaker 2: personal Steeler's cafeteria food camp feeno him so far, Man,
Speaker 2: I had some really good sushi last night that might have.
Speaker 3: Been in there enough. My schedule has not been great
Speaker 3: for that.
Speaker 2: It might be the sushi from last night.
Speaker 3: I'm telling you, jealous.
Speaker 2: That was sushi. Knight's always always a hit here on campus.
Speaker 3: The night I went over there thinking there was Anny
Speaker 3: crab Legs wasn't. But it was a good post to me.
Speaker 3: I put shrimp on it and stuff.
Speaker 2: I was gonna say the post the bars always got.
Speaker 2: I know, I let you down, although it's set it
Speaker 2: on the menu. Ye sometimes listen, we all got to
Speaker 2: assess the line of scrimmage and see where we're going here.
Speaker 2: But yeah, Sushi Knight's tough to beat. Impact of Joey
Speaker 2: Porter Junior not participating in training camp with a new
Speaker 2: defensive coordinator.
Speaker 3: Well, I don't think this is any secret because I
Speaker 3: did a night show with Jerry Dulac last night and
Speaker 3: he thought this staff wasn't thrilled that Porter didn't do
Speaker 3: anything in mini camp and OTAs just because we're new
Speaker 3: to you're new, let's get on the field together. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you know what I mean. Not like it's a dangerous situation.
Speaker 3: The chance of getting hurt there are probably slim. So
Speaker 3: I'm not saying, oh, they're never going to sign them,
Speaker 3: or there's at an impasse, or these guys don't like
Speaker 3: each other. None of that's true. It's just I would
Speaker 3: bet that I'm a new coach, new coaching staff, I
Speaker 3: would like to see what my star players like right
Speaker 3: next to him as opposed to on tape.
Speaker 2: Absolutely that makes sense.
Speaker 3: Yeah, good, But that's not a hard position to learn.
Speaker 3: And that's also things like that. I mean, I'm sure
Speaker 3: he's in the he's in the cornerback meeting room exactly right.
Speaker 2: Is that is that Tom arth on a mobilized scooter
Speaker 2: rolling through the middle of.
Speaker 3: I didn't recognize the human, so I'm not sure.
Speaker 2: Somebody though, is riding a motorized skateboard basically through uh,
Speaker 2: through down the sideline here.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was fun. That was like something you'd like.
Speaker 2: That was absolutely something I would like. Is Matt. Matt
Speaker 2: has done enough traveling with me to know that if
Speaker 2: there's like a scooter or something I can ride Indian,
Speaker 2: you'll see me flying around Indie at the combine, going
Speaker 2: to uh, you know, shake Shack to get a cheeseburger
Speaker 2: and all that good stuff. Joe with a good, bigger
Speaker 2: picture question here, can you guys please explain how sub
Speaker 2: packages work on game day with play clock running and
Speaker 2: coaches deciding on play calls. How is it determined who
Speaker 2: goes in who comes out? Is it predetermined for down
Speaker 2: in distant situations? Or is it just more coaches gut
Speaker 2: feelings about a player?
Speaker 3: Not the easiest question to answer, So I'm sure every
Speaker 3: team's different, but definitely some of it is. Let's say
Speaker 3: you're playing against the Steelers last year and they're a
Speaker 3: weird team that played a lot of thirteen personnel before
Speaker 3: that was even slice a bit popular. Immediately in the week,
Speaker 3: you gotta be like, what are we putting out there
Speaker 3: against thirteen? You know, like who are the eleven that
Speaker 3: we think that can handle that? And subject to change?
Speaker 3: Might be like they're dashing us and we're too light,
Speaker 3: you know, So some of the basics of it, and
Speaker 3: I guess we could this could be too long of
Speaker 3: a conversation, but somebody in the booth is gonna yell.
