January 13, 2026 • 36 mins
Rob King joins us live in-studio for a sour power hour to give a full recap of the Steelers 30-6 loss to the Texans.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bills.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Happy. That's happy. Enter it now at DVE dot com.
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Speaker 3 (00:20):
Rodgers get to snap back hit as he throws, ball
is loose and McCormick scrambles back to the thirty yard
line and lands on top of it.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's Daniel Hunter who had to hit on Rogers.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Daniel Hunter was insane last night. The edges were just
so tough for the Houston Texans. Joining us right now
for a power hour of steel talk, Steel just about steel.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Because specific yeah, well.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
We just feel like metal talk might be better than
what we had to last night.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
It's brought to you by Ford this half hour your
neighborhood Ford Store, the F one fifty, the official truck
of the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (00:57):
Steelers who got trucked in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
They allowed twenty three points last night. They couldn't get
in the end zone. That was no good. So Rob
the season comes to an end, and would you say,
let's just do a big old broad brush stroke.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
Here Aaron Rodgers bringing him in.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
The right move or might they have been better served
going elsewhere? I mean, given what was out there, they
were looking at Justin Fields Sam Darnold, which had a
pretty hefty price tag a fixed to it, and then
you that's your guy, that's your guy for four or
five years, right, you know that you're you're really sailing
(01:39):
with him or given that, they wanted to start with
somebody younger, and seems like they've had their mindset on this.
Speaker 6 (01:44):
Was this still the way to go despite the outcome.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Well, you know, there there were moments of the season
where he looked phenomenal. He looked the best we've seen
since been you know, in the latter years of his prime.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Agree, he just he looked great. Cincinnati, he looked great.
Speaker 5 (01:59):
And him back against the Jets, there were moments down
the stretch where I thought he looked really good. You know,
they offered Justin Fields a contract and he didn't take it.
You know, some people wanted Russell Wilson back. Well, he
got benched by the Giants.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, he was.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
On Anderson Cooper's New Year's Eve celebration and Sam Donald
they wanted to talk to Sam Donald. My understanding is
that Sam Donald met with the Seattle first, got an.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Offer and just went there. So you never even had
an opportunity.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
So you know, people say, people could say this or
that about Okay, what's the solution, you know, and listen,
it's not up to us to have the solution, right, uh,
you know, but have some sort of idea.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Of what is a possible solution, like, you.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Know, go out and get a safety Okay, well who
I mean that, you know, and then and balancing you
know that question as a fan with uh, you know
who with maybe some answers. So I don't know what
other answers there would have been out there. I think
that at a lot there was a lot of times
where Aaron Rodgers looked great and last night, you know,
they they got into bad down in distances, which Mike
(03:08):
Tomlins said before the game, he was talking to Bob Labriella,
we can't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Well, that's what they did well.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
To me, that is a component of not game planning
or play calling efficiently for the circumstances. To me, I've
watched Aaron Rodgers constantly yelling at receivers, running round wrong routes,
guys having trouble, you know, with different formations that they're
trying to implement. But the running game has never had
(03:36):
an issue and why they weren't leaning on the running
game to set up the occasional pass and just pound
the rock and when you had to punt, you punt.
Corlis Weightman was fantastic and he was flipping the field
for you. Why on earth do you approach that game anyway?
I think at one point it was like first sixteen
plays or eleven dropbacks.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, you know, they they came out.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
I think the first play the game was a Jalen
Warren first down run. And I you know, Max and
I were talking about this before the game. You know,
when you have a defense it's as fast and as
aggressive as Houston's. To me, you have to run at them,
not away from them, because they will they will track
you down.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
You know they will. They will.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
You know they will find you. So you have to
run it at them. And even that's obviously not easy.
But I'm always in the run the ball more school.
I mean I said this, I don't know it was
last week. If the STUO has had seventy five plays
and ran it seventy four times, I would have said
they should have run it more.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, you know, I mean that's just the way I
feel about it.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
I thought this was going to be I thought this
was going to be a slog fest. You know, both
teams getting into third and five, third and six, take
a shot, don't have the shot, It's okay to punt
it away. Play defense, you know, try to win the
field the field position game. Make the occasional play like
(04:59):
the past, DK Metcalf haul that in when you've got
the opportunity to make the big place. You know, it's
important in every game. Like we saw against Cleveland when
the Steelers were three for fifteen on third down, how
important that was.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
They still had chances to win that game.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
The better the opponent is, and Houston's a very good
opponent they've now won ten straight games, the better you
have to be at situational football. Mike tomlincalls them the
weighty downs. So you were better than them in the
red zone. They were both about the same, I think
on third downs and so little things. You know, they
(05:35):
they value rushing the passer and trying to turn the
ball over, and so the Steelers were doing some of
those things right. They were doing a better job of
getting the turnovers. That's the team that has the second
fewest giveaways in the second best turnover margin in the NFL.
The Texans, you were doing some of those things, but
you weren't winning on third down. You weren't winning in
(05:57):
the red zone those moments in a game like this,
And who knows what happens if, you know, instead of
being down seven to six in the fourth with the
momentum kind of surging against you, what if you're up
thirteen to six. You know what I mean, how's the
game played differently? What happened is is this game war on.
(06:17):
The Texans began to dictate what the Steelers had to do.
Think about all the great and I've described to Steelers
defense that way. They're great defenses that way so many
times over the years. You know, you get your own
Bettis and you're pounding away, and now you get a
little bit of a lead, and now the other teams
got to pass and your defense is well rested, and
(06:38):
you're in trouble.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
That's what happened with the Steelers last night.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
They they ran into a Steelers defense that was kind
of like the Steelers defenses of their prime. They only
have to rush for they don't need to blitz, and
they are super fast, and when you're behind or when
you're in third and long, when they get to dictate
to you, you're in big trouble.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And that's what happened last night.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Given that they have no number two wide receiver, no
proven guy, no real threat. We all assumed that the
tight ends would be a big part of this offense
all year long. What was John New's stance last year?
Ted eighty eight grams from tua. I thought he was
going to be their second leading receiver? John Smith? How
did he get relegated to whatever the hell it is
(07:22):
that they had him doing and Friarmouth was a non factor?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Do you like now?
Speaker 4 (07:27):
All I was told about Arthur Smith is he loves
tight ends like you know Charlie Batch Lake snowstorms. You know,
he gets giddy from tight ends. And I didn't see
any efficient use of tight ends at all. And you
thought it was going to be prominent, and last night
would have been the game I thought I would have
(07:48):
seen that when they did decide to throw gotten it out?
Is that in your opinion? Do you think because that's
what Arthur Smith wanted or because Aaron Rodgers didn't feel
comfortable with that tight end group.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
I don't know that it's a good question. I really
don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
I thought that because he's used tight ends in the past,
it is like he hasn't done that.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, there are two things.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And again I don't know the whys on this, but
if I'm a fan looking, I'm like, well, okay, so
Friar Muths is a sixty catch guy right when he's
healthy and he gives you a full season, he's a
sixty catch guy. He signed to do a contract extension.
I kind of expect sixty catches and he didn't come
close to that. The other one was they drafted Roman
Wilson in the third round last year. He obviously lost,
(08:35):
you know, lost the season due to injury. I thought
in the five or six game stretch that they used
me at a couple of touchdowns. I thought he showed
some ability to stretch the field a little bit, you know,
to run.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's uh, you know.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
And this is nothing against theal and mvs who were
in the latter stages of their career, but they aren't
guys that can that are gonna, you know, stretch defense
and scare you anymore. I thought Roman Wilson showed some
of those tendencies. But for whatever reason he I don't
know if he fell out of favor or what happened,
but he just stopped being used.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
And I thought that that was a guy.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
You know, if you're looking at who can step up
and be a guy, Well, he was the most He
and Calvin Austin were the most obvious guys in the roster.
