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Speaker 1: He is The Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson

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Speaker 1: on your home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the drivel season in the NFL season. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: Christmas morn at good stuff. We're gonna have some good

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Speaker 1: game tonight. I think too. I mean, I'm live football,

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Speaker 1: but I mean there's a lot of talent on the field.

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Speaker 1: There's fantasy implications. We got the Super Bowl champs, you know.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's gonna be good stuff. I can't wait. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: for sure. Um, before we get to any Steelers news,

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Speaker 1: there's some news in the a f C North that

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Speaker 1: just happened, massive, massive, massive did I say massive? News

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Speaker 1: in the ANC North the Baltimore Ravens, who are already

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Speaker 1: uh playing, preparing to play without j K. Dobbins. They've

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Speaker 1: been hit hard by injury so far. It got even

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Speaker 1: harder today. And back to back plays and practice, back

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Speaker 1: to back play back plays, they lose running back Gus

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Speaker 1: Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters to torn a c l

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Speaker 1: that's the initials initial and just if they're saying that's

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Speaker 1: if it's if they're saying even if it's not a

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Speaker 1: torn a c L un they're staying. It's it's a

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Speaker 1: lengthy period of time, right, I mean the second came out,

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Speaker 1: it was two significant knee injuries. They even canceled practice

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Speaker 1: back to back, and that doesn't go in right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean that happened like when Bridgewater blew out his

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Speaker 1: knees so badly that you know, it just brought everyone

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Speaker 1: down so dramatically. Back to back plays, he lose Peters

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Speaker 1: and Edwards, and as you mentioned, Bbbins is gone. Not

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Speaker 1: that Hill is a tremendous player, but he was in

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Speaker 1: the mix and was the only thing left in a way.

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Speaker 1: That let leaves Taystom Williams, who's an unknown, but he's

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Speaker 1: a big, strong, talented guy. I mean, and as big

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Speaker 1: a loss to me is Rashard Bateman has been already

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Speaker 1: out for a while too, so nobody's been hit harder.

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Speaker 1: And they don't haven't played a game yet. They got

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Speaker 1: the Raiders Monday night, I think, right, yeah, they have

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Speaker 1: an extra day this week, but that's not gonna help.

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Speaker 1: That doesn't help you. Now they signed le Bell the

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Speaker 1: cornerback depth, isn't it hurts. He's a significant he's a

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Speaker 1: significant player. He's a pro bowler. You know, Um, he's

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Speaker 1: one of the guys that helped me, you know, and

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Speaker 1: I we talked about yesterday that the Jim Miller um

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Speaker 1: and yeah yeah right and Pat Kirwin in conversation about

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Speaker 1: the top secondaries, the top five secondaries cornerbacks, I should

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Speaker 1: say positions. The Ravens were number one because the depth

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Speaker 1: and the one was a six that the two was

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Speaker 1: a you know five five hi you could get for

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Speaker 1: Peters was the two Marlon hump Humphreys. The one they

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Speaker 1: got significantly easier to play against defensively with no no

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Speaker 1: offense to Jimmy Smith, right right, Who's who've been a

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Speaker 1: very good football player for a long time. He's a

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Speaker 1: talent guy years old. He's not that guy anymore. Their

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Speaker 1: ability has been an issue with him too, and you

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Speaker 1: know he's got some issues. But this is a team

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Speaker 1: that wants to run the football, right, and they don't

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Speaker 1: have a ball carriers. Three backs are gone. Right, It's

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Speaker 1: just great, right. I mean you got Bell and Tayson Williams,

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Speaker 1: who most people probably don't know anything about. Tayson Williams.

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Speaker 1: I know very little about him. I've watched them very little.

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Speaker 1: I just picked him up from my fantasy. If you

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Speaker 1: still can't do it, folks, to run, run, run to

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Speaker 1: your computer. I mean, but some big things they've been

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Speaker 1: I mean, not that it's all about this this offseason,

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Speaker 1: but defensively, they're built around the cornerback position. It's on

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Speaker 1: an accident that they have great corners and they're always

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Speaker 1: going to invest their their heavy, heavy blitz team. And

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Speaker 1: you and I talked about Peters as somewhat of an

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Speaker 1: over a little bit overhyped, and I think that that's true.

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Speaker 1: But when he's your two and Humphreys is on the

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Speaker 1: one and Peters can take a bunch of chances, it's

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Speaker 1: a great situation for Peters. I mean, I think he's

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Speaker 1: a he's a very boomer bust player, but it works

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Speaker 1: out well with the dynamic between him and Humphrey. Um.