Speaker 3: You get in the headset that they're pulling a receiver
Speaker 3: off the field and a tight end's coming on eleven
Speaker 3: is turned into twelve. Okay, So immediately someone on the
Speaker 3: sidelines like, well, we know what we play against their eleven. Sure,
Speaker 3: and there's different versions of eleven, like eleven with Roman
Speaker 3: as my third receiver might be different than eleven with
Speaker 3: the rookie, you know what I mean. Or there's definitely
Speaker 3: different versions of tight ends, like if John New's out there,
Speaker 3: that's a lot different than Washington being out there. Like
Speaker 3: they might call it twelve plus or twelve heavy or
Speaker 3: twelve light or whatever, twelve rock and roll right, whatever
Speaker 3: name they call in that week. I think this is
Speaker 3: mostly true. But if it's like you're the running back coach,
Speaker 3: but I put out Dowdoor Warren. I think the position
Speaker 3: coach handles that more often than not. It's too big
Speaker 3: a job for the play call or too big a
Speaker 3: job for the head coach. Sure, head coach might be
Speaker 3: in your ear and be like, get Jalen out there
Speaker 3: for this one, or you obviously know throughout the course
Speaker 3: of the season it's fourth and one. I went Jerome
Speaker 3: out there, not Willie Parker, you know what I mean,
Speaker 3: like that kind of obvious ones or you know, and
Speaker 3: this is a position coach thing too. Man TJ's looking tired,
Speaker 3: get her big in there for him for two plays.
Speaker 3: You know. That's you know, you're part of your job
Speaker 3: with your you know, specific position. Or it doesn't happen
Speaker 3: with o Liman. It's a bad example, but dee Lyman's
Speaker 3: been on the field ten plays in a row, you know,
Speaker 3: and against.
Speaker 2: Her on the hips.
Speaker 3: Yeah, like, oh, get him out, you know something like that,
Speaker 3: or boy, he's that guard's whipping him, you know, get him.
Speaker 2: Out, mister Steel City says, Or you blow.
Speaker 3: An assignment or exactly right, or.
Speaker 2: That guy's doing something dumb, get him out of there.
Speaker 2: That's why I was always pulled off the field when
Speaker 2: I played football. Dumb euler, guys missing tackles left and right.
Speaker 2: Get him out of there. Mister steel City says, is
Speaker 2: there a reason that we're not seeing a wide receiver
Speaker 2: in DB's one on one at camp? Is it because
Speaker 2: of injury risk? Is it because it's not just an
Speaker 2: efficient use of time? Also, Aaron Rodgers said absolutely not
Speaker 2: to play in the preseason.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 3: It hasn't been as one on one ish, like like
Speaker 3: what we will title calmly. Yeah, you know top corner
Speaker 3: versus top Wonder how much.
Speaker 2: Of that though, is you got no Ramsey and no
Speaker 2: Porter to this point.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know if that's a McCarthy
Speaker 3: thing or not. It's not like corners having guarded receivers
Speaker 3: on the field going more or less full speed, But
Speaker 3: it hasn't been as one on one as like the
Speaker 3: big men. I don't have an answer for that. I'm
Speaker 3: kind of leaning towards I hope Rogers doesn't play one
Speaker 3: preseason snap, but I guess he came out today and
Speaker 3: said he might play thirty to forty or something like that.
Speaker 3: I don't know that I buy that.
Speaker 2: I don't either. Yeah, I would. I would guess he
Speaker 2: plays zero as opposed to double digit preseason snaps series,
Speaker 2: let alone thirty or forty. But listen, if he plays
Speaker 2: a series and he hands the ball off a couple
Speaker 2: of times and throws you know, one or two quick hitters, fine, Yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm not going to to be bothered either way. I
Speaker 2: was laughing with you. I think it was yesterday about
Speaker 2: how last year there was there was so much arguing
Speaker 2: over Aaron Rodgers should play a couple series, Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 2: should play a single snap. At the end of the day,
Speaker 2: I think it's much of a story. I don't either.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Now, if he plays thirty or forty snaps, that's a story.
Speaker 3: Yeah. If he's I can play the whole first half
Speaker 3: in the second game like that, that's a story.
Speaker 2: But I think there's I think the difference between him
Speaker 2: playing zero snaps and an amount that you can count
Speaker 2: on one hand and is nothing is nothing.
Speaker 3: If a difference between one series and zero snaps, I
Speaker 3: don't really care.
Speaker 2: Some Adam guy says it's good to hear you guys again.
Speaker 2: Go still, it's good to be back again. We enjoyed
Speaker 2: our two week hiatus before camp. We needed a little
Speaker 2: time to unplug and breathe, but we always love getting
Speaker 2: back here. And it's football, baby, It's football in Western Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2: This is what it's all about. And I tell you what,
Speaker 2: it's been a lot of fun this year too, Matt.