Calvin got hurt and that's when Roman Wilson emerged, and
I thought, Okay, well, maybe maybe out of this injury,
you're gonna be able to get something good. Roman Wilson's
going to be able to come out there and run free.
I mean, you know, one of the things about that
you saw with Seattle and fans have talked about this
(09:35):
a lot, Randy, is that last year, what happens if
Pickens gets hurt? Right, this year, what happens if DK Well,
in this case, he gets hurt, but in this case
he was suspended for two games.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Who's there to pick it up?
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Well, the Texans have Nico Collins, right, and he's a
pro bowler. He gets hurt and goes out of the game.
We have Christian Kirk, who's a good player and been
a really good player. Second round picking Jayden Higgins, you
have a third round pick in Jaalenole, who's being effective?
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You have additional weapons.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Dalton Schultz didn't even kill this cheers last night, and
he's a third leading receiver among tight ends in the NFL.
They had more options that could get down the field
and make plays in their in their arsenal players and
the Steers either, uh don't have that. I mean, it
doesn't look to me. And again I don't. I don't
watch the game the same way I would as if
(10:26):
I'm a fan. It doesn't look to me like there's
a lot of guys open, Like I don't see guys
running wide open.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
No they're not.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
They had guys running wide open last night Seattle, But
I don't know how much of that is well. And
also it looked like play design.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
They had just some some play designs that look like
oh yeah, oh was it second and three? You know,
and they would run like, you know, a quick route
out of the backfield for an easy pluck. Guys got
one on one beats that you know, beats the defender
drops in for a first down.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
There.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
Everything we do on offense looks so labored. It just
seems like, I don't know, it's so it feels so
antiquated all of the things we're doing. That's why I
don't know if they're gonna reboot what we just saw
for twenty twenty six season, and that remains to be seen.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
There were some positives on the year, though.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
I thought the offensive line was gonna be a liability,
and last night they were. But that seemed to me
to be a big step backwards for them. Up to
that point, I thought they were progressively progressing nicely, and
I think Steeler fans can feel pretty good about the
offensive line going forward, a young group who got better.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
By the way, just an aside, because part of the
part of the reason that the offensive line had trouble
is because their defensive line is resane really good. Yes,
and Joe and Peatree man oh man is that dude?
I mean killed a Holy mackerelsy good player again. Mike
tom Win mentioned him on Tuesday. And you know they're
(11:54):
their all their secondary guys can run, they're young, they
can run, and they are aggressed. I mean, Lassiter is
not a big guy, but he has zero regard for
his own health. I mean that little guy will come
up and pop you, Petrie. I mean they're super aggressive,
super fast. And you know I said this before the game.
(12:15):
You know, you talk about the offensive line like their
second unit, their second defensive line could start on it
would be like there's a lot of teams would be like,
I'll take Derek Barnett and did he Ko Watrie and
nay Kwan Jones yet as my starting defensive line.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Sign me up. Yeah, I'll take that. They're just so deep,
you know. So was it a step backward?
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Sure, you get game was he gave up four sacks,
but makes it i mean every one of them got
owned at one.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Ye Oh, sure they did. Sure they did.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
But they didn't put themselves in good positions either, you know,
Like I thought going into this game, like I said,
you know, third and six is not a terrible thing, right,
It's not a terrible thing. Third and eleven, third and twelve.
There was one time in the second half and uh
so Mark oxen Rider was doing our stats outage. Brother,
(13:06):
He's a really really good stats guy, so he was.
He was it was like third and nine, third and twelve,
third and eleven, third and eleven, and I'm like that
that's just not you can't be there, that's not gonna
help your offensive line.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You know, sometimes those other guys are really good.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Too, but would be in trouble and then he just
throw it, you know to John Whu who's two yards deep,
and he'd catch it at his knees and then get tackled.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Right, What good did that do us? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:33):
And why is John hu Smith there? Like, so, why
isn't that a Kenny Gainwell? Why is the tight end
guy who caught eighty eight passes and nine touchdowns last year? Yeah,
So to go back on the offensive line, you know,
I do think there's a lot to like there. I mean,
Foutanu even though he's a second year player, he's a rookie.
(13:56):
Mason McCormick, second year player, Zach Frazer, second year player,
Dylan Cooks played what five games now, you know, and
see them all. It was just a pro So, you know,
we're sort of transitioning between what happened last night and
and what does the future look like. I know we're
kind of in that netherland right now of evaluating the
season and the team.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
But I do like I think that you know, they've.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Made it clear the last three years with since Omarkan
has taken over a general manager, and Andy Widel came
in to help him out, and the rest of the staff.
They have made a concerted effort to get better along
the lines both sides, and I think they have. I
think they've gotten better now and they've gotten play from
Cam Hayward that I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Even think anybody expect that. He was incredible down the stretch.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
I think that they, you know, they they probably need
to continue to do that. Yeah, they need a wide receiver,
they need a quarterback, but they're going to have to
just keep I think every year they're going to just
keep adding guys in the offensive and defensive lines. And
last night was a good example of why you still
want to get better. There.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Mike's going to join us here in just one minute.
We'll take a quick break.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
This half hour a Steeler Talk was brought to you
by your neighborhood fort store, the F one fifty, the
official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. More from last night's
lost to the Texans, and a recap of the twenty
twenty five sixth season, What worked, what didn't work, And you.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Know, there's a couple of things that I'm I think
we can hold our hat on. We just mentioned that, Yeah,
lines getting fortified there and Kenny Gainwell your MVP, and
Jalen Warren. Those are two tough guys who I still
don't understand why the offense wasn't going through them.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
First and foremost. But maybe they learned their lesson from that.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
I think there are I mean, in the ashes of
last night's loss, I still think we can sift through
and see some things.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
I think there was there's a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I hope, So, man, I hope.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
So Steelers fans, your team is a powerhouse. Are you
ready throw another great game here in the steel City?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Absolutely? And let's take sports. Yeah, we're the fight off
I tell you now, Kingy sharl.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
To Power Hour Steeler Talk with Rob King, live and
studio voice of the Steelers here on the Steelers Audio Network.
This half hour is brought to you by Clearview Federal
Credit Union, supporting their community every step of the way
through touchdowns for Hope. Clearview will donate five hundred dollars
to the Light of Life Rescue Mission for every Black
and Gold touchdown scored this season, and visit CLEARVIEWFCU dot
(16:27):
org slash touchdown to learn more and Kinger, we have
Mike Persuda joining the fray.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
Here Sports is Up, brought to you by Bridgeville Applied.
It's one more In terms of your post game sound
bite reaction from Texans thirty Steeler six, this is Mike
Tomlin when asked if he had a message to the
fans in the wake of a ninth straight season without
a playoff dub.
Speaker 8 (16:54):
Again, when you when you don't get it done, words
are cheap almus about what you do with you don't
do and so I appreciate the question, but people talk
too much in our business either.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do you don't?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Well, he is good at losing. I will say that.
I mean it like, he's not an excuse maker. When
the fans chant fire Tomlin, He's like, I get it,
I understand it. There's a high expectation. He doesn't whine.
I will say that, but it's cold comfort.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
You know a lot of speculation about Mike Tomlin all season,
and that's not going to go away. In the wake
of Texans thirty Steelers six, this was interesting. Tomlin appeared
on The Rich Eisen Show before the Ravens game and
he was asked about possibly doing television at some point.
Here's what he had to say about that quote. I'm institutionalized, man,
(17:56):
I gotta have it. I just love the challenges that
week in and week out. That job provides the growth
and at the collective growth, the individual growth. A lot
of lessons I've learned in life have kind of been
through my football experience. I've been on a team every
year of my life since nineteen eighty and so I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I haven't seen anything.
Speaker 7 (18:19):
From training camp, well really from OTA's on that led
me to suspect his enthusiasm, energy all into the job
was waning. So I think he's still the guy he's
been now his effectiveness. We just said they haven't won
a playoff game in nine years.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
It's a little more recent than that.