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Speaker 1: The big thing they were talking about all offseason was

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Speaker 1: an offense. We know they run the ball a ton,

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Speaker 1: of course, so the ball carriers obviously very important, but

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Speaker 1: they also wanted to throw the backs a lot more.

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Speaker 1: And coincidentally that's how the play J. K. Dobbins got

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Speaker 1: hurt was on a past there. I mean, they're trying

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Speaker 1: to make life easier on Lamar so easy throws is something.

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Speaker 1: It's all on Lamar everything, and they really went other way,

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Speaker 1: including courting Juju. I guess to go get a a

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Speaker 1: wide receiver that can beat man coverage, you know, and

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Speaker 1: he's out, you know. So you know we've talked about

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Speaker 1: the offensive line has been shuffled around. I mean, they

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Speaker 1: did just give Mark Andrews a big contract. He's a

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Speaker 1: good player, but it is not gone the way they

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Speaker 1: drew it up. They you're talking about two guys that

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Speaker 1: they've given money in recent years in Peter's and Edwards

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Speaker 1: sign him this off season them. Yeah, massive, massive injuries.

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Speaker 1: I mean I wasn't picking the Ravens to make that.

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Speaker 1: I thought the Dobbins injury would would be massive for them,

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Speaker 1: and cutting the receive not having the receivers, I thought that,

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Speaker 1: you know things, but things were going to be a

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Speaker 1: little difficult on them this year. Now things are ridiculously different.

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Speaker 1: This this is turning into was for them when they

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Speaker 1: had just a rash of injuries and they went five

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Speaker 1: and eleven. Yeah. I mean, with all respect to leve

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Speaker 1: Belly had a great career here. I think he's washed.

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Speaker 1: He's we talked about it. Ester I don't think he's

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Speaker 1: a good fit in that offense. I don't think he's

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Speaker 1: a good fitting that offense at all. I mean, there there,

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Speaker 1: they want to get it and go because it's a

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Speaker 1: read option. If it's a read, they're running back. Dancing

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Speaker 1: behind the line of scrimmage. Doesn't do you any good. No,

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Speaker 1: it's people key on lamars. So you give to the

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Speaker 1: other guys you know, and their backs. Ingram Edwards see

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Speaker 1: it there, see it, hit it, get your shoulder square

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Speaker 1: to line of scrimmage and go. Dobbins more is more

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Speaker 1: talented than that, but he's a great burst, you know,

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Speaker 1: hard to bring down. There's no dancing. I don't understand

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Speaker 1: the bell fit at all. It's again, I'm kind of

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Speaker 1: like big Al would Sam mark Ingram I would have said, okay,

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Speaker 1: that makes some sense. Yeah, maybe they could trade. I

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Speaker 1: mean the way Texans are given away people, maybe get

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Speaker 1: Ingram back for a seventh or do you do you

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Speaker 1: now go out and get the Saints. Just cut with

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Speaker 1: Davis Murray. Davis Murray. Maybe he like there's this miss.

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Speaker 1: He's the same age as Levi on Belly came out

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Speaker 1: in the same draft, so he's not young either. No,

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Speaker 1: I mean, so you're gonna be patching it together with

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Speaker 1: old guys or guys get hurt, and it's I'm sure

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Speaker 1: it's not the easiest system to get used to as

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Speaker 1: a back too. It's because it's different than anything you've

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Speaker 1: ever done. I mean a lot of guys played that

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Speaker 1: in college. Yeah, maybe haven't done it as much recently, right,

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Speaker 1: I mean, if you're doing an Adrian Peterson or a

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Speaker 1: girl a year somebody like that, or Frank Gore. I mean,

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Speaker 1: but that's what they're at. I mean, nobody wanted to

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Speaker 1: let bell. We could. I mean, I would be on

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Speaker 1: the phone with the Broncos, like right now from Melvin,

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Speaker 1: Gordon from Melvin and maybe they throwing Bryce Kallan. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: we all right, let's let's make it. Take our first

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Speaker 1: round pick and give us a corner and Gordon or something.

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Speaker 1: It's bad, I mean, it really is. Just you can

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Speaker 1: prepare for things, and running back and corner were deep.

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Speaker 1: Now running back is shot, running against devastated, devastated. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I'm sure they'll be okay. I mean, I'm not saying

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Speaker 1: they're gonna be, you know, if I've win team or

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Speaker 1: anything like that, But man, no, one's been hit harder.