Speaker 2: We got an awesome line up here with all of
Speaker 2: our SNR shows and a lot of a lot of
Speaker 2: fun new people in the fold here, and we're looking
Speaker 2: forward to the rest of training camp and how it
Speaker 2: all plays out. Let's get to a break here and
Speaker 2: we return on the other side. More moving and shaking
Speaker 2: around campus here. We'll also hear a little bit from
Speaker 2: Matt max Ihanachur after a big day of practice. Plenty
Speaker 2: of ground still to cover. West Ruler Matt Williamson. It's
Speaker 2: the drive all part of our ongoing training camp coverage
Speaker 2: Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1: This is live coverage ob DOT twenty twenty six Steelers
Speaker 1: Training Camp or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
Speaker 1: easy to drink, easy to enjoy, and brought to you
Speaker 1: in part by Pennsylvania One Call Systems Dial eight one
Speaker 1: one Before you dig SNT Bank People Forward Banking by
Speaker 1: Klusy Chevrolet, serving the Pittsburgh area for over one hundred
Speaker 1: and eight years. Clearview Federal Credit Union for every touchdown
Speaker 1: the Black and Gold score. In twenty twenty six, Clearview
Speaker 1: will donate five hundred dollars to the Light of Life mission,
Speaker 1: they said, CLEARVIEWFCU dot org and by Iron Workers Local
Speaker 1: Union Number three. We don't go to the office, We
Speaker 1: build it.
Speaker 2: Rolling along here on this Tuesday, as we are now
Speaker 2: into basically the evening portion of the day here, weather's
Speaker 2: starting to cool off a little bit, but it's still
Speaker 2: a hot one. Still a beautiful day here around campus, and.
Speaker 3: The bucket hats are coming in.
Speaker 2: At that bucket hat, you're much needed right now the
Speaker 2: grounds crew, without a doubt, and uh and yeah, another
Speaker 2: another good day of work here in the books. The
Speaker 2: Steelers will of course have off tomorrow Wednesday. That means
Speaker 2: we will all be off, will head home tonight for
Speaker 2: some some much needed rest and relaxation own on our
Speaker 2: own beds, But then we'll be back Thursday. We'll be
Speaker 2: back Friday. A whole bunch of moving and shaking going
Speaker 2: on in the back half of the week. Here, Matt,
Speaker 2: we are gonna hear just a few minutes of comments
Speaker 2: here from mad Max Ihanachuur in just a moment. But
Speaker 2: for those who might have missed it, that's kind of
Speaker 2: where we started the show in the three o'clock hour.
Speaker 2: It's been a really promising and encouraging start to camp
Speaker 2: for him. But for those who kind of missed our conversation,
Speaker 2: especially today in the one on one drills, he wasn't
Speaker 2: just holding his own he was excelling, excelling, he was
Speaker 2: standing down, he was doing very well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's extremely encouraging.
Speaker 2: It sure is, and he is I think arrow pointed
Speaker 2: up and we can't wait to see that continue and
Speaker 2: can't wait to see him grow and build and develop.
Speaker 2: Here here's what Max he Hanachour, the first round pick,
Speaker 2: had to say after practice.
Speaker 5: The first time you can be evaluated as your position,
Speaker 5: I think since it started in the spring. Obviously, OTAs
Speaker 5: coming out there, you know, just like shooting the plays.
Speaker 5: Not really as physical today at a physical standpoint, yes,
Speaker 5: but like every day we've been out here, we're just
Speaker 5: still getting working. You can suit focus on your foot,
Speaker 5: hands and everything's different.
Speaker 4: Like TJ and Watter Hall of Famer.
Speaker 6: You get to block him.
Speaker 4: When it's I know, it's just a drill or or
Speaker 4: something to and it was without Pato. Is it just
Speaker 4: different trying to block him or guys like that.
Speaker 5: I mean, yeah, we tried what they do a pretty
Speaker 5: good job on Temple when we're in pajamas. But today
Speaker 5: everybody was food good, so it was really fun getting
Speaker 5: to go against me.
Speaker 4: Pretty good out there.
Speaker 2: Do you feel you did out there today?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 5: I feel good, some goods, but you know, always got
Speaker 5: to go back and watch the film.
Speaker 4: Man can always find something to get better on.
Speaker 6: You think you've made stride since like okas mini camp.
Speaker 5: On, Yeah, one hundred percent. Just catching up playbooks, speed
Speaker 5: of the game, I'll deve saying that part. Yeah, everybody
Speaker 5: was flying around, playing fast, playing confident. It was fun
Speaker 5: backs playing score off those rops like that with a
Speaker 5: little step with nah, just next play mentality. Just try
Speaker 5: to go out there, win and lose. Try to just
Speaker 5: focus on the next play.
Speaker 2: They've got some different types of edge rushers.