Speaker 7 (18:40):
Okay, just feels like Mike Tommin is now the author
of the longest active playoff losing streak in the NFL,
the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
He wanted historic at the start of the year.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Steelers became the first team in NFL history to lose
five consecutive playoff games by double digits.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
You know when he said that to us at camp,
was on this show that Mike Tomlin made the declaration,
we have a chance to be historic.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I felt like one of.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
The kids in Christmas Vacation when Clark's like, we're gonna
get a new swimming pool, I'm.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Like, historic, Really, this is gonna be great.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Oh my god, I got sucker right back in, bought
all the way back.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
In, and then the fool me once, no bonus, no pool.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Shame on, you fool me eight seasons in a row
with five straight double digit losses.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Won't get fooled again. You won't get hold again doing
a hell of a job, doing a hell of a job.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
Keey the thing that I continue and this has gone
on for as long as this Mike Tomlin angst has
started to parko late and that's been a couple of
seasons now. The complete lack of postseason success. They look
like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and Lucy
just pulls it away. In those nine years when they
(20:00):
have not won a playoff game, the Steelers are fourth
in the NFL in regular season victories one hundred and
won sixty two and two.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Baltimore is one hundred and three and sixty two.
Speaker 7 (20:15):
Just the head of the Steelers, and Baltimore has gotten
rid of John Harbaugh Buffalo's one oh five and fifty nine,
and I think Sean mcdermot's seat was getting hot before
they went into Jacksonville one. I think he's probably okay. Now,
I would think if it was indeed hot. I don't
know so much of the speculation. You don't know what's
real it isn't. But the regular season success is real.
(20:38):
The regular season success is significant. The regular season success
keeps us talking about it.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
For four or five months at a time.
Speaker 7 (20:46):
And to go from the euphoria that Ravens game in
the whole week. I mean, I was listening to madd
yesterday even he was talking about the energy in town
and how different it was and how people were actually
believing that there was a chance this time and then
and then they just went off the cliff again. I
(21:06):
at this particular point in time, after two hours of
sleep and six months of the season, I can't make
sense of it.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
So I don't have any more profound I mean, I
think it came down to, honestly, the gameplay and last
night was not complimentary to the talent level of the
players they had on the field.
Speaker 7 (21:28):
I would concurred there were too much faith in their guys.
They overestimated what they were ready for. I don't think
they underestimated Houston, because you know we were talking about that.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
All week, and no they didn't.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
But I don't understand how you didn't just run the
ball NonStop and h third and third and eight. No,
now it's fourth and two or fourth and three. All right, Well,
we're in our own territory. We're gonna punt it. Weightman's
flipping the field for you.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Let the deal. CJ.
Speaker 6 (21:56):
Stroud was rattling, particularly after you saw.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
How rattled he at that point? How do you not
get more conservative on offense?
Speaker 5 (22:03):
Because I was saying it to you all week, Mike,
I thought what was gonna happen was our defense was
gonna set up our offense with good field position and
we should get three field goals in a touchdown and
win this game sixteen to ten.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
And it was headed in that direction.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
If you don't leave them on the field for how
what was their time and possession last night for.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
The Texans thirty two twenty two? God, I thought it
was I thought it would have been like four.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
But I don't understand what they see different from what
my lion eyes are seeing.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
It's funny though you know a fine line between being
too conservative and letting the defense dictate to you. Oh, well,
we can't block this guy, so we better not give
him a chance to make a tackle, and having faith
to your guys and being aggressive. You know, they went
at denzil Ward three times in a row in Cleveland
on that Gal and Rogers one all ones though, right, well,
(23:01):
we talked to him with mvs versus one of the
best corners in the game. So would you throw it
to Scotty Miller against one of the other best corners
in the game.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
I would run the ball on first down.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
They were running all over them.
Speaker 7 (23:16):
Except the second down throw was there and I know
that didn't execute it. Gene really got me thinking Jeane's
territory when he was on the show today and he
talked about the Calvin Austin Talvanhawsin.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Did come up lame on that one? He should have?
Speaker 7 (23:30):
No, he got grabbed, did he?
Speaker 1 (23:33):
He slows down a little bit, But is he judging
the ball or trying to draw a foul that I
don't know. I thought he was trying to and that
was Gene's point. Yeah, but he definitely got turned.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
And then there goes you speak because you can't run
with your torso twisted sideways.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
It's a fifty to fifty call.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But the point on that play is it was the
same thing I've been bitching about all morning. It was
third and long and they tried to block it with
five and they did. It was one of a few
times he had a perfect clean pocket, he had all
the time to throw, set himself, let it rip. You've
got to hit those one on ones when you know,
not all of them, but you got to hit a
(24:11):
couple of them. You got to hit some splash and
and they just weren't able to do it even once.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Last night the Calvin Austin play, I think he did
slow up to try and draw the penalty. I think
he did draw the penalty, and it should have been
called also if he decides to run through that or fights.
Speaker 7 (24:28):
So it almost like it almost looked like a hockey
play where a guy goes down too easy when he
gets bumped in.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
I don't yeah, I don't think a ref should have
looked at that play and gone, now he's sloid up
and tried to draw the penalty.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I think the ref should have thrown the flower. I
don't think that's how they're supposed to try. That's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
Yeah, but I think Jean's interpretation of what happened is correct.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
But that doesn't mean there should have been a flag.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Same thing for the strip sack touchdown by the big man.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
Uh the Rankins that should have been hit to the
head quarterback personal foul, first down Steelers.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
I gotta get another look at that one. But his
helmet almost came off. You know.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
The point is they got annihilated last night, and there's
still a couple of plays here and there where if
only this one had worked out that you as you've
been talking about today. If Metcalf catches that ball, what
if they go end up going up six.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
He's running to the it's first and ten of the
twenty five yard line. If he touches that ball, he
might have scored. Actually he might have. There's only one
guy behind him. He dropped it at the thirty for
he was pretty open.
Speaker 8 (25:22):
He was.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
There's only one defender back on that. He might have
turned it up and scored, but he certainly they certainly
would have at least been in field goal range.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Well, you know, we don't pay him enough. Oh wait,
we gain him so much.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
Quick Break will be right back more with Rob King.
Speaker 9 (25:38):
It's Max Starks for my friends at Clearview Federal Credit Union.
Clearview is here to help you reach your financial goals
and support our community every step of the way.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
It's your radio home of the Steelers, why on two
point five DV And that's a rap on the twenty
five to twenty six season. After losing to the Houston
Texans last night thirty to six at home, it's Mike
Tomlin's fifth straight playoff loss by double digits. And then
it's historic. It is historic, no question about it. We
(26:16):
have Rob King, Voice of the Steelers with us and
Mike Persuda, who is the host of the postgame show
on the Steelers Audio Network, and Mike Kinger and I
were wondering kicking around what was the tenor of the
calls last night because I would imagine it's a whole
lot of what we would expect people being sick and
tired of being sick and tired.
Speaker 7 (26:34):
You know, it was not And apologies for not charting
one because there was one guy.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Who waited a while.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
I should have written down which call this was, but
I didn't do it for whatever reason. But he asked
a serious question, and I gave an answer, and then
Charlie gave an answer, and then he yelled.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Stealer suck, Ravens fluck.
Speaker 7 (26:57):
And then he hung Up's ookay, well glad you got.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
That off your chest. Would you rather lost to the
Ravens and not have that game? Not me, No, No way,
for sure. We had.
Speaker 7 (27:08):
We took nineteen calls from ten different states, including multiple
calls from Jersey, Texas, and California, and probably three or
four Tomlin's got to go. This ain't working. It's never
going to change. But the rest of it was just
you know, disappointment and how do they get better? And
some game stuff, you know, should that have been a
(27:29):
penalty on the Austin play and why didn't they do this?