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Speaker 1: I don't. I think they got easier to play against offensively,

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Speaker 1: for sure, and I think they got better or easier

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Speaker 1: to play against defensively because that defense is set up.

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Speaker 1: It's a great corner we're gonna play. We're gonna play

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Speaker 1: press coverage on your on your guys on the outside.

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Speaker 1: Our winners are better than your guys and that allows

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Speaker 1: us attack the line of script and blitz like crazy. Now,

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Speaker 1: if you blitz like crazy and your corners aren't this like,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna give a place, I mean even respect to

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Speaker 1: like the Judeans of the world. They've never really had

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Speaker 1: premier pass rushers. And maybe someday Jason Oway turns into that,

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Speaker 1: but he isn't now. He certainly wasn't in college. Wasn't

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Speaker 1: in college, you know. I mean, he's gonna be a project.

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Speaker 1: Clays Campbell ain't what he used to be. Um, you know,

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Speaker 1: I mean there's I still think it's a good defense,

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Speaker 1: and I trust the you know, Martindale to get it right.

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Speaker 1: But that's a big piece loss without getting one snap

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Speaker 1: out of the guy. Yeah, I think I think that's

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Speaker 1: my fantasy defense might have to cut to look at

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Speaker 1: that but there's probably be fewer big plays. You know.

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Speaker 1: Peters is a big play artist. I mean, but he

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Speaker 1: does yeah, both he takes the ball away a lot

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Speaker 1: and he is very very aggressive, and him being there

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Speaker 1: allows them to blitz a lot more, you know, So

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Speaker 1: they're going to change how they do things a little

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Speaker 1: bit huge seismic. I mean, there's been more injuries to come,

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Speaker 1: of course, every team. You know, we've we talked about

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Speaker 1: the power ranking here earlier in the week, and they've

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Speaker 1: been one of the teams that's been consistently ahead of

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Speaker 1: the Steelers this offseason. I don't know if they are anymore. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I don't know what they are anymore either. And I'm

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Speaker 1: a I'm a Lamar fan. I think he's a really,

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Speaker 1: really good player. But I think that they it's a

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Speaker 1: bit of a career crossroads for them for him, and

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Speaker 1: I think they've quickly realized we need to help Lamar.

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Speaker 1: He's helping us. We're not helping that him. And the

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Speaker 1: other part of that equation is, Okay, they're still gonna

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Speaker 1: be a good running team. I don't care because you

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Speaker 1: have to respect his rushing and he's great at and

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Speaker 1: he's gonna give you a bunch of rushings. Assuming he

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Speaker 1: doesn't like put him in bubble wrap. I would say

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Speaker 1: he's gonna take more hits though, Yeah, I mean people

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Speaker 1: are gonna key on him more. They're gonna take the

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Speaker 1: Steelers approach and they're gonna hit him more than the originally.

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Speaker 1: They are also, however, a team that's very much built

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Speaker 1: to play from a head. What's your defense isn't as good?

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Speaker 1: Can you play from ahead as much? They've been very

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Speaker 1: successful they they've led the league in point differential two

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Speaker 1: years in a row, and last two years ago. You're not.

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Speaker 1: Last year they went into halftime leads lead and by

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Speaker 1: far the best in the league. They were up like

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Speaker 1: ten on average at halftime, and then you're doomed, you

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Speaker 1: know what I mean? You know it's just the game shortens.

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Speaker 1: They become more aggressive on defense. Everything plays off with them,

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Speaker 1: and they're smart organization. The defense is aggressive because they

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Speaker 1: play with leads. The offense finishes people when you get

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Speaker 1: get the lead. But we've seen them in the playoffs

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Speaker 1: that they're not to come from behind. Team Lamar has

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Speaker 1: something to do with that, but it's not just him.