Speaker 7: Became like her, big speedy guy and then obviously like Soyer,
Speaker 7: more physical.
Speaker 4: A little picker.
Speaker 7: How How what's the benefit for you of going against
Speaker 7: different types of rushers and different body times.
Speaker 5: Oh, they're say, just be myself, go out there confident,
Speaker 5: but know your Russias, know their main moves. But just
Speaker 5: go out there and play fast. Don't overthink whoever's in
Speaker 5: front of you, different people lined up. Just go out
Speaker 5: there and play fast.
Speaker 8: And they've all been there, done that, whether it's one
Speaker 8: year for Jack or three for Ny.
Speaker 2: Going on with that game with TJ.
Speaker 7: How much feedback do you get from those guys and
Speaker 7: them trying to coach you and through it after me.
Speaker 5: Nick does a good job trying to just always at
Speaker 5: the end of play or after just trying to talk
Speaker 5: to me what he sees.
Speaker 4: Same with Jack too.
Speaker 5: Uh, everybody just trying to give their feedback by you know,
Speaker 5: we don't really talk that much. We're haven't really like,
Speaker 5: got to really get connected on that part.
Speaker 2: Yeah, how much Troy right at all?
Speaker 3: He is the guy over there and that's that last year.
Speaker 4: How much you guys talking Troy.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Troy, Troy does phenomenal job. Y'all sit next to
Speaker 5: him in the meeting's just always picking his brain. It's
Speaker 5: going on your three You've seen a lot more than
Speaker 5: me played more so just always picking his brain on everything,
Speaker 5: just asking the little questions, getting his feedback on it.
Speaker 7: Somebody international made it.
Speaker 3: Really can't push you, don't make you.
Speaker 4: Ellvate you too soon too. Fans howlays you understanding. Are
Speaker 4: you keep it up? I'll say yeah. I mean it's
Speaker 4: football the end of day.
Speaker 5: Just come out confident, know your plays, and just go execute.
Speaker 2: Are you trying to approach training game?
Speaker 7: I mean, do you feel like there's a position of winning,
Speaker 7: an opportunity to potentially start as.
Speaker 3: Ear least week going for years.
Speaker 5: I'll just come out here and do what the coaches
Speaker 5: tell me. The dude, go and go hard for.
Speaker 2: Your overall impressions of camera here.
Speaker 4: Oh, this is different. This is different.
Speaker 5: We did some similars like this in the asquo, but
Speaker 5: it's not as big as this. Obviously, this is we're
Speaker 5: here longer. At ASU was on there for three days,
Speaker 5: but kind of used to it. But it's fun. It's different.
Speaker 5: Fans go crazy, as I'm.
Speaker 4: Sure you're waiting for this.
Speaker 2: Stay what are some of the things that really trends
Speaker 2: later and.
Speaker 4: Over you fear coming in the team. That type of work.
Speaker 5: I'll devastate just knowing your playbook so you can come
Speaker 5: out here and play fast. If you don't know what
Speaker 5: you're doing, you want to play fast and don't doubt you.
Speaker 5: So just come out here with confidence, win or lose refs.
Speaker 5: That's what practice for you. Just keep getting better.
Speaker 4: So you know the playbook pretty well.
Speaker 2: Percent, mad Max. He han achour there with a few
Speaker 2: minutes of his thoughts on practice to this point. A
Speaker 2: really good start and really encouraging start to camp for him, Matt.
Speaker 2: And that's awesome because hey, listen, we still need to
Speaker 2: see some stuff in the run game. We still needs
Speaker 2: as you mentioned in the three o'clock hour, you need
Speaker 2: to see him do it, you know, in Baltimore in
Speaker 2: front of seventy thousand people, screaming and yelling and the
Speaker 2: pressures on and you know all that stuff. But from
Speaker 2: a starting point for an offensive lineman, you know, a
Speaker 2: position that really takes some time to grow and bond
Speaker 2: and learn, he's had an outstanding start.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I don't know if these conversations are going
Speaker 3: on yet, but they probably aren't far away. Is do
Speaker 3: we just want him to learn against like bullets? You know,
Speaker 3: the talent I mean, anyone can see Stevie Wonder can
Speaker 3: see the talent. Yeah, I mean Stevie. Why not let him,
Speaker 3: you know, learn on the go.