Or why didn't they do that? And a lot of them,
why didn't they do this? I said, geez, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
I would have. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (27:41):
Mostly they run the ball stuff and the you know,
don't leave your quarterback back there to get killed on
third and long.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
I do think that they were a poorly constructed roster
and they worked around it a lot to their advantage
this year. Last night, I think the game plan was
just wrong. King, heer, what was the stat you had
for coming out of the second half?
Speaker 5 (28:03):
I had first twenty two plays, five rush, seventeen pass.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
That's to me.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
By the way he asked about Aaron Rodgers. I will
say this one thing. I think I think all those
guys were really glad to have Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
To play out a doubt. You know.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I think for the players, this was a very fun year.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, I think I think it was cool. You know.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
I was talking to Spencer Anderson after he caught a pass,
and I was like, hey, man, lineman catching a pass,
you know, like, yeah, like my he had a lineman
roommate in college. He just wanted to fall on a
fumble in the end zone. That was like his dream.
And I'm like, you know, so.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Like there's not a lot of big dreams here. When
you're alignment, you got to block people, you know. And
I was like, hey, mane he caught a.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Pass, and he was like, and he goes, I caught
a pass from Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Like that.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
It's just the way that they they hold this guy
in such highest team. That's just one tiny example. I'm
sure every player down the roster would tell you how
cool it was. I just want to know why certain
players weren't featured more. I want to know was it
Mooth or was it Aaron Rodgers, or was it Arthur
Smith that was reluctant to roll out firearmth like we
(29:19):
thought they were going to, Or John new Smith the
way he'd been used in the past.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
And then still dropping back.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
Wouldn't throwing the ball way more than you'd think they
would Given the stat we're just talking about about the
lack of using tight ends, you'd think if they were
throwing as much as they are oftentimes it would be
through tight ends.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
And that wasn't the case you would think. And also
I didn't just hear this. I saw it when I
studied John Us Smith. He lined up a wide receiver
a lot in Miami. That's how he caught eighty eight
balls for eight hundred something yards and eight touchdowns. And
with the lack of receivers here, why didn't they just
do that more?
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I thought he was going to be a slot guy.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I basically thought, that's what they're going to do, is
line him up in the slot, and that I thought
he was going to be the second leading receiver behind
DK you know, they missed Darnell Washington.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
They utilized him a lot.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
But you know, Gamewell had I think four point seven
yards per carry after the first three weeks of the season.
Remember the two has had trouble running the ball early,
and then Jale and Moren got banged up, didn't play
against Minnesota, then came back. He averaged four point nine
yards of carry After that. The running game was effective
over the last thirteen to fourteen games of the season.
I thought it was a little underutilized.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I couldn't agree more, particularly last night.
Speaker 7 (30:32):
I mean, I would have been playing if I'm losing
seven to six or even ten to six in the
fourth quarter. I keep going back to that third and long.
It's just that that sex strip scoop score. You're just
you're killing yourself. You're inviting disaster. When you set that
were they gonna throw along? There was that.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
Nothing breaks the defense down quite like running all over him.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yes, which is.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
What the Texans did better than I thought.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
I mean, mostly to me, the offense needed to help
the defense out in this game. But there's no way
I saw Woody Marx, who'd come in with the highest
seventy four yards in his career doing he was at
one hundred. Yeah, to be able to run hot, I
did not see that coming. I thought the team that
would be more effective running would be the Steelers, and
(31:18):
that that would be one of those little factors, like
we're talking about third down point, but that helps you
on third down, Right, you're running the football and you're
being effective, you get into third and two, third and three.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
That's what Houston did.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
The Steelers were constantly third and nine, third and eleven,
third and twelve. That's that's a tough way to make
a lot, you thought.
Speaker 7 (31:35):
I thought they were going to win both trenches because
I thought I had mad respect for Hunter and Anderson,
but I thought them playing on the road and the
Steelers having the advantage of Houston having to go silent.
I thought Watt, high Smith and Herbert would feast. And
they didn't win either. So they lost the offensive trench,
(31:56):
they lost the defensive trench. There their edge was not superior,
which they thought it had to be, and then they
could not overcome. I was very skeptical that the stuff
in the flat was gonna work, and Toddalod even said
in his press conference on Tuesday he relied on that
heavily all year. The little checkdowns in the back, making
(32:17):
a guy miss and turning a short catch into a
bigger play. Well you take that out of the equation,
where does it go? The answer is nowhere.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Special thanks to Tim Ben's, Jean Sterotre and Rob King
talking Steelers. And that's a wrap on the twenty five
twenty six season for.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Your Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
Let's get Pence, Let's go Pens, Let's go Box.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
I like the off season pirates are so far so
had another guy or too, and let's go man. Yeah,
I'm just gonna go and pretend to not be completely
pissed the rest of the day. That's fine. I know
I didn't believe they could make a little bit of
a runt. No, I wasn't sitting telling everybody Saturday, you know,
if the Bills win and the Chargers we got al
(33:03):
and I think we can beat them, and I'm just saying,
don't be surprised if Aaron Rodgers. I don't feel dumb
for thinking that and telling everybody all day Saturday.
Speaker 7 (33:13):
Well, I did say this on the pregame last night.
Starts agreed with me, and technically it's not wrong. I
said the Houston game was gonna be harder to win
than I thought the New England game would be. If
they could survive the Houston game.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
We'll never know if you were right, Mike. We won't.
We should just assume I am.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Yeah, Tad, thanks for coming in. I know you pulled
an onliner two. Yeah, and come back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
See you tomorrow. Yeah, well, you know a lot. It
will be much better Boons tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (33:40):
We'll forget all about this by Dan Abbey.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Fine, you stay classy, Pittsburgh. Don't touch your face.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
I got him time Pittsburgh, allday Berby.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So now you call me Ronald?
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Would you not eat my pants?
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Ronald? Oh? Why goggle ahead?
Speaker 2 (34:05):
It's time for the Steelers Daily Report on DV, brought
to you by Calli and Pizza and Draft Holes, three
time World pizza champions and Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at Shop Dodge Steelers dot com.
Here's Tom Opferman.
Speaker 10 (34:18):
The Steelers season ended Monday night at the hands of
the Houston Texans. Thirty to six was your final score.
Houston's defense was as advertised, as they completely shut down
the Steelers offense, holding them to just one hundred and
seventy five yards of total offense and limiting them to
just two for fourteen on third downs. The Texans pass
rush was all over Aaron Rodgers, who threw for just
one hundred and forty six yards on seventeen of thirty
(34:39):
three passing. Houston sacked Rodgers four times and had twelve
quarterback hits. They also tacked on eight tackles for loss
as they completely blew up the Steelers offensive line all
night long. Defensively, the Steelers played decently well in a
game that entered the fourth quarter with Houston leading just
seven to six.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
They got adequate pressure on CJ.
Speaker 10 (34:56):
Strouds, sacking him three times and forced multiple turnovers. But
the biggest flaw by far on that side of the
ball was the inability to stop the run. Houston, who
averaged just three point nine yards per carry during the
regular season, averaged five point three against the Steelers as
they racked up one hundred and sixty four yards on
thirty one carries and one rushing touchdown. The lost means
the Steelers now have lost seven playoff games straight as
(35:18):
they continue to search for their first postseason wins since
the twenty sixteen season on tom All Forramen with the
Steelers report.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Rob King here for calient To pizza and draft ass
Offenses can't move the ball when they get stuck by
the defense, and you won't move off the couch after
you get.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Stuffed by the Caliente stuffed crust pizza.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Right now, just twenty two bucks for a large two
topic at Caliente, the official pizza of.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Wdve from the Root for your insurance traffic center, your
local auto owners insurance agency, visit roop for your dot com.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
This report is sponsored by Staples.
Speaker 11 (35:49):
After most of us had a late night, looks like
a lot of people are having a late start. We
still have break lights for delays. Parkway West coming down
the hill end of the tunnels to slow ride Parkas
to slow at the tunnels both directions. Slowdown's on the
north Shore expressed to the Fort to Cane Bridge a
Bonnie diver total traffic.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
It's a new year and Staples has
Bills.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Just enter this nationwide keyword at DVE dot com.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Happy. That's happy. Enter it now at DVE dot com.