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Speaker 1: I think he gets too much blame for that. But

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Speaker 1: now he has to put an S on his chest.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I think the a massive goal this offseason

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Speaker 1: was let's make Lamar's life easier. Some dump off throws

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Speaker 1: the running backs receivers that can get off press coverage

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Speaker 1: and make plays outside the numbers. I'm not seeing it,

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Speaker 1: you know, I mean traditional dropbacks and things that they

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Speaker 1: equipped to do that. With all respect to Villain a way,

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Speaker 1: but the right tackle position, t J. Watt's gonna eat

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Speaker 1: his lunch toys a year, you know what I mean,

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Speaker 1: and as well other I mean Molk and that's the

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Speaker 1: other way. I mean, I don't think the offensive line

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Speaker 1: is going to be is good this year as it

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Speaker 1: has been. I tend to think, so I tend to agree. Um,

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Speaker 1: I just there's there's It just goes to show, you know,

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Speaker 1: when when when you look at a team and you've

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Speaker 1: said this a thousand times, nobody looks better than they

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Speaker 1: do right after the draft, right right, there's that stretch

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Speaker 1: from then until you put the pads on. You know,

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Speaker 1: we had everyone's gonna be healthy this year. I mean

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Speaker 1: technically the season starts today, so you know, if you're

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Speaker 1: if you were again looking back at that article that

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Speaker 1: was written on ESPN a few a few weeks ago.

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Speaker 1: But who had the worst off season? Nobody's had a

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Speaker 1: worse off season in the Ravens. Nobody. Again, if the

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Speaker 1: off season ends today, right, they just get added to

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Speaker 1: the pow obviously. I mean, it's impossible to have a

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Speaker 1: worse off season. The Watson situation, they went from being

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Speaker 1: a really good team. But oh my god, I was

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Speaker 1: thinking ending your practice. It's such ending your practice. I've

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Speaker 1: only ever seen that one other time in the twenty

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Speaker 1: eight years that I've been covering the league, and that

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Speaker 1: was when Teddy Bridgewater doncas I talked about how teams

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Speaker 1: don't do that. They don't do that. Do you lose

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Speaker 1: two key players like that in back to back plays,

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Speaker 1: back to back plays plays. I'm sure morale was shot.

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Speaker 1: Hardball realized we're gonna get these guys off the fields.

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Speaker 1: Just stop because you know, we're not gonna get any

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Speaker 1: accomplished today. Time to regroup. I mean, to one extra day.

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Speaker 1: At least they play Monday night. I mean, that's the

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Speaker 1: only Vegas Vegas, right, I mean, it's it's a lot

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Speaker 1: to overcome before you even play a game, you know,

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Speaker 1: I mean, because other bad things are gonna happen like

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Speaker 1: they do every other team. Wow. Mike Tomlin always says that,

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Speaker 1: you know, it doesn't do any nobody else. No other

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Speaker 1: team is going to feel sorry for you, And a

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Speaker 1: lot of them are happy because you're having the issues

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Speaker 1: that you have. They're dancing. Nobody should be dancing about

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Speaker 1: guys getting hurt. Of course, I was excited to what's

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Speaker 1: j K Dobbins, all these young stars And I'm not

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Speaker 1: a huge Marcus Peters fan in terms of his I

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Speaker 1: think he's overrated in terms of his cornerback play. But

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Speaker 1: he's a little unlikable too, But that's okay. But he's

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Speaker 1: still a quality player. Oh, without question, you know you'd

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Speaker 1: love to have the guy on your team. Yes, he

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Speaker 1: gives up touchdown passing, but he makes big plays. Uh,

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Speaker 1: it's just devastating for that team. Devastating. I mean, not

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Speaker 1: to even overstate it, but a month or so ago,

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Speaker 1: you know, when most of the transactions around the league

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Speaker 1: were done, and you pretty had a pretty good chance

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Speaker 1: of who what you know, what what teams are, what

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Speaker 1: they are. I was leaning towards making the Ravens maybe

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Speaker 1: my Super Bowl pick. I mean, I end up picking

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Speaker 1: the bills Um part of the Chiefs and Box were

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Speaker 1: a little too obvious. But I thought the Ravens, this

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Speaker 1: might be there, be there, and I'm like, boy, that

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Speaker 1: baton and pick up was nice. Sammy Watkins, if you

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Speaker 1: get half the season out of him, I'm a lamarble

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Speaker 1: thing you can That's about what you can expect that

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Speaker 1: of Sammy Watkins, big craze wide receiver signing, He'll play

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Speaker 1: about half the year. I mean, you hope to get

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Speaker 1: a full season combined now out of Bateman and Watkins,

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Speaker 1: and you're back to where you are, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean? Like, what got better? Not? Actually you got

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Speaker 1: not just worse. I think a lot worse. Like I

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Speaker 1: think their losses now, when you look at who they're

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Speaker 1: not going to have on the field, maybe the biggest,

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Speaker 1: more significant than the losses of Steelers. I mean losing