Speaker 2: My goodness, you're fuddy, isn't she? Lovely? Very superstitiousious? Mad
Speaker 2: Maxie houn At you're there. Yeah, I'm telling you, folks,
Speaker 2: if you're coming out to camp anytime here over the
Speaker 2: next couple of weeks, make sure to keep an eye
Speaker 2: on that guy if you're going to be at Saturday
Speaker 2: night lights, and then obviously all throughout the preseason as well.
Speaker 2: I think Steeler Nation is going to like what they're
Speaker 2: seeing when they see the first round pick up close
Speaker 2: and personal or on the television. One more segment to
Speaker 2: go on the other side will close down the proceedings
Speaker 2: of the day and keep you posted on any final
Speaker 2: movement and shaken here across the campus. Wes Yuler, Matt Williamson,
Speaker 2: It's the Drive Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
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Speaker 2: Down the home stretch here today on the Drive, our
Speaker 2: final segment of the day, Our final live segment here
Speaker 2: on campus until Thursday. As a reminder, no practice on Wednesday,
Speaker 2: so that means no live SNR shows on Wednesday, but
Speaker 2: we will be back with a Vengeance for a busy
Speaker 2: second half of the week. Matt, I like this kind
Speaker 2: of new midweek day off, Like I feel like in
Speaker 2: the past they would always have like six straight practices
Speaker 2: this week and it was very physical Friday night lights
Speaker 2: and so because of that for us, it was for
Speaker 2: us it was a lot, and I think for the
Speaker 2: guys it was a lot too. I could use a
Speaker 2: little silence and see my family and just you know,
Speaker 2: sitt in your big lazy boy and relax for an evening.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I tell you it's it's uh. I'd like
Speaker 2: the day off tomorrow because I think that will lead
Speaker 2: to physical practices again on on Thursday and Friday to
Speaker 2: an extent, because we know it's it's it's not a
Speaker 2: different time. It's different times, certainly, but they were still
Speaker 2: doing some stuff out here today and I would expect that.
Speaker 2: Excuse me, there's a frog in my trot tsun Jolkin
Speaker 2: would have said, uh, I expect that to continue on Thursday.
Speaker 2: The guy who was in charge obviously of conducting and
Speaker 2: instructing all of the practices and everything on going here
Speaker 2: at camp, Mike McCarthy. This is what he had to
Speaker 2: say earlier.
Speaker 7: Like Omar and Andy drafted a lot of offensive line,
Speaker 7: but with high picks in the last couple of years.
Speaker 3: What have been your first impressions in that group?
Speaker 7: But what's like for you as a head coach to
Speaker 7: walk in and know that that foundation has already kind
Speaker 7: of been been late.
Speaker 6: Yeah, definitely a lot of value there, a lot of talent,
Speaker 6: very important. It's you know, I've always adhere to the
Speaker 6: statistics of you know, how many starts consecutive starts that
Speaker 6: you have with your with your offensive line equates the
Speaker 6: winning has for decades in our league. So trying to
Speaker 6: establish the starting five is something you're always going going
Speaker 6: through in training camp. But you know, most importantly is
Speaker 6: the depth. I know my recent experiences. You know, we've
Speaker 6: we've played a lot of offensive line, and so just sort
Speaker 6: of that's why you hear me talk about position flexibility
Speaker 6: so much. It's critical, you know, particularly the seventeen game season.
Speaker 6: So I really liked the group. But you know, I
Speaker 6: think yesterday being the first day in pads is a
Speaker 6: real starting point of you know, who we are and
Speaker 6: who we want to be, and we had a lot.
Speaker 3: Of work to do.
Speaker 9: When you talk about playing a lot of offensive linemen,
Speaker 9: do you mean if the case there's injuries or do
Speaker 9: you like to kind of move them in and out
Speaker 9: of different points just to create the.
Speaker 6: You know, maybe to give a guy arrest or something
Speaker 6: like that.
Speaker 9: You talk like, well, when you you would just said
Speaker 9: you you kid, Uh, historically you've used a lot.
Speaker 6: Of offensive line. Well, no, I I just my experience
Speaker 6: in Dallas, we had a lot of injuries to the
Speaker 6: offensive line, and that's what I was referring to. But uh,
Speaker 6: you know, I think I think you asked me. Someone
Speaker 6: asked me the first day, you know about the position
Speaker 6: flex and and it's you really seeting the drill work.
Speaker 6: So we're trying to work different combinations of you know,
Speaker 6: guards and tackles, and it's more who they play next
Speaker 6: to and just you know, the footwork and you know,
Speaker 6: cause it's you know, it's different when the when the
Speaker 6: player has to play the left side and then move
Speaker 6: to the right side. You know, so particularly young players
Speaker 6: and if a guy has you know, guard tackle flex
Speaker 6: going back to the player acquisition process and then in
Speaker 6: the draft, you know, that's why you look at tackles.