W DVE Pittsburgh an iHeartRadio station, guaranteed human.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Rodgers get to snap back hit as he throws, ball
is loose and McCormick scrambles back to the thirty yard
line and lands on top of it.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's Daniel Hunter who had to hit on Rogers.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Daniel Hunter was insane last night. The edges were just
so tough for the Houston Texans. Joining us right now
for a power hour of steel talk, Steel just about steel.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Because specific yeah, well.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
We just feel like metal talk might be better than
what we had to last night.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
It's brought to you by Ford this half hour your
neighborhood Ford Store, the F one fifty, the official truck
of the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (00:57):
Steelers who got trucked in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
They allowed twenty three points last night. They couldn't get
in the end zone. That was no good. So Rob
the season comes to an end, and would you say,
let's just do a big old broad brush stroke.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
Here Aaron Rodgers bringing him in.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
The right move or might they have been better served
going elsewhere? I mean, given what was out there, they
were looking at Justin Fields Sam Darnold, which had a
pretty hefty price tag a fixed to it, and then
you that's your guy, that's your guy for four or
five years, right, you know that you're you're really sailing
(01:39):
with him or given that, they wanted to start with
somebody younger, and seems like they've had their mindset on this.
Speaker 6 (01:44):
Was this still the way to go despite the outcome.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Well, you know, there there were moments of the season
where he looked phenomenal. He looked the best we've seen
since been you know, in the latter years of his prime.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Agree, he just he looked great. Cincinnati, he looked great.
Speaker 5 (01:59):
And him back against the Jets, there were moments down
the stretch where I thought he looked really good. You know,
they offered Justin Fields a contract and he didn't take it.
You know, some people wanted Russell Wilson back. Well, he
got benched by the Giants.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, he was.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
On Anderson Cooper's New Year's Eve celebration and Sam Donald
they wanted to talk to Sam Donald. My understanding is
that Sam Donald met with the Seattle first, got an.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Offer and just went there. So you never even had
an opportunity.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
So you know, people say, people could say this or
that about Okay, what's the solution, you know, and listen,
it's not up to us to have the solution, right, uh,
you know, but have some sort of idea.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Of what is a possible solution, like, you.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Know, go out and get a safety Okay, well who
I mean that, you know, and then and balancing you
know that question as a fan with uh, you know
who with maybe some answers. So I don't know what
other answers there would have been out there. I think
that at a lot there was a lot of times
where Aaron Rodgers looked great and last night, you know,
they they got into bad down in distances, which Mike
(03:08):
Tomlins said before the game, he was talking to Bob Labriella,
we can't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Well, that's what they did well.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
To me, that is a component of not game planning
or play calling efficiently for the circumstances. To me, I've
watched Aaron Rodgers constantly yelling at receivers, running round wrong routes,
guys having trouble, you know, with different formations that they're
trying to implement. But the running game has never had
(03:36):
an issue and why they weren't leaning on the running
game to set up the occasional pass and just pound
the rock and when you had to punt, you punt.
Corlis Weightman was fantastic and he was flipping the field
for you. Why on earth do you approach that game anyway?
I think at one point it was like first sixteen
plays or eleven dropbacks.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, you know, they they came out.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
I think the first play the game was a Jalen
Warren first down run. And I you know, Max and
I were talking about this before the game. You know,
when you have a defense it's as fast and as
aggressive as Houston's. To me, you have to run at them,
not away from them, because they will they will track
you down.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
You know they will. They will.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
You know they will find you. So you have to
run it at them. And even that's obviously not easy.
But I'm always in the run the ball more school.
I mean I said this, I don't know it was
last week. If the STUO has had seventy five plays
and ran it seventy four times, I would have said
they should have run it more.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, you know, I mean that's just the way I
feel about it.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
I thought this was going to be I thought this
was going to be a slog fest. You know, both
teams getting into third and five, third and six, take
a shot, don't have the shot, It's okay to punt
it away. Play defense, you know, try to win the
field the field position game. Make the occasional play like
(04:59):
the past, DK Metcalf haul that in when you've got
the opportunity to make the big place. You know, it's
important in every game. Like we saw against Cleveland when
the Steelers were three for fifteen on third down, how
important that was.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
They still had chances to win that game.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
The better the opponent is, and Houston's a very good
opponent they've now won ten straight games, the better you
have to be at situational football. Mike tomlincalls them the
weighty downs. So you were better than them in the
red zone. They were both about the same, I think
on third downs and so little things. You know, they
(05:35):
they value rushing the passer and trying to turn the
ball over, and so the Steelers were doing some of
those things right. They were doing a better job of
getting the turnovers. That's the team that has the second
fewest giveaways in the second best turnover margin in the NFL.
The Texans, you were doing some of those things, but
you weren't winning on third down. You weren't winning in
(05:57):
the red zone those moments in a game like this,
And who knows what happens if, you know, instead of
being down seven to six in the fourth with the
momentum kind of surging against you, what if you're up
thirteen to six. You know what I mean, how's the
game played differently? What happened is is this game war on.
(06:17):
The Texans began to dictate what the Steelers had to do.
Think about all the great and I've described to Steelers
defense that way. They're great defenses that way so many
times over the years. You know, you get your own
Bettis and you're pounding away, and now you get a
little bit of a lead, and now the other teams
got to pass and your defense is well rested, and
(06:38):
you're in trouble.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
That's what happened with the Steelers last night.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
They they ran into a Steelers defense that was kind
of like the Steelers defenses of their prime. They only
have to rush for they don't need to blitz, and
they are super fast, and when you're behind or when
you're in third and long, when they get to dictate
to you, you're in big trouble.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And that's what happened last night.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Given that they have no number two wide receiver, no
proven guy, no real threat. We all assumed that the
tight ends would be a big part of this offense
all year long. What was John New's stance last year?
Ted eighty eight grams from tua. I thought he was
going to be their second leading receiver? John Smith? How
did he get relegated to whatever the hell it is
(07:22):
that they had him doing and Friarmouth was a non factor?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Do you like now?
Speaker 4 (07:27):
All I was told about Arthur Smith is he loves
tight ends like you know Charlie Batch Lake snowstorms. You know,
he gets giddy from tight ends. And I didn't see
any efficient use of tight ends at all. And you
thought it was going to be prominent, and last night
would have been the game I thought I would have
(07:48):
seen that when they did decide to throw gotten it out?
Is that in your opinion? Do you think because that's
what Arthur Smith wanted or because Aaron Rodgers didn't feel
comfortable with that tight end group.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
I don't know that it's a good question. I really
don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
I thought that because he's used tight ends in the past,
it is like he hasn't done that.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, there are two things.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And again I don't know the whys on this, but
if I'm a fan looking, I'm like, well, okay, so
Friar Muths is a sixty catch guy right when he's
healthy and he gives you a full season, he's a
sixty catch guy. He signed to do a contract extension.
I kind of expect sixty catches and he didn't come
close to that. The other one was they drafted Roman
Wilson in the third round last year. He obviously lost,
(08:35):
you know, lost the season due to injury. I thought
in the five or six game stretch that they used
me at a couple of touchdowns. I thought he showed
some ability to stretch the field a little bit, you know,
to run.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's uh, you know.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
And this is nothing against theal and mvs who were
in the latter stages of their career, but they aren't
guys that can that are gonna, you know, stretch defense
and scare you anymore. I thought Roman Wilson showed some
of those tendencies. But for whatever reason he I don't
know if he fell out of favor or what happened,
but he just stopped being used.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
And I thought that that was a guy.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
You know, if you're looking at who can step up
and be a guy, Well, he was the most He
and Calvin Austin were the most obvious guys in the roster.