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Speaker 1: the Steelers had time to to adjust. You're not adjusting

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Speaker 1: to this that three days before you play your first game. No,

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Speaker 1: I mean losing the running back is replaceable. I mean

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Speaker 1: I get that, you know the whole analytics argument, but

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Speaker 1: they used to high pick on Dobbins and love them

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Speaker 1: and let Ingram walk and you know, so that was

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Speaker 1: a blow. But any position you lose your top three guys,

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Speaker 1: no one's prepared. Nobody doesn't matter. Nobody right. It could

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Speaker 1: be guards, it could be nose tackles, it could be

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Speaker 1: the least valuable position you can come up with. Nobody's

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Speaker 1: prepared for that. By the way, again, you're gonna have

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Speaker 1: it's a seventeen game schedule. You're going to have more

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Speaker 1: injuries over the course of the season. Yeah, you're not

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Speaker 1: gonna make it through this on No, you're I think

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Speaker 1: your hunt has been right that the keys, our boy.

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Speaker 1: Their offense is now a lot easier to defend. A

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Speaker 1: lot more is gonna be needed from Lamar to keep

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Speaker 1: the offense above water. And I think the Peter's injury

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Speaker 1: is the biggest one of all. Think so too. I

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Speaker 1: think Dobbins might be a better football player, But replacing

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Speaker 1: an outside star corner in that system, that's rough. You know,

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Speaker 1: they don't have the Steelers pass rush, you know. I

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Speaker 1: mean they don't have the Brown's depth. They do they

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Speaker 1: have to. Can they not blitz now as much because

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Speaker 1: they don't have coverage? I think the answer And if

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Speaker 1: they can't blitz, where's their pass rush coming from? Right?

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Speaker 1: Right right, Yeah, I mean they're they're real big. Brent

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Speaker 1: Roethlisberger is a much happier guy right now. Oh yeah,

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Speaker 1: get hit as much playing to Ravens. Okay, yeah exactly. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: this is a big deal. And again it's just the beginning. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I again, really tough. Really, it's really tough offseason. Um. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: they just you sat down and told me, right, it's

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Speaker 1: just you just happen to look at Twitter right on

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Speaker 1: the show, like wow, that's unbelievable. Yeah, maybe they get

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Speaker 1: good news, but I doubt it. I mean, we know

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Speaker 1: how these things go. When the reports come out five

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Speaker 1: minutes after immediately this torn a c oh, it's usually

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Speaker 1: it's a not real hard to diagnose. Not that I'm

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Speaker 1: a doctor, but whoever the doctor was usually looks at

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Speaker 1: it and goes up that's the problem. Yeah. Um, and

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Speaker 1: they can tell by the guy maybe felt something popping.

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Speaker 1: Then it's never good. Um, and they cancel practice. That's

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Speaker 1: all you need to know. Yeah, that tells you all

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Speaker 1: you need to know, right there. Um. The Steelers releasing

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Speaker 1: their second injury report today. Alexei Smith, with a green injury,

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Speaker 1: did not practice, but Tyson and Lulu was back because

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Speaker 1: was Kendrick Green. How worried are you about Highsmith day?

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Speaker 1: Young guy? You know, yes, he started some games last year,

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Speaker 1: but Mike Tomlin typically if a young guy doesn't practice,

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Speaker 1: you know, by Friday, Tomorrow's key day. Um, then he's

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Speaker 1: not going to play now that he did practice earlier

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Speaker 1: in the weekly. Well, we can't, okay say that. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, I can't say one way or the other.

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Speaker 1: But with t J. Watt's situation, you know, now all

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Speaker 1: of a sudden, if what we're to decide, Hey, I'm

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Speaker 1: not going to play on Sunday, right, but this is prerogative.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it could happen. Now he would do he

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Speaker 1: would four for nearly six hundred thousand dollars and pay,

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Speaker 1: but he could It could happen like let's say negotiations,

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Speaker 1: they slam the doors. Okay, we're done. Okay, then the

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Speaker 1: only thing I can do is not play the last

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Speaker 1: card to play. It's his last card. They could be

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Speaker 1: without the their top two outside linebackers. It depends on

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Speaker 1: how you look at Melvin but or Melvin Ingram. But

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Speaker 1: that's who's listed, is the starters on the depth chart.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I think what we're saying is it's conceivable

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Speaker 1: that you don't have a watt or hive Smith on Sunday.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we're not predicting it or who's to say,

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Speaker 1: but I think it's a possibility now where yesterday I

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Speaker 1: didn't think it's possibility at all. Yeah, it's interesting. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, we'll see how this all breaks down. But

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Speaker 1: that is a ripple effect too. I mean we talked

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Speaker 1: about maybe Ingram kicking into d tackle. You can't do

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Speaker 1: that if he's the top edge guys, you know, I

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Speaker 1: mean one you can see all three of them on

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Speaker 1: the field. And is Ingram equipped to play the snaps?