Speaker 6: You know, you want draft tackles and have building to
Speaker 6: movementside because you like to be able to train these
Speaker 6: guys you know, left side or right side, left guard
Speaker 6: and left tackle or Marcus just to try to keep
Speaker 6: the footwork cohesive because you know, it's it's a you
Speaker 6: know a lot of these conversations that we have as
Speaker 6: coaches is the training, you know, and in the training
Speaker 6: has to fit the scheme. You know, everybody has a
Speaker 6: good scheme. There's there's no such thing as bad scheme.
Speaker 6: But does the training fit the scheme.
Speaker 9: So when you did the two offense of the lines
Speaker 9: first left, first team, second team side by side, said
Speaker 9: something you've always done or do you do that because of.
Speaker 3: Your time frame.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm trying to get as much reps on We're
Speaker 6: trying to get as much fundamental uh work on tape.
Speaker 6: You know, we've invested the money and the extra cameras
Speaker 6: and so forth, and we actually, you know, the Wondrill
Speaker 6: screwed up yesterday, so we didn't. So, I mean there's
Speaker 6: some of the little little things we need to do better.
Speaker 6: Just from an operation standpoint. Yeah, we're trying to go
Speaker 6: you know, the speed of what we're going, but we
Speaker 6: want the quality of it. But definitely we want these
Speaker 6: young guys to not stand in line and get one
Speaker 6: repid one on one drill. We we liked everybody get
Speaker 6: five six, seven reps. So it's all about the video.
Speaker 6: It's the most important video is of themselves. So we're
Speaker 6: just trying to build those libraries, you know, the teaching
Speaker 6: atmosphere and just trying to heighten that as best we can.
Speaker 3: El Johnson said that he worked really hard in his
Speaker 3: past protection in past receiving during the offseason. Are you
Speaker 3: seeing evidence of that so far? You still see a
Speaker 3: path for him for a playing time this year?
Speaker 6: Yeah, definitely. I mean it's it's so early and I understand,
Speaker 6: you know, while we're asking the questions, but you know,
Speaker 6: we had a meeting. Uh, you know, going on these meetings,
Speaker 6: we've had one padded practice and and you know this
Speaker 6: this this is not really the time to do player evaluation.
Speaker 6: You know, don't pick on your question. But I'm happy
Speaker 6: with the energy. I'm happy with the approach.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 6: The overall practice was was was not where you liked
Speaker 6: it to men, but it we looked like at the
Speaker 6: end it was in paths for the first day in
Speaker 6: a new environment as far as what they're being asked
Speaker 6: to do. And so we need to take big step forward.
Speaker 6: You know, we need to practice, you know, you know
Speaker 6: it's it needs to be a lot cleaner to because
Speaker 6: that obviously we'll give the quality particularly in the team periods.
Speaker 6: Our emphasis today is red zone so we'll see a
Speaker 6: bunch of red zone reps today. So that's our focus.
Speaker 6: We're still in the last day of the of the
Speaker 6: limited time, you know, or one hundred and twenty minutes today.
Speaker 6: So but what we'll do, you know, much more work
Speaker 6: than we did yesterday, like any on a cool versions
Speaker 6: after his agree as Yeah, I think that you know,
Speaker 6: there'll be some news here coming out and just dis
Speaker 6: respect to the players and you know, injuries, particularly in
Speaker 6: training camp. But you know, I'll let the players handle that.
Speaker 2: Mike, what what was it you think Rico Dallas as
Speaker 2: you could fit in your offense and just early on
Speaker 2: how he's fit with his new teammates.
Speaker 6: Me, Rico's football player. I mean, you know when I
Speaker 6: when I view the running back position, you know, the
Speaker 6: first question I asked when we're doing the evaluations, can
Speaker 6: he play all four downs? You know, Rico was a
Speaker 6: young player for me in Dallas. You know, had injuries
Speaker 6: his first two years, but you could see the the toughness,
Speaker 6: the instinct. You know. I think for time he touched
Speaker 6: the ball, he took a kick off about sixty seventy yards.