Calvin got hurt and that's when Roman Wilson emerged, and
I thought, Okay, well, maybe maybe out of this injury,
you're gonna be able to get something good. Roman Wilson's
going to be able to come out there and run free.
I mean, you know, one of the things about that
you saw with Seattle and fans have talked about this
(09:35):
a lot, Randy, is that last year, what happens if
Pickens gets hurt? Right, this year, what happens if DK Well,
in this case, he gets hurt, but in this case
he was suspended for two games.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Who's there to pick it up?
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Well, the Texans have Nico Collins, right, and he's a
pro bowler. He gets hurt and goes out of the game.
We have Christian Kirk, who's a good player and been
a really good player. Second round picking Jayden Higgins, you
have a third round pick in Jaalenole, who's being effective?
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You have additional weapons.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Dalton Schultz didn't even kill this cheers last night, and
he's a third leading receiver among tight ends in the NFL.
They had more options that could get down the field
and make plays in their in their arsenal players and
the Steers either, uh don't have that. I mean, it
doesn't look to me. And again I don't. I don't
watch the game the same way I would as if
(10:26):
I'm a fan. It doesn't look to me like there's
a lot of guys open, Like I don't see guys
running wide open.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
No they're not.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
They had guys running wide open last night Seattle, But
I don't know how much of that is well. And
also it looked like play design.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
They had just some some play designs that look like
oh yeah, oh was it second and three? You know,
and they would run like, you know, a quick route
out of the backfield for an easy pluck. Guys got
one on one beats that you know, beats the defender
drops in for a first down.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
There.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
Everything we do on offense looks so labored. It just
seems like, I don't know, it's so it feels so
antiquated all of the things we're doing. That's why I
don't know if they're gonna reboot what we just saw
for twenty twenty six season, and that remains to be seen.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
There were some positives on the year, though.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
I thought the offensive line was gonna be a liability,
and last night they were. But that seemed to me
to be a big step backwards for them. Up to
that point, I thought they were progressively progressing nicely, and
I think Steeler fans can feel pretty good about the
offensive line going forward, a young group who got better.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
By the way, just an aside, because part of the
part of the reason that the offensive line had trouble
is because their defensive line is resane really good. Yes,
and Joe and Peatree man oh man is that dude?
I mean killed a Holy mackerelsy good player again. Mike
tom Win mentioned him on Tuesday. And you know they're
(11:54):
their all their secondary guys can run, they're young, they
can run, and they are aggressed. I mean, Lassiter is
not a big guy, but he has zero regard for
his own health. I mean that little guy will come
up and pop you, Petrie. I mean they're super aggressive,
super fast. And you know I said this before the game.
(12:15):
You know, you talk about the offensive line like their
second unit, their second defensive line could start on it
would be like there's a lot of teams would be like,
I'll take Derek Barnett and did he Ko Watrie and
nay Kwan Jones yet as my starting defensive line.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Sign me up. Yeah, I'll take that. They're just so deep,
you know. So was it a step backward?
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Sure, you get game was he gave up four sacks,
but makes it i mean every one of them got
owned at one.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Ye Oh, sure they did. Sure they did.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
But they didn't put themselves in good positions either, you know,
Like I thought going into this game, like I said,
you know, third and six is not a terrible thing, right,
It's not a terrible thing. Third and eleven, third and twelve.
There was one time in the second half and uh
so Mark oxen Rider was doing our stats outage. Brother,
(13:06):
He's a really really good stats guy, so he was.
He was it was like third and nine, third and twelve,
third and eleven, third and eleven, and I'm like that
that's just not you can't be there, that's not gonna
help your offensive line.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You know, sometimes those other guys are really good.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Too, but would be in trouble and then he just
throw it, you know to John Whu who's two yards deep,
and he'd catch it at his knees and then get tackled.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Right, What good did that do us? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:33):
And why is John hu Smith there? Like, so, why
isn't that a Kenny Gainwell? Why is the tight end
guy who caught eighty eight passes and nine touchdowns last year? Yeah,
So to go back on the offensive line, you know,
I do think there's a lot to like there. I mean,
Foutanu even though he's a second year player, he's a rookie.
(13:56):
Mason McCormick, second year player, Zach Frazer, second year player,
Dylan Cooks played what five games now, you know, and
see them all. It was just a pro So, you know,
we're sort of transitioning between what happened last night and
and what does the future look like. I know we're
kind of in that netherland right now of evaluating the
season and the team.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
But I do like I think that you know, they've.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Made it clear the last three years with since Omarkan
has taken over a general manager, and Andy Widel came
in to help him out, and the rest of the staff.
They have made a concerted effort to get better along
the lines both sides, and I think they have. I
think they've gotten better now and they've gotten play from
Cam Hayward that I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Even think anybody expect that. He was incredible down the stretch.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
I think that they, you know, they they probably need
to continue to do that. Yeah, they need a wide receiver,
they need a quarterback, but they're going to have to
just keep I think every year they're going to just
keep adding guys in the offensive and defensive lines. And
last night was a good example of why you still
want to get better. There.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Mike's going to join us here in just one minute.
We'll take a quick break.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
This half hour a Steeler Talk was brought to you
by your neighborhood fort store, the F one fifty, the
official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. More from last night's
lost to the Texans, and a recap of the twenty
twenty five sixth season, What worked, what didn't work, And you.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Know, there's a couple of things that I'm I think
we can hold our hat on. We just mentioned that, Yeah,
lines getting fortified there and Kenny Gainwell your MVP, and
Jalen Warren. Those are two tough guys who I still
don't understand why the offense wasn't going through them.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
First and foremost. But maybe they learned their lesson from that.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
I think there are I mean, in the ashes of
last night's loss, I still think we can sift through
and see some things.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
I think there was there's a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I hope, So, man, I hope.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
So Steelers fans, your team is a powerhouse. Are you
ready throw another great game here in the steel City?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Absolutely? And let's take sports. Yeah, we're the fight off
I tell you now, Kingy sharl.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
To Power Hour Steeler Talk with Rob King, live and
studio voice of the Steelers here on the Steelers Audio Network.
This half hour is brought to you by Clearview Federal
Credit Union, supporting their community every step of the way
through touchdowns for Hope. Clearview will donate five hundred dollars
to the Light of Life Rescue Mission for every Black
and Gold touchdown scored this season, and visit CLEARVIEWFCU dot
(16:27):
org slash touchdown to learn more and Kinger, we have
Mike Persuda joining the fray.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
Here Sports is Up, brought to you by Bridgeville Applied.
It's one more In terms of your post game sound
bite reaction from Texans thirty Steeler six, this is Mike
Tomlin when asked if he had a message to the
fans in the wake of a ninth straight season without
a playoff dub.
Speaker 8 (16:54):
Again, when you when you don't get it done, words
are cheap almus about what you do with you don't
do and so I appreciate the question, but people talk
too much in our business either.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do you don't?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Well, he is good at losing. I will say that.
I mean it like, he's not an excuse maker. When
the fans chant fire Tomlin, He's like, I get it,
I understand it. There's a high expectation. He doesn't whine.
I will say that, but it's cold comfort.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
You know a lot of speculation about Mike Tomlin all season,
and that's not going to go away. In the wake
of Texans thirty Steelers six, this was interesting. Tomlin appeared
on The Rich Eisen Show before the Ravens game and
he was asked about possibly doing television at some point.
Here's what he had to say about that quote. I'm institutionalized, man,
(17:56):
I gotta have it. I just love the challenges that
week in and week out. That job provides the growth
and at the collective growth, the individual growth. A lot
of lessons I've learned in life have kind of been
through my football experience. I've been on a team every
year of my life since nineteen eighty and so I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I haven't seen anything.
Speaker 7 (18:19):
From training camp, well really from OTA's on that led
me to suspect his enthusiasm, energy all into the job
was waning. So I think he's still the guy he's
been now his effectiveness. We just said they haven't won
a playoff game in nine years.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
It's a little more recent than that.