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Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure he is, but that wasn't your

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Speaker 1: plan when you got him either, right, right, So we'll see,

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Speaker 1: you know, tomorrow. I guess it's a big day for

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Speaker 1: that though tomorrow is a huge day for you today

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Speaker 1: and what is still schedule to talk to the media tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: I also noticed that he had some special cleats made

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Speaker 1: no really, so maybe that shows some he's leaning towards playing.

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Speaker 1: But again, if things go things could happen between now

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Speaker 1: and Sunday, and they may announce the new extension for

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Speaker 1: him any minute now to right, we know that their

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Speaker 1: conversations going and that's looming right, yeah, wow, what going

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Speaker 1: on in the north in Cleveland sitting there going see.

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Speaker 1: I think that's whatever is going to be the ripple

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Speaker 1: effect nationally is the brown and put your money on

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Speaker 1: the Browns win the division. Now, it's gonna be easy.

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Speaker 1: It's not gonna be easy. It's not gonna be I'm

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Speaker 1: not saying they're not gonna win that they might not

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Speaker 1: win division, but it is not gonna be easy for them,

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Speaker 1: and they might get walloped by the Chiefs in Week one,

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Speaker 1: Steelers make a walloped by the Bills. But I mean

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Speaker 1: it's I'm not even looking at this through steeling the

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Speaker 1: same thing about that. I look both lines. The Chiefs

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Speaker 1: are a six point favorite over the over the Browns,

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Speaker 1: and the Bills are six and a half point favorite

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Speaker 1: over the Steelers. Which one do you feel more confident about?

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Speaker 1: Actually made picks today on my podcast and with the spread,

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Speaker 1: I took the Chiefs and the Steelers. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: probably will pick the Bills to win the game, but

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Speaker 1: I think Steo's keep it close, and I don't think

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Speaker 1: it's an accident. Like we talked about a lot yesterday

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Speaker 1: that the Studio's defense gave Alan his hardest half of

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Speaker 1: football last year. I don't know what's a wonderfully turn

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Speaker 1: thirty one yards in that game? Yeah, and the Digs

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Speaker 1: right right, the other guys didn't really do much. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know that they they're both super dangerous teams. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I think the Bills and Chiefs are both Super Bowl contender.

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Speaker 1: We both picked the Bills to win the Super Bowl, right,

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Speaker 1: and the Chiefs just you know, we know what they are. Um,

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Speaker 1: but now they're both really difficult games for both those teams.

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Speaker 1: I mean tough games on the road too. I think

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Speaker 1: the Raiders are bad, but I think those might be

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Speaker 1: two of the better tougher venues to go into and win.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, especially after a year off. Yeah, I mean,

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Speaker 1: I mean Buffalo has been a play. The Steelers are gone,

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Speaker 1: the Buffalo and one. Yeah, but Buffalo's first game back

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Speaker 1: that they just made the then FC Championship. That team,

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Speaker 1: that city is just screaming for a winner. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're gonna show up in droves in Kansas City. Does

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Speaker 1: any It's Kansas City to me is the single toughest

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Speaker 1: place to win in the NFL. I think Seattle's high

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Speaker 1: on the list some of the I'm not disagreeing with you.

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Speaker 1: I mean I think they're h I'm telling you right now. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you've witnessed it more than me. I mean, I'm a

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Speaker 1: big believer. Seattle has the built in long travel. Yeah

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Speaker 1: part of it. I'm talking the venue itself, the way

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Speaker 1: that place is built, and it's just so many more fans.

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Speaker 1: I get Seattle is tough, yeah, but I think early

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Speaker 1: in the years hard or any time of the year

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Speaker 1: or Miami and the you know, the heat, but they

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Speaker 1: show up in a big way. I was just looking

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Speaker 1: for this because I tweeted this just a few hours ago.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if you caught it, and it blew

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Speaker 1: me away. I mean, back to the Ravens real quick.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they have this crazy winning streak in the preseason,

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Speaker 1: and obviously they stressed it. That's not an accident. They

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Speaker 1: are trying to win in the preseason. But over the

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Speaker 1: last four seasons, the Ravens have outscored their Week one

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Speaker 1: opponents a hundred and sixty four. That's not happening this way, right.