Speaker 6: So I mean, he's he's he's just a hell of
Speaker 6: a football player. And then you know, he worked his
Speaker 6: way up behind two veterans you know, down there, and
Speaker 6: and then when he got you know, we got his opportunity,
Speaker 6: you know, as a thousand yard rusher. He did the
Speaker 6: same thing in Carolina. So to be able to get
Speaker 6: Rico here and to pair him with Jalen, I mean
Speaker 6: it excites me because I know my personal preference as
Speaker 6: a play caller. I don't want to have to worry
Speaker 6: what back's in there, so, you know, if it's third downer,
Speaker 6: just we do we run our stuff so and and
Speaker 6: both those guys give us that that flexibuilding. You know,
Speaker 6: they're both you want to get. You want them to touch
Speaker 6: the ball, especially in the first and second down or
Speaker 6: good out of the backfield. So you know, we we
Speaker 6: really got a dynamic one two punch in my opinion.
Speaker 8: You talk about investing money and cameras, it and all
Speaker 8: of this extra kind of tech. Have you considered her
Speaker 8: Have you used go pros with quarterbacks on their helmets
Speaker 8: or consider using virtual reality as a part of your
Speaker 8: your quarterback school?
Speaker 6: Not not right now, but yeah, I think those things
Speaker 6: have all are part of it. My my experience has
Speaker 6: been you know, and dabbled in those things, you know,
Speaker 6: for decades. Frankly, when this stuff all first come out,
Speaker 6: you know, what I found is a lot of those
Speaker 6: tools are probably better for the Rex staral work. You know,
Speaker 6: because when you're together, when the time that you do
Speaker 6: have when they're in the building, it's so it's so
Speaker 6: important for them to be you know, connected to you know,
Speaker 6: as a group, you know, developing the whole quarterback room
Speaker 6: and so forth. But yeah, I'm a big fan of
Speaker 6: all those things. I think there's some great technology out there.
Speaker 4: It seems like that grand like to be aggressive and disguise.
Speaker 6: I think that first off, that you want out of
Speaker 6: your team defensively, and then as an offensive guy.
Speaker 4: How does that stress an offense?
Speaker 3: It's awesome.
Speaker 6: This is incredible work for us offensively, and I know
Speaker 6: we're stressing them too. This is this is what you
Speaker 6: want out of training camp. You don't want to ever
Speaker 6: have to get to a point training camp and say, hey,
Speaker 6: can you give me you know, this scheme or this
Speaker 6: formation or this stress point the offense gives the defense.
Speaker 6: That defense has definitely given us that. You know, we're
Speaker 6: what I would refer to this as an install phase.
Speaker 6: We call it recall just to you know, play on words.
Speaker 6: But you know, these for the especially for the rookies.
Speaker 6: You know, they they're getting a new game playing every
Speaker 6: single day, so you know, it's that part of it's good.
Speaker 6: But the pressure, the pressure work is is is incredible.
Speaker 6: You can't have enough pressure work, especially when you're getting pads. Uh.
Speaker 6: As a football team, like.
Speaker 8: A like Aaron was pretty out spout industry and how
Speaker 8: not show about a couple of.
Speaker 4: Different things, just your in comment or not, or your.
Speaker 8: Perspective and thoughts on you know, guys sharing their teams
Speaker 8: on your talent.
Speaker 6: Yeah, definitely, I I think you know, Bernard, you know,
Speaker 6: had had the statement. I think it really sums it up.
Speaker 6: You know, these are their grown men. They all have
Speaker 6: different opinions. Uh, there's no question about that. But you know,
Speaker 6: the end of the day, my job is to keep
Speaker 6: it about football, keep the focus on winning. That's why
Speaker 6: we're here. You know, we have we have a good
Speaker 6: locker room. You know, we have a player console that's
Speaker 6: in place. You know, we had our second meeting yesterday
Speaker 6: and so you know, I think we're in a good spot.
Speaker 7: Mike pat yesterday he expressed the excitement to get ready
Speaker 7: to work on the red zone because he said that
Speaker 7: he feels that like there's been a growth in how
Speaker 7: they moved down the field. They just want to finish
Speaker 7: stronger in those two minute drills. Have you seen that
Speaker 7: growth that you like as far as getting up to
Speaker 7: the red zone, is that where you kind of wanted.
Speaker 2: To be for the stage.
Speaker 6: Definitely, I think the work in the spring is evident.
Speaker 6: I think it's clearly evident. You know, I can't I'm
Speaker 6: running into comparables from last year. I know this training regiment.