Speaker 7 (18:40):
Okay, just feels like Mike Tommin is now the author
of the longest active playoff losing streak in the NFL,
the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
He wanted historic at the start of the year.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Steelers became the first team in NFL history to lose
five consecutive playoff games by double digits.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
You know when he said that to us at camp,
was on this show that Mike Tomlin made the declaration,
we have a chance to be historic.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I felt like one of.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
The kids in Christmas Vacation when Clark's like, we're gonna
get a new swimming pool, I'm.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Like, historic, Really, this is gonna be great.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Oh my god, I got sucker right back in, bought
all the way back.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
In, and then the fool me once, no bonus, no pool.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Shame on, you fool me eight seasons in a row
with five straight double digit losses.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Won't get fooled again. You won't get hold again doing
a hell of a job, doing a hell of a job.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
Keey the thing that I continue and this has gone
on for as long as this Mike Tomlin angst has
started to parko late and that's been a couple of
seasons now. The complete lack of postseason success. They look
like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and Lucy
just pulls it away. In those nine years when they
(20:00):
have not won a playoff game, the Steelers are fourth
in the NFL in regular season victories one hundred and
won sixty two and two.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Baltimore is one hundred and three and sixty two.
Speaker 7 (20:15):
Just the head of the Steelers, and Baltimore has gotten
rid of John Harbaugh Buffalo's one oh five and fifty nine,
and I think Sean mcdermot's seat was getting hot before
they went into Jacksonville one. I think he's probably okay. Now,
I would think if it was indeed hot. I don't
know so much of the speculation. You don't know what's
real it isn't. But the regular season success is real.
(20:38):
The regular season success is significant. The regular season success
keeps us talking about it.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
For four or five months at a time.
Speaker 7 (20:46):
And to go from the euphoria that Ravens game in
the whole week. I mean, I was listening to madd
yesterday even he was talking about the energy in town
and how different it was and how people were actually
believing that there was a chance this time and then
and then they just went off the cliff again. I
(21:06):
at this particular point in time, after two hours of
sleep and six months of the season, I can't make
sense of it.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
So I don't have any more profound I mean, I
think it came down to, honestly, the gameplay and last
night was not complimentary to the talent level of the
players they had on the field.
Speaker 7 (21:28):
I would concurred there were too much faith in their guys.
They overestimated what they were ready for. I don't think
they underestimated Houston, because you know we were talking about that.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
All week, and no they didn't.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
But I don't understand how you didn't just run the
ball NonStop and h third and third and eight. No,
now it's fourth and two or fourth and three. All right, Well,
we're in our own territory. We're gonna punt it. Weightman's
flipping the field for you.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Let the deal. CJ.
Speaker 6 (21:56):
Stroud was rattling, particularly after you saw.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
How rattled he at that point? How do you not
get more conservative on offense?
Speaker 5 (22:03):
Because I was saying it to you all week, Mike,
I thought what was gonna happen was our defense was
gonna set up our offense with good field position and
we should get three field goals in a touchdown and
win this game sixteen to ten.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
And it was headed in that direction.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
If you don't leave them on the field for how
what was their time and possession last night for.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
The Texans thirty two twenty two? God, I thought it
was I thought it would have been like four.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
But I don't understand what they see different from what
my lion eyes are seeing.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
It's funny though you know a fine line between being
too conservative and letting the defense dictate to you. Oh, well,
we can't block this guy, so we better not give
him a chance to make a tackle, and having faith
to your guys and being aggressive. You know, they went
at denzil Ward three times in a row in Cleveland
on that Gal and Rogers one all ones though, right, well,
(23:01):
we talked to him with mvs versus one of the
best corners in the game. So would you throw it
to Scotty Miller against one of the other best corners
in the game.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
I would run the ball on first down.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
They were running all over them.
Speaker 7 (23:16):
Except the second down throw was there and I know
that didn't execute it. Gene really got me thinking Jeane's
territory when he was on the show today and he
talked about the Calvin Austin Talvanhawsin.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Did come up lame on that one? He should have?
Speaker 7 (23:30):
No, he got grabbed, did he?
Speaker 1 (23:33):
He slows down a little bit, But is he judging
the ball or trying to draw a foul that I
don't know. I thought he was trying to and that
was Gene's point. Yeah, but he definitely got turned.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
And then there goes you speak because you can't run
with your torso twisted sideways.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
It's a fifty to fifty call.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But the point on that play is it was the
same thing I've been bitching about all morning. It was
third and long and they tried to block it with
five and they did. It was one of a few
times he had a perfect clean pocket, he had all
the time to throw, set himself, let it rip. You've
got to hit those one on ones when you know,
not all of them, but you got to hit a
(24:11):
couple of them. You got to hit some splash and
and they just weren't able to do it even once.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Last night the Calvin Austin play, I think he did
slow up to try and draw the penalty. I think
he did draw the penalty, and it should have been
called also if he decides to run through that or fights.
Speaker 7 (24:28):
So it almost like it almost looked like a hockey
play where a guy goes down too easy when he
gets bumped in.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
I don't yeah, I don't think a ref should have
looked at that play and gone, now he's sloid up
and tried to draw the penalty.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I think the ref should have thrown the flower. I
don't think that's how they're supposed to try. That's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
Yeah, but I think Jean's interpretation of what happened is correct.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
But that doesn't mean there should have been a flag.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Same thing for the strip sack touchdown by the big man.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
Uh the Rankins that should have been hit to the
head quarterback personal foul, first down Steelers.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
I gotta get another look at that one. But his
helmet almost came off. You know.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
The point is they got annihilated last night, and there's
still a couple of plays here and there where if
only this one had worked out that you as you've
been talking about today. If Metcalf catches that ball, what
if they go end up going up six.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
He's running to the it's first and ten of the
twenty five yard line. If he touches that ball, he
might have scored. Actually he might have. There's only one
guy behind him. He dropped it at the thirty for
he was pretty open.
Speaker 8 (25:22):
He was.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
There's only one defender back on that. He might have
turned it up and scored, but he certainly they certainly
would have at least been in field goal range.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Well, you know, we don't pay him enough. Oh wait,
we gain him so much.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
Quick Break will be right back more with Rob King.
Speaker 9 (25:38):
It's Max Starks for my friends at Clearview Federal Credit Union.
Clearview is here to help you reach your financial goals
and support our community every step of the way.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
It's your radio home of the Steelers, why on two
point five DV And that's a rap on the twenty
five to twenty six season. After losing to the Houston
Texans last night thirty to six at home, it's Mike
Tomlin's fifth straight playoff loss by double digits. And then
it's historic. It is historic, no question about it. We
(26:16):
have Rob King, Voice of the Steelers with us and
Mike Persuda, who is the host of the postgame show
on the Steelers Audio Network, and Mike Kinger and I
were wondering kicking around what was the tenor of the
calls last night because I would imagine it's a whole
lot of what we would expect people being sick and
tired of being sick and tired.
Speaker 7 (26:34):
You know, it was not And apologies for not charting
one because there was one guy.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Who waited a while.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
I should have written down which call this was, but
I didn't do it for whatever reason. But he asked
a serious question, and I gave an answer, and then
Charlie gave an answer, and then he yelled.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Stealer suck, Ravens fluck.
Speaker 7 (26:57):
And then he hung Up's ookay, well glad you got.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
That off your chest. Would you rather lost to the
Ravens and not have that game? Not me, No, No way,
for sure. We had.
Speaker 7 (27:08):
We took nineteen calls from ten different states, including multiple
calls from Jersey, Texas, and California, and probably three or
four Tomlin's got to go. This ain't working. It's never
going to change. But the rest of it was just
you know, disappointment and how do they get better? And
some game stuff, you know, should that have been a
(27:29):
penalty on the Austin play and why didn't they do this?