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Speaker 1: I think they think they're gonna are the Raiders. That's

422
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 1: I was about to say, Like they've allowed ten points

423
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:06,040
Speaker 1: or fewer in each of those games and have won

424
00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:09,159
Speaker 1: by an average of thirty six points. In Week one, Like,

425
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,280
Speaker 1: they come out and blow people's doors off, and it's

426
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,199
Speaker 1: you know, it's been ding the Browns. Last year it

427
00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:16,160
Speaker 1: was like thirty eight six the Browns. It does two

428
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,320
Speaker 1: awful losses to the Steelers and Ravens, but I think

429
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,119
Speaker 1: the Raiders are terrible. I mean, three days ago, I

430
00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:24,120
Speaker 1: was picking the Ravens blow their doors off, as they

431
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,840
Speaker 1: often do. This division might be owing four before you

432
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,520
Speaker 1: you know, it might be owing four. I talked about that, right,

433
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,560
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you look at what since Cincinnati's

434
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,000
Speaker 1: gotta there. They're underdogs at home against Minnesota in Minnesota

435
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,320
Speaker 1: didn't look great. No, Minnesota has a tough offseason. Two,

436
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,760
Speaker 1: but I trust them over the I mean they should

437
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,160
Speaker 1: be the favorite. Yeah. I think they're better football team

438
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:47,240
Speaker 1: than the Bengals. I do too, And so division is

439
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,119
Speaker 1: in a bit of a topsy turvy situation here in

440
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,320
Speaker 1: the last couple of days, and we seeing football. Yet

441
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,040
Speaker 1: it's weird. You know, I looked at this stat up

442
00:22:55,119 --> 00:23:01,439
Speaker 1: last night. The Steelers will have eleven different stars in

443
00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,720
Speaker 1: this game than what they started to open last season

444
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,600
Speaker 1: with against the Giants, eleven different starters. You don't think

445
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:08,520
Speaker 1: about it that way, but but guys like Stefan wiz

446
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,040
Speaker 1: Newski started that game, and say, who are there? Vince

447
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:19,160
Speaker 1: Williams started that game, Harris right more green turner. I'm

448
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,960
Speaker 1: I'm missing an offensive lineman right now, because sure for

449
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:26,200
Speaker 1: it didn't start that game. Okay, so four offensive lineman, five,

450
00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,080
Speaker 1: five often thoughts and did start the game. That's where

451
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,640
Speaker 1: I'm right, right right, I'm having a hard time remembering

452
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,520
Speaker 1: that shower for Vince Williams. Shober for Vince Williams. Um,

453
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,520
Speaker 1: so you're running back five offensive lineman whoever the tight

454
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,120
Speaker 1: end is because back to the game, right right, Vince

455
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,399
Speaker 1: McDonald probably started the right cornerback to you know, that

456
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,199
Speaker 1: means Hayden is gonna be the only starting cornerback and

457
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:54,480
Speaker 1: buds an't there? Right? Wow? A lot and to it's

458
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,080
Speaker 1: not there it ye right. I was shocked that it

459
00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 1: was that many. It was that many when I looked up,

460
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,920
Speaker 1: and this is an organization that typically doesn't have any turnover. No,

461
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,120
Speaker 1: you know you there and you know you replace them

462
00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:08,920
Speaker 1: any draft high and now a lot of the guys

463
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:14,000
Speaker 1: that they're playing. Some of them are upgrades over replacing.

464
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,720
Speaker 1: I'm not sure it's worse. Yeah, I mean I know Shobert.

465
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,879
Speaker 1: Shobert is a better player than Miss Williams. Right, they

466
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,800
Speaker 1: went out and address the need and got better there.

467
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,040
Speaker 1: I mean that's the plan. Um, that's interesting. I mean

468
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,719
Speaker 1: we knew the line shuffling, and clearly the running back

469
00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,560
Speaker 1: position is better. I think the tight end position is

470
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,679
Speaker 1: better too, especially as the receiving Vance was kind of

471
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,520
Speaker 1: holding on and and the more I think about it,

472
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,359
Speaker 1: a couple of those guys were kind of holding on,

473
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,320
Speaker 1: you know, Vance and Vance and the offensive line as

474
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,440
Speaker 1: great as Palency and the Castro and those guys have been.