Speaker 6: You know, our players did the work. You know, they
Speaker 6: they they hit, they hit the numbers that we needed
Speaker 6: to hit in the offseason program. There's a few things
Speaker 6: we didn't accomplish, which you know we did the first
Speaker 6: couple of days there in helmets, you know, at the
Speaker 6: end of the game situations. So yeah, definitely, No, we're
Speaker 6: definitely in the the key spot and at the end
Speaker 6: of the day. You know, our our guys know this scheme.
Speaker 6: You know, they know the techniques, but it's time to
Speaker 6: play them.
Speaker 2: You know, the.
Speaker 6: Communication, the speed of it in the alignment. You know,
Speaker 6: that's why that we talk so much about the pre snap.
Speaker 6: You know, when you're pre snap's clean, good things happen.
Speaker 6: So we just got to keep stressing each other on
Speaker 6: a communication part of it. But yeah, definitely, I feel
Speaker 6: good about world defenses more.
Speaker 7: A lot of rookie receivers come in over the years
Speaker 7: and try to learn airands, signals and everything.
Speaker 2: He kind of wants at the line of scrimmage. How's
Speaker 2: Jeremy done with that thus far.
Speaker 6: And how I mean it's it's not a good job.
Speaker 6: It's it's but you know, it's he's got a new
Speaker 6: challenge today. You know, there's gonna be more things that
Speaker 6: go on down in the red area, you know. So
Speaker 6: and and that's a hard balance, not only just for him,
Speaker 6: for all the guys, you know, because it's you know,
Speaker 6: it's it's an Atlanta scrimmage football game. It's and it's
Speaker 6: been like that for good fifteen years, twenty years, so
Speaker 6: on the ability to play fast, play clean, Atlanta scrimmage, stress,
Speaker 6: the defense, you know, signals and all the things that
Speaker 6: you refer to. You know, it's it's a process, you know,
Speaker 6: and it's always harder for the younger players.
Speaker 7: That's one Herman was a big, big boost for the
Speaker 7: run defense when he was on the field, they were
Speaker 7: one of the better teams that stopping the run.
Speaker 2: Wing was off, it kind of hurt them.
Speaker 7: What is he showing you this early in training camp,
Speaker 7: especially with yesterday's work, about where he is as a player.
Speaker 2: And how excited you are to see him.
Speaker 6: Yeah, when I look at Derek, you know, and definitely
Speaker 6: an evaluation process and you know, it's they all looked
Speaker 6: a little different when they put the pads on, you know,
Speaker 6: and he's definitely he's definitely one of those guys. You know,
Speaker 6: he's an impactful player. You know, the same thing with
Speaker 6: KB Benton. I thought both those guys, you know, their
Speaker 6: ability inside the twitch, you know, some of the explosiveness,
Speaker 6: get explosiveness, getting off blocks. I thought that showed up.
Speaker 6: So I think both those young men are off to
Speaker 6: a good start.
Speaker 2: All right, Thank you, Mike McCarthy speaking there, another productive
Speaker 2: day for the Pittsburgh Steelers, their sixth practice out of fourteen.
Speaker 2: I want to say it is here on the on
Speaker 2: the campus, well, I guess it would be thirteen here
Speaker 2: on campus and then Friday night Saturday Night lights part
Speaker 2: of me over at Latrue Memorial that may fourteen. I
Speaker 2: believe it's fourteen. So six out of fourteen, about halfway
Speaker 2: home in this process. Now, obviously there's the preseason game
Speaker 2: next week, which kind of breaks it up and gives
Speaker 2: you three days without a practice there. But yeah, we are,
Speaker 2: we're starting to get it. Not as you said at
Speaker 2: the start of the show, Matt, we're not quite in
Speaker 2: the dog days yet, but they'll be here sooner rather
Speaker 2: than later.
Speaker 3: Yeah, especially if we keep the heat up. And you know,
Speaker 3: there could be some weather coming on the horizon too,
Speaker 3: it looks like so we'll see.
Speaker 2: There certainly could be. Hopefully the weather's gonna hold off
Speaker 2: the rest of the week as well, but that'll be
Speaker 2: all stuff that we monitor when we return back to
Speaker 2: campus on Thursday. That will do it for us today.
Speaker 2: Thanks to Justin for producing back at the ranch, ed
Speaker 2: for engineering here on site, and for our buddy Allan
Speaker 2: Saunders for joining us earlier in the program. For Matt Williamson,
Speaker 2: unwet Hueler. Take care everybody. We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2: As always, you know where to find us. It's on
Speaker 2: your twenty four to seven home of the Black and
Speaker 2: Gold Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.