Or why didn't they do that? And a lot of them,
why didn't they do this? I said, geez, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
I would have. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (27:41):
Mostly they run the ball stuff and the you know,
don't leave your quarterback back there to get killed on
third and long.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
I do think that they were a poorly constructed roster
and they worked around it a lot to their advantage
this year. Last night, I think the game plan was
just wrong. King, heer, what was the stat you had
for coming out of the second half?
Speaker 5 (28:03):
I had first twenty two plays, five rush, seventeen pass.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
That's to me.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
By the way he asked about Aaron Rodgers. I will
say this one thing. I think I think all those
guys were really glad to have Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
To play out a doubt. You know.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I think for the players, this was a very fun year.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, I think I think it was cool. You know.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
I was talking to Spencer Anderson after he caught a pass,
and I was like, hey, man, lineman catching a pass,
you know, like, yeah, like my he had a lineman
roommate in college. He just wanted to fall on a
fumble in the end zone. That was like his dream.
And I'm like, you know, so.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Like there's not a lot of big dreams here. When
you're alignment, you got to block people, you know. And
I was like, hey, mane he caught a.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Pass, and he was like, and he goes, I caught
a pass from Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Like that.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
It's just the way that they they hold this guy
in such highest team. That's just one tiny example. I'm
sure every player down the roster would tell you how
cool it was. I just want to know why certain
players weren't featured more. I want to know was it
Mooth or was it Aaron Rodgers, or was it Arthur
Smith that was reluctant to roll out firearmth like we
(29:19):
thought they were going to, Or John new Smith the
way he'd been used in the past.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
And then still dropping back.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
Wouldn't throwing the ball way more than you'd think they
would Given the stat we're just talking about about the
lack of using tight ends, you'd think if they were
throwing as much as they are oftentimes it would be
through tight ends.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
And that wasn't the case you would think. And also
I didn't just hear this. I saw it when I
studied John Us Smith. He lined up a wide receiver
a lot in Miami. That's how he caught eighty eight
balls for eight hundred something yards and eight touchdowns. And
with the lack of receivers here, why didn't they just
do that more?
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I thought he was going to be a slot guy.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I basically thought, that's what they're going to do, is
line him up in the slot, and that I thought
he was going to be the second leading receiver behind
DK you know, they missed Darnell Washington.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
They utilized him a lot.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
But you know, Gamewell had I think four point seven
yards per carry after the first three weeks of the season.
Remember the two has had trouble running the ball early,
and then Jale and Moren got banged up, didn't play
against Minnesota, then came back. He averaged four point nine
yards of carry After that. The running game was effective
over the last thirteen to fourteen games of the season.
I thought it was a little underutilized.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I couldn't agree more, particularly last night.
Speaker 7 (30:32):
I mean, I would have been playing if I'm losing
seven to six or even ten to six in the
fourth quarter. I keep going back to that third and long.
It's just that that sex strip scoop score. You're just
you're killing yourself. You're inviting disaster. When you set that
were they gonna throw along? There was that.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
Nothing breaks the defense down quite like running all over him.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yes, which is.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
What the Texans did better than I thought.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
I mean, mostly to me, the offense needed to help
the defense out in this game. But there's no way
I saw Woody Marx, who'd come in with the highest
seventy four yards in his career doing he was at
one hundred. Yeah, to be able to run hot, I
did not see that coming. I thought the team that
would be more effective running would be the Steelers, and
(31:18):
that that would be one of those little factors, like
we're talking about third down point, but that helps you
on third down, Right, you're running the football and you're
being effective, you get into third and two, third and three.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
That's what Houston did.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
The Steelers were constantly third and nine, third and eleven,
third and twelve. That's that's a tough way to make
a lot, you thought.
Speaker 7 (31:35):
I thought they were going to win both trenches because
I thought I had mad respect for Hunter and Anderson,
but I thought them playing on the road and the
Steelers having the advantage of Houston having to go silent.
I thought Watt, high Smith and Herbert would feast. And
they didn't win either. So they lost the offensive trench,
(31:56):
they lost the defensive trench. There their edge was not superior,
which they thought it had to be, and then they
could not overcome. I was very skeptical that the stuff
in the flat was gonna work, and Toddalod even said
in his press conference on Tuesday he relied on that
heavily all year. The little checkdowns in the back, making
(32:17):
a guy miss and turning a short catch into a
bigger play. Well you take that out of the equation,
where does it go? The answer is nowhere.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Special thanks to Tim Ben's, Jean Sterotre and Rob King
talking Steelers. And that's a wrap on the twenty five
twenty six season for.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Your Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
Let's get Pence, Let's go Pens, Let's go Box.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
I like the off season pirates are so far so
had another guy or too, and let's go man. Yeah,
I'm just gonna go and pretend to not be completely
pissed the rest of the day. That's fine. I know
I didn't believe they could make a little bit of
a runt. No, I wasn't sitting telling everybody Saturday, you know,
if the Bills win and the Chargers we got al
(33:03):
and I think we can beat them, and I'm just saying,
don't be surprised if Aaron Rodgers. I don't feel dumb
for thinking that and telling everybody all day Saturday.
Speaker 7 (33:13):
Well, I did say this on the pregame last night.
Starts agreed with me, and technically it's not wrong. I
said the Houston game was gonna be harder to win
than I thought the New England game would be. If
they could survive the Houston game.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
We'll never know if you were right, Mike. We won't.
We should just assume I am.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Yeah, Tad, thanks for coming in. I know you pulled
an onliner two. Yeah, and come back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
See you tomorrow. Yeah, well, you know a lot. It
will be much better Boons tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (33:40):
We'll forget all about this by Dan Abbey.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Fine, you stay classy, Pittsburgh. Don't touch your face.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
I got him time Pittsburgh, allday Berby.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So now you call me Ronald?
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Would you not eat my pants?
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Ronald? Oh? Why goggle ahead?
Speaker 2 (34:05):
It's time for the Steelers Daily Report on DV, brought
to you by Calli and Pizza and Draft Holes, three
time World pizza champions and Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at Shop Dodge Steelers dot com.
Here's Tom Opferman.
Speaker 10 (34:18):
The Steelers season ended Monday night at the hands of
the Houston Texans. Thirty to six was your final score.
Houston's defense was as advertised, as they completely shut down
the Steelers offense, holding them to just one hundred and
seventy five yards of total offense and limiting them to
just two for fourteen on third downs. The Texans pass
rush was all over Aaron Rodgers, who threw for just
one hundred and forty six yards on seventeen of thirty
(34:39):
three passing. Houston sacked Rodgers four times and had twelve
quarterback hits. They also tacked on eight tackles for loss
as they completely blew up the Steelers offensive line all
night long. Defensively, the Steelers played decently well in a
game that entered the fourth quarter with Houston leading just
seven to six.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
They got adequate pressure on CJ.
Speaker 10 (34:56):
Strouds, sacking him three times and forced multiple turnovers. But
the biggest flaw by far on that side of the
ball was the inability to stop the run. Houston, who
averaged just three point nine yards per carry during the
regular season, averaged five point three against the Steelers as
they racked up one hundred and sixty four yards on
thirty one carries and one rushing touchdown. The lost means
the Steelers now have lost seven playoff games straight as
(35:18):
they continue to search for their first postseason wins since
the twenty sixteen season on tom All Forramen with the
Steelers report.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Rob King here for calient To pizza and draft ass
Offenses can't move the ball when they get stuck by
the defense, and you won't move off the couch after
you get.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Stuffed by the Caliente stuffed crust pizza.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Right now, just twenty two bucks for a large two
topic at Caliente, the official pizza of.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Wdve from the Root for your insurance traffic center, your
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Speaker 1 (35:47):
This report is sponsored by Staples.
Speaker 11 (35:49):
After most of us had a late night, looks like
a lot of people are having a late start. We
still have break lights for delays. Parkway West coming down
the hill end of the tunnels to slow ride Parkas
to slow at the tunnels both directions. Slowdown's on the
north Shore expressed to the Fort to Cane Bridge a
Bonnie diver total traffic.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
It's a new year and Staples has
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