475
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,000
Speaker 1: I mean they were on the back nine clearly obviously.

476
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 1: So it is a different but it doesn't have much

477
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,439
Speaker 1: different feel, you know, I mean, like don't. Yeah, the

478
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:57,520
Speaker 1: expectation remains the same, four four rookie starters on offense. Yeah,

479
00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,920
Speaker 1: I mean, that never happens in this team. But there's

480
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:01,640
Speaker 1: a lot of staples. I mean, there's still a lot

481
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,720
Speaker 1: of you know, the standard as the standard, and the

482
00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,840
Speaker 1: same people are in charge, Cam and Watt and Ben

483
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 1: and you know, Fitzpatrick and you can go down like saying,

484
00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,399
Speaker 1: you know, I wrote about that today on the d

485
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:19,000
Speaker 1: K Pittsburgh Sports about how there's so much of a

486
00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,719
Speaker 1: Usually people have a pretty good idea, Okay, the Steelers

487
00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,840
Speaker 1: are going to be this, you know, and this is

488
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,280
Speaker 1: what they're gonna be this year, the range on where

489
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,280
Speaker 1: they're going to finish. Yet I've seen everywhere that you know,

490
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,280
Speaker 1: the people like Adam Shine saying, oh, they're gonna they're

491
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,280
Speaker 1: gonna struggle to win. I can't find five wins on

492
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,960
Speaker 1: their on schedule. And then other people, you know, I

493
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,000
Speaker 1: looked yesterday and Monday morning quarterback put out there there

494
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,760
Speaker 1: their picture for the season, and one guy had them

495
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,240
Speaker 1: going to the a FC Championship. You don't often that's

496
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,640
Speaker 1: a pretty wide Steelers a wind ten or eleven, yeah, yeah,

497
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,840
Speaker 1: whatever it is. But most people think, oh, they'll be

498
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,560
Speaker 1: in the mix there in this neighborhood. But now people

499
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,479
Speaker 1: have on different tiers, you know what I mean, and

500
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,280
Speaker 1: people think are changing around them. And now you've brought

501
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,760
Speaker 1: this up a few times in the off season. It's

502
00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 1: very strange for your Week one opponent to be predictables

503
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,199
Speaker 1: the wrong word. But you know what, the Bills more

504
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,159
Speaker 1: more yeah than the Steelers. The Steelers are usually the

505
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,600
Speaker 1: known and the opponents the unknown. How do you prepare

506
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,159
Speaker 1: for this team that you're ready to play where the

507
00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,360
Speaker 1: Bills are the known and the Steelers are the unknown?

508
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:26,280
Speaker 1: You know, it's not like they're coming off a four

509
00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:31,520
Speaker 1: win year. Yeah right, they won the division, you know, right,

510
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,119
Speaker 1: So it's very strange, but certainly something's gonna be a

511
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,240
Speaker 1: lot of starting numbers shocked me, though. I'm a little

512
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: taken aback, but I was. I was too, and I

513
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,240
Speaker 1: looked it up. I'd forgotten the guys like Stefan was

514
00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,480
Speaker 1: Newski starting, Vince Williams started. You know, you think about

515
00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:46,320
Speaker 1: who the starters were last year and you don't think

516
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,560
Speaker 1: about it, and that because so many different guys, right,

517
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:54,600
Speaker 1: starting about right the entire offensive line. Yeah interesting, and

518
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,600
Speaker 1: now well I said today, well, now they've only got

519
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,040
Speaker 1: four news starters in the offensive. Blanka's core force started

520
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,560
Speaker 1: fifteen games at right, just didn't start the opening, just

521
00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,880
Speaker 1: didn't start the opening. But I wouldn't have gotten that one. Yeah,

522
00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,479
Speaker 1: I forgot that. But yeah, let's take a break. Here

523
00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,119
Speaker 1: is Matt Williamson. I'm Dale Lally. You're listening to the

524
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,080
Speaker 1: drive here on Steelers Nation Radio. It's not Ravens Nation Radio,

525
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,199
Speaker 1: but obviously it is for the minute. Yeah, a lot

526
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,960
Speaker 1: of people very interested in what's going on down in Baltimore.

527
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,720
Speaker 1: But we're gonna take a break. We'll be right back

528
00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:23,720
Speaker 1: with more after this