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October 22, 2025 • 34 mins
Mike Decourcey joins the show for his weekly hit with Mark to talk Steelers and a little Ohtani as well. Mark talks about the Steelers Defense and it being a disappointment

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Mark Man Show. I got a cough
hold on. Okay, that's better. I don't know why I
went on some coughing then hit the cough button. Third minute,
still nil, Neil, Yeah, I mean, just do better, play better,
coach better, do stuff better. And I don't know how

(00:24):
bums like Schernic and Miller get snaps ahead of Roma Wilson.
Though I was shocked, I was gonna do a more
formal analysis of that. Roma Wilson actually has taken more
snaps than either of those two.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Like ninety to sixty to fifty something like that. But
I don't think that those.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Two guys should be playing hardly at all because they're bums.
Then again, is Roman Wilson justified? Then again, has he
gotten the chance to justify? I don't know if Caleb
Johnson is still on the pay no Mind list. I
don't know how decisions like that are accepted at face value.
My bottom line to the bottom line is it's a
competent organization. The team is poorly assembled and poorly coached,

(01:07):
and it won't change till the coach has changed. But
as far as playing Green Bay on Sunday goes, that
don't make.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
No, never mind.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
I'd like to take some calls today because, as we know,
when I take calls, I can more freely watch.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
The game.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Liverpool and Frankfurt. I also have to do a cameo
at some point during the show. I don't know if
you picked up on this, but in terms of the
show's priorities, the show is like among the bottom of them,
that's off sides, that call it it's off sides. I
guess it's not off sides. And now they call it. Oh,
they let the trip go. See they knew it was
off sides. Let the trip go. We have the ball

(01:46):
for like the first time in four minutes. Okay, I
want to get back to Tawny thing too. I'd like
to take some calls about that. I wrote a blog
about it. His performance in Game four of the NLCS.
Isn't an all time great athletic feed or is it
just baseball? I can't believe the World Series doesn't start
till Friday. By the way, that's just dragging it out.

(02:08):
I did do in my blog, and I will sum
this up for you now. I did summarize the what
what oh god?

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (02:20):
I did summarize I believe the top three occasions in
baseball history ahead of the.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Otawni Game last Friday are in order.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
As Tom brought up yesterday, Reggie Jackson hitting three home
runs to win Game six of the nineteen seventy seven
World Series and wrap it up for the Yankees. Number
two Don Larson's perfect game in nineteen fifty six. Number
three Johnny Cuato dropping the ball in the U National

(02:56):
League Wild Card game at PNC.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Park in twenty thirteen.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
In terms of world history, I would rank the Otawni
game somewhere between Jesus feeding the masses with the loaves
and fishes and the last three episodes of Breaking Back.
So your comments on that eight three three four one
two wxdx. That's a three three four one two w xdx.

(03:22):
I'm really impressed by the Otani thing, but it's only baseball.
Like Mariomu five bulls five ways. That's way better than
Otani did because people were whacking him with wood and
he was on skates when he did it. Uh here,
this is weird. Pat mccabee said the NBA should give
up Christmas Day to the NFL. The NBA has always

(03:42):
played all day on Christmas Day. Pat says that they
should stop doing that. Just let the NFL play that day.
I did a better idea, why don't we all give
up Christmas Day?

Speaker 2 (03:52):
To jeebus?

Speaker 1 (03:54):
I hate that mentality that everything should get out of
the way of the NFL. And Pat was whining that
old white people and old ESPN people hate him. Pat
is just I'm sorry, he's just absolutely insufferable. To reiterate,
the Steelers just got to play better. It's not making
a trade, getting a wide out. It's not talk show

(04:15):
stuff like that. Besides herbing them maybe a couple of
linemen where you can't really see it.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
I feel like every Steeler has much more to give.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Uh in a playbook and a game plan that's not
one oh one, not Pop Warner that would oh god,
oh my god, our goalie made to save our goalie
made to save this is the turnaround might have been
off sides too, h We talked about about Kindle and

(04:45):
and Uh, well that's on sides. We talked about Kindall
and uh and uh Brunnic their futures. We talked about
how Rogers had played so far. I think he's played
really well that game. I've got a few more topics
from that because a lot of stuff came out of
that Penguin game. Like I said, Sid past Marion for
points all time, regular season and playoffs. He's still twenty

(05:08):
eight points behind mariwn regular season points. But Tank got
assist number six hundred. Only twenty defensemen have done that.
We sleep on what Tank's career stats, career stats and accomplishment.
Sometimes Bradser's going to go into assists, five goals and
eight points in seven games, staggering him up with this one.
He's like the new Warren Young. Remember Warren Young? He

(05:29):
was like a thirty year old rookie. We stuck him
on Mario's line in eighty forty five, Mario's rookie year.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Warren got thirty goals.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
He signed a big money contract with Detroit, and I
don't think he scored thirty goals total for the rest
of his career. Chelaus did okay in that after conceding
a goal on the first shot, as his tradition, the
system protected him.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
It feels weird to say that about the Penguins.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
That the system protected him depends that Florida tomorrow night
can watch the game with me at Sharky's and the
Trobe Prime Rib night, best of all, my world's hockey
and Prime rib join me in truckies tomorrow night. Well,
a bunch of Steelers with the game tomorrow, the game
last night Aaron Rodgers and Will Howard included Will Howard
of course these Steelers future number one quarterback.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
I would like to get some opinions on.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
This notion that Jeremy Fowler reported that the Steelers already
want to keep Aaron Rodgers for next year.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Do you agree with it?

Speaker 1 (06:31):
How can you decide that now after just six games
in seven weeks. Does that mean you're not going to
draft the quarterback in the first round next year? Or
will you draft that quarterback and have him be Rodgers's understudy,
or will you elevate Will Howard to understudy and draft
for defense or line next year? Whatever it is? So,

(06:52):
I mean, I just I'm dumbfounded that they feel they
can make that decision at this point in the sea.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
That just amazes me. But it doesn't amaze.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
Me because that's the Steelers eat SEC with a good
chance stopped Neil Neil in the tenth minute. I don't
have a lot to talk about today. I honestly have
shot my well enough about Brassers. But uh, but so
I need calls. So calling out the thing with Rogers
and then leaning toward keeping him next year, that is

(07:25):
just uniquely Steeler insanity. It's something that I'm shocked about,
and I'm not surprised they decided it.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
All right. Uh eight three three four one two.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
Ah, Wait, corner kick. Let's see if we score off
the corner kick. Soba's lie lines up, taking far too
long to take the corner kick, which is never good.
I find the quick corner's resultant goals more often. Sobo
delivers Van Dyke gets ahead on it, but it's blocked
away and they clear.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Oh wait, Soba got it? Clears back to our goalkeeper
one X tomorrow night.

Speaker 3 (08:02):
You said the X at one five nine.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
Okay, here's a couple of questions. You want to get
some calls in right now? At A three three four
one two WSDX. What grade would you give TJ Watt
so far this season? Tommy Radio insanely said B plus.
I'd say more like C plus.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
What do you think?

Speaker 1 (08:26):
What do you think of the notion reported by Jeremy
Fowler that the Steelers are already looking to bring back
Aaron Rodgers next year that they're making that decision after
just six games and seven weeks, and my supposition that
that would then include elevating Will Howard to the air apparents,

(08:50):
and then they draft on defense on the line in
the first round next year when everyone's expecting them.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
To take a quarterback.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
Your thoughts on any or all of that A three
three four one two WXDX. Here's Mike Greenberg and Jeff
Saturday on ESPN spinning out truth about how disappointing the
Steelers defense has been.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
The Steeler defense might be the most disappointing unit all
things considered, Jeff, to.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Me in the entire NFL.

Speaker 4 (09:19):
You know that maybe they definitely are, like you said,
for the money they put in this defense and the
expectations of what this defense was gonna be. They let
the Bengals, who hadn't run the ball on anybody all season,
rush for one hundred yards in ten carries.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
That is insane.

Speaker 4 (09:35):
But you would never the Steelers never gave up hundred
yard rushers.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
And what does that do?

Speaker 4 (09:40):
It opens up for Chase for Higgins, for a guy
like Flacco, for your offensive line to be able to
win in one on one pass rush.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
You have to earn the right to rush the passer.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
Uh, that's good sound and that was the biggest failure
of that Steelers defense at Cincinnati was the run defense.
Cincinnati can't run the ball, hasn't been able to against nobody,
but was able to against the Steelers. If you get
beat by Chase and Higgins, well they do that once
in a while, but the Steelers got beat by a
non existent running game and by Joe Flacco and compiling

(10:15):
the embarrassment is that they very often get beat by
Joe Flacco. At what point do you get that that
defense is a much overpaid, fading old bastards and it
won't get better except for sporadically the odd game where
they play up to their pedigree in their past. It's
just not a good defense. It won't get better. That

(10:37):
defense will be the reason they fail at that price.
What's going to Scooch and hope we'll scoot You're on
with double.

Speaker 5 (10:45):
M What up, big Sexy? Hey, this might sound a
little crazy or far fetched, but would you consider bumping
Ruster Raquel off that top power play and maybe sliding
kindle or to someone?

Speaker 2 (10:58):
Absolutely? Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (11:00):
I would, I would, I would definitely bump rust or
Raquel off in favor of Kendall. He is a better
power play guy right now, at age eighteen.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
He has better.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Instincts, and we see that in his sporadic power play time.
He's better than either of those two. This isn't about
veteran respect. It's about young developments, and in this case,
it would normally be about young development, but giving yourself
a better chance to win, because Kendall would make the
power play better.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
I agree.

Speaker 5 (11:26):
And how nice is it in refreshing to see Carlson
and Latang just playing simple hockey. No more hospital passes,
no more stupid pinches. I think if they can just
just keep it simple stupid, uh, they might have a
successful year.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
Well, and you said no more, I would I would, Uh,
I would rethink that and say not as many.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let's go to Donnie. Donnie, you're out of your elements.

Speaker 6 (11:49):
That's right, dude. Hey, uh, Mark about the showy thing. Yeah,
it's a great list that you put together. I was
wondering if you thought something like US single Olympics, like
what Phelps did in Beijing would qualify.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, it's always swimming.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
I mean I shouldn't say that, but I don't think
people care about it. Like the Olympic accomplishments, Nobody cares
about them except while they're going on. Then that sport
and that athlete has generally not talked about ever again
except in the past tense for what he had done.

Speaker 6 (12:23):
Yeah, that's fair in baseball. Although I know it's not
quite the athleticism that something like basketball or hockey is,
it still is a major sport, you know. And uh,
his appeal what he's done in terms of that that
stage and bringing it to a global attention because of
who he is and where he's from. To me, that's
a bit of a factor. You know, he's got the

(12:44):
he's got that certain it to him that makes him
a megastar. You know, he's not just Masarowski one time Homer.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
Oh, he's he's got he's got charisma. There's no doubt
about it, in the in the pitching and the hitting.
But I do think you know, it's it's funny we
overrate what he does, even what he does is amazing.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
Does that make sense?

Speaker 1 (13:03):
Oh?

Speaker 6 (13:04):
Absolutely it does.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
People say he's better than Babe Ruth. He is, by
no standard or statistic better than Babe Ruth.

Speaker 6 (13:14):
No people forget that the Babe hit more home runs
than everybody on one team.

Speaker 2 (13:19):
Again he broke the record.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
He is, by no standard or statistic better than Babe Ruth.
You cannot draw a remote parallel between them except that
they both pitch and they both hit. But but you
know Ruth did both at a far bigger level.

Speaker 6 (13:34):
Ruth once led his league and earned run average. Show
hey kind of still pitches just occasionally.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
Yeah, and show he's a DH too, which doesn't win
him points to my mind.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
Thank you for the call up.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Next, gonna talk Steelers with Mike the course here the
sporting there's one oh five nine.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
It's The Woody Show.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
You can stream the X and US The Woody Show
on the free iHeartRadio app weekday mornings at six one
five ninety X.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
This is Doug Gottlieb.

Speaker 7 (14:01):
Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports.

Speaker 8 (14:03):
Network, presented by Mercedes Benz.

Speaker 9 (14:05):
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin refused the comment on Acroshur Stadium's
playing surface yesterday.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
He said grass quality is in his area of expertise.

Speaker 9 (14:13):
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby he passed Mario Laneue for the
most points in franchise history with a goal and last
night's win over Vancouver, and Michael Jordan missus playing basketball,
saying in his debut on NBC, he wishes he could
take a magic pill and compete again.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
I'm Scott Davidson.

Speaker 8 (14:29):
Looking for an exceptional driving experience. Find it behind the
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local Mercedes Benz Steealer Today, this hour the Mark.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
Maddin Shows, brought to you by bud Light, proudly served
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Speaker 2 (14:50):
Stopping Hager is an enjoy.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
Two FIFTYV The Exit one oh five nine Steelers looking
to get back on track with the home game against
Green Bay Sunday night. Joining me now to talk about
the black and Goal from the Sporting News, It's Mike
de Corsi.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
Mike, before we talked football, Where does the.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
Otawani game last Friday rank among baseball's all time achievements
and sports in general?

Speaker 7 (15:12):
Well, it was amazing, there's no doubt to be able
to but you know, it's a little it's a little
hard because.

Speaker 3 (15:19):
Baseball it's it's a totally different entity than in any
other sport because teams in players and teams in hockey
and basketball soccer regularly play both offense and defense. So
the fact that he was extraordinary on both sides isn't

(15:40):
exceptional in the broader world of sports. But in baseball,
it's relatively unprecedented to be able to do that on
that stage, So it kind of is hard to bring
in the other sports in that sense. Obviously, in football
would be like Travis Hunt, Travis Hunter having a phenomenal
game where three picks and then four touchdown passes or something.

Speaker 7 (16:02):
But I don't think there are very many other.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
Sports that aside from the one he plays, that would
make a a apparable app excuse me, apropos comparison. I
do think that what he did in the context of
baseball was precedent and one of the great things we've
ever seen.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
Now looking at the Steelers, are they bought those three
games in a row to Cincinnati and then Green Bay
and Indianapolis because it kind of feels like like that
Cincinnati game was a was a turning point downward.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
Well, I mean, it could be, certainly if they perform
in the same fashion that they did last Thursday. They're
not going to beat the Packers, but will they be
as poor defensively in that game?

Speaker 7 (16:48):
The preponderance of the.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
Evidence says yes, because they've played six games and.

Speaker 7 (16:52):
Four we were.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
Horrendous on defense and two were pretty capable. Obviously that
you have to put a little asterisk on the Cleveland
game because they're not a great offense. But they played
very well defensively against the Vikings and then seemed to
trend in the right direction against the Browns, and then
just and even for the first i don't know ten
twelve minutes of the Bengals game, seemed like they were

(17:17):
really connected and then just fell apart. They allowed that
one big run and from that point on they were
the poor team they had been for the first three
four games.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
To find exactly what's wrong with that defense, because to
say it's underachieving given payroll and talent.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
Is an understatement.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
Oh yeah, I think it's the way I look at
it is when they executed the trade for Minca Mica
for john Us Smith and Jalen Ramsey. When they did that,
they sort of the emphasized the free safety position, and
they're paying a just a drastic price, and I'm honestly

(18:00):
surprised that there aren't more people talking about this. When
they talk about the Steelers getting into the trade market,
everything seems to be about getting a second wide receiver,
and meanwhile, the secondary is absolutely getting shredded, and there
doesn't seem to be anybody talking about the fact that
it begins with you have a bell below average free

(18:22):
safety and you're and it's punishing you in those circumstances
where a top safety might make a difference, they're not
getting anything.

Speaker 7 (18:33):
And to me, I don't see a way.

Speaker 3 (18:36):
To turn this around on defense, at least in the
past game without upgrading your talent at safety.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
I agree with that.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
I think Ramsey, I mean, I reacted favorably to his versatility,
but the thing they're missing is the thing he really
doesn't do.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
And is this scheme too passive? Mike?

Speaker 1 (18:57):
Is there not enough blitzing in too much space underneath
on pass coveries?

Speaker 2 (19:01):
They were so scared.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
To give up a big play against Cincinnati that Jamar
Chase just had, you know, rue of the field underneath.

Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yeah, I thought that the scheme against the Bengals was terrible.

Speaker 7 (19:12):
And what surprised me. Wasn't that it was initially terrible.

Speaker 3 (19:15):
I understand you come out and you think, well, if
we control their run game, and we certainly should because
they have been so poor at that that all we
have to do is protect against the long plays one one, oh.

Speaker 7 (19:29):
There you go, one one. I'm a little behind you,
and so and so. It probably made sense.

Speaker 3 (19:36):
But then what the Steelers have done really well most years,
even under Butler and then again with Austin as a
defensive coordinators, if they had it wrong in the start,
then they would adjust some things at halftime and then
they would be appreciably better in the second half.

Speaker 7 (19:53):
They adjusted very little, at least.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
In terms of the broader scheme against against the Bengals
on last Thursday, and they produced the same, if not
worse results.

Speaker 7 (20:06):
And that's what really surprised me.

Speaker 3 (20:07):
It was it wasn't working to be non aggressive against
Flaco in the first half, So let's go out and
be non aggressive against Flacco in the second half.

Speaker 7 (20:17):
What difference did.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
It make If it took eight plays for the Bengals
to go down and score a touchdown or two, they
were still doing the same thing. And so the idea
that they didn't heat up Placo almost at all in
that second half. Just really surprised me, and ultimately it
cost him a game they could have won, should have won.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
We're talking to Mike the course of the Sporting News
here on the act. Yeah, I agree with all that.
Jamar Chase said that the Steelers defense did exactly as
expected and as the Bengals won, and that is that
is double barreled, dominate, damnation.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
When you when you hear that criticism, now, well, I'll.

Speaker 3 (20:56):
Be honest with you, Mark, I thought that was as
phony as as you could be it because I don't
think they expected the Steelers to come out and never blitz.

Speaker 7 (21:06):
I don't think they expected that.

Speaker 9 (21:07):
I think he was.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
Talking about the coverage though, Mike, like the uh uh,
the having Ramsey on Chase and Porter on Higgins.

Speaker 7 (21:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
But but but in past they have done more doubling
on Higgins and less on Chase, and they did less
of that in this game.

Speaker 7 (21:25):
I mean there some most of if.

Speaker 3 (21:26):
Not all, not all obviously, but a lot of let
me say, uh, Jamar Chase's bigger plays were against Slay,
so they didn't do exactly that.

Speaker 7 (21:37):
I thought that was kind of phony. And then we
heard it the same from Julian Edelman. Uh, it's it's
a way to make yourself seem superior.

Speaker 3 (21:46):
Look, the Steelers have not been that predictable in terms
of the way they played defense if they If that
were the case, then other teams wouldn't have allowed them
to sack their quarterbacks more than anybody else for five
years running. It's not I mean, it's not a matter
of just predictability. It's a matter of effectiveness. They have
not designed effective schemes for this group. The players have

(22:09):
not played effectively. The number of times I've seen linebackers
come up and throw themselves onto blocks and allow backs
to run for twenty and thirty yards, if not longer.

Speaker 7 (22:20):
Is It's inexplicable. Why would you do that?

Speaker 3 (22:23):
What are you trying to achieve by throwing yourself onto
a block.

Speaker 7 (22:27):
You're supposed to be there to tackle somebody.

Speaker 3 (22:29):
If you throw yourself onto the block, then you force
it onto a safety. The tackle has to be made
by a safety, and there's a very good chance that
that tackle is going to be made farther down the field,
and there's a.

Speaker 7 (22:40):
Greater chance as well that the tackle won't.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
Be made Mike, we know green Bay is going to
be a handful. Can the Steelers control Parsons in that
green Bay defense? I say that thinking it's going to
be tough, But they did a good job against Garrett
in a pretty good Cleveland defense, a very similar type
of setup.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Yeah, the offense line has been much better over the
course of the last few games.

Speaker 7 (23:04):
I thought the and we talked about this.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
I know the criticism of Broderick Jones was overdone early on.
We're seeing growth there. He's been much better of late.
Troy Faltanu has been much better. We've seen fewer breakdowns
in the middle. Rogers is getting a little less pressure
than he once was, and now I.

Speaker 7 (23:25):
Think that when you get less then you can.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
React better to that which you see, which he was
very good at avoiding what pressure he saw by the
Cincinnati defense. So I think that we're seeing them improve.
And obviously Parsons is a great player, and you have
to be aware of where he is and you have
to pay him special attention and you have to execute

(23:49):
great against him. But for me, the principal concern is
this defense getting back to coverage being more effective and
to the run game being as effective. As it was
the run defense being as effective as it was against
Minnesota and Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
To me, the principal concern is Van Dyke just scored
two to one.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
Now you played Josh Jacobs this week, You play Jonathan
Taylor of Indie next week. If that run defense doesn't
figure it out, oh, those are arguably the two best
backs in the league. And as I said just before
you came on, Mike, I think the most shocking part
of that Cincinnati game wasn't the Jamar and t Higgins,

(24:31):
especially Jamar ripped him up, is that the Bengals ran
the ball on him, because the Bengals can't run the
ball on anybody. And now we're talking Jacobs and Taylor.

Speaker 7 (24:39):
Yeah, it was stunning to me that they that they.

Speaker 3 (24:43):
Were as effective as they were, And I think that, honestly,
that was one of those things where I think they
took it lightly. I think they thought that it wouldn't
be difficult that their minds were totally on Chase and
Higgins in much the same way as I talked about
after they after the game against the Jets, when they
seem so vexed by what they knew justin fields might

(25:05):
be able to do with the with the ball on
his legs. I think they were much more concerned about
what was going on behind them and as a result
didn't focus on just doing the basics when the ball
was run. And they have to be if you're If
you don't fix the secondary and improve that, the defensive
line and the linebackers are always going to be vexed

(25:27):
by that.

Speaker 7 (25:28):
So it all comes together as part of a piece.

Speaker 3 (25:31):
You have to be good at both or you're going
to be good at neither.

Speaker 2 (25:36):
How good is.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
Jordan love Green based quarterback? He's not quite ascended to
that Farvin Rodgers level.

Speaker 7 (25:41):
Has he No, And he's not played great yet this year.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
I mean, he may have had some one or two
great games, but on the whole, this has not been
a great breakthrough season for love and I think a
lot of people expected it when.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
He's been prone to some egregious mistakes too.

Speaker 3 (25:57):
Yes, and so, I mean I watched the game against
the Bengals, and that was when I first became concerned
that the Bengals game might not be as easy as
it appeared on paper, because they the Packers really had
a tough time in the second half, especially on the
defensive end, they were not stopping the Bengals.

Speaker 7 (26:16):
I think Bengals had two.

Speaker 3 (26:17):
Hundred plus yards in that second half against them, and offensively,
they weren't shredding what is not a great Bengals defense.
And so that I think the Steelers have a chance
to right themselves here, but they'll have to play great.

Speaker 7 (26:33):
Certainly, at their very worst, the Packers are.

Speaker 3 (26:36):
A solid NFL team, and at their very best they're
up there in the top six or seven teams in
the league.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
What's it going to be like for Rogers playing against
Green Bay for the first time. Well, he psyched himself out,
you know, like like Lafflier says, it's just another game.
I'm sure Rodgers will say the same. But you know,
Rogers doesn't think that way. I think the potential is
there for him to play very well or very badly
if he overthinks it.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, I think that one of the things that's been
impressive to me, really, the thing that's been most impressive
to me about Rogers since he came to Pittsburgh is.

Speaker 7 (27:09):
That he's done everything right and the right thing.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
Is to not worry about this like it's just another
team and when it's over, if you win you can
take a little extra proct in it, but you have
to look at it as just another team that have
those eleven guys on defense and that coach and that DC.

Speaker 7 (27:29):
Et cetera. You can't worry about that, And it just
it seems to me that it would be.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
Right now, it would be totally out of character for
Aaron Rodgers the football player to worry the least about
the fact that he's playing against his old team. For me,
I honestly, I think he would be more prone to
that if it were the Jets, with the way everything
went down at the end, he might think a little
bit more about that.

Speaker 7 (27:55):
And maybe he did at the beginning of that game
when they opened it.

Speaker 3 (27:59):
But I think right now he's just focused on, Hey,
this is a game we have to win because should
have won last week. Got a really couple of tough
ones coming after this. It's a home game in prime time.
Gotta play great, gotta win.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
No, I think you're right.

Speaker 1 (28:13):
I think if the game we're at Green Bay, it
might be slightly different as well, But it's at Pittsburgh now.
Jeremy Fowler broke a story that the Steelers right now
are already leaning toward bringing.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
Rogers back for next year.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Does that surprise you to have made it seemingly in
this timeframe.

Speaker 3 (28:31):
No, and I'll tell you why, Mark, because I think
that and I believe, and I have believe strongly that
the Steelers will be in the market in the draft
for a number one QB unless everybody just completely blunders
from here to the end of the year.

Speaker 7 (28:47):
I think they're going to go into the draft with
that in mind.

Speaker 3 (28:50):
I don't know there's a darnold out there that is
likely to be let go into free agency by his team.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
What if they conned themselves to believe it?

Speaker 1 (29:00):
In Will Howard though, I wonder about that because he's
coming off ir now.

Speaker 7 (29:04):
Gosh, I don't. I hope that's not the case. I mean,
you can't bet on a fifth round pick.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
If it happens, you don't deny it, as the forty
nine Ers did not with Rock Perdy in.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
You can't plan for it though, No.

Speaker 7 (29:17):
Absolutely not. Like I said, if it had three one, of.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Course, are you ripping this game wide open karate? With
the header three to one Liverpool?

Speaker 7 (29:25):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (29:27):
I don't think that you can afford to ever bet
on that, Like I said, Brady happened, and don't get out,
You don't get in the way of that. You don't say, well,
he's only a six six round pick. So what we're
seeing is it real? And the forty nine ers did
that with Perdy And I'm not sure that Perdy is
Brady or even may be worth investing in, but they
decided on that. So if Will Howard surpasses all expectation

(29:50):
and absolutely proves he's the guy, you let it happen,
but you plan for Hey, we got to get somebody
in here that's a real number one. And I don't think,
and looking at the league, that there's a Donald coming
off of last year.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
Well, no, no, there really isn't. There's no like free agent.
That's why I'm that ill bit.

Speaker 1 (30:10):
But Mike, here's the other thing though, Mike, and you're
a big college football guy. A lot of the heralded
first round picks have not had good years. Is that number?
Is that pool shrinking?

Speaker 3 (30:21):
I think it's shrinking, or it's being redirected.

Speaker 7 (30:24):
More so, I.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
Think some of the guys that everybody thought would be
those guys arch Manning nuss Meyer at LSU.

Speaker 7 (30:32):
Guys like that.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
It's switching away from them a little bit, But guys
like Mattier at Oklahoma, the Mendoza at Indiana, people are
starting to believe in them, and I.

Speaker 7 (30:43):
Don't know whether by the end we'll believe in them.

Speaker 3 (30:46):
Sam Levitt at Arizona State's another guy's got it's got
one of those feisty streaks in him. You kind of like,
we'll know more by the end of the year whether
those guys are capable. But I like the idea of
bringing this Aaron Rodgers back. And remember I'm I'm acknowledging
that I was very critical at the beginning of the
decision to do it. But if he continues to be

(31:09):
this player and this person, then having him to mentor no, no, no.

Speaker 2 (31:14):
I'm not against him, Mike.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
I just think it's odd that they're already thinking in
those terms.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
Now, well, I think.

Speaker 7 (31:21):
You have to plan ahead and that far.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
But you're not doing anything. I mean, you haven't offered
him a contract extension. If if, if what was reported
by Fowler was that there was a deal on the
table for X number of million dollars and this and that,
I would be shocked, right, just internal conversation, Hey, this
might not be this guy we like him.

Speaker 7 (31:42):
We like who he is, we like who he is
around our team. He's been great. You saw last night
he brought Howard to the hockey game. So some of
the stuff we.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
Heard at the early part of training camp and mini
camp and all that about how cooperative he been with
trying to help Howard become a better player to be
a real NFL player must be true. I mean that
he doesn't have to keep doing that. So if you
can have that guy.

Speaker 7 (32:05):
Around a young quarterback, then why wouldn't you? And after all,
I've been on.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
The record about this many times. You'd much rather have
a guy. If you get that guy in round one
this year on the north side, you want to have
him sit Mark.

Speaker 7 (32:22):
You don't want to have to play.

Speaker 2 (32:24):
I don't dispute that at all. I agree.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
I mean, there are the rare exceptions, but they are
just that rare exceptions, exactly.

Speaker 3 (32:31):
Ben is one of the few exceptions. Brady Mahomes, Rogers himself,
they all sat and they all became great.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
Mike is always great stuff.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
You set a record, by the way, most Liverpool goals
during one interview segment with.

Speaker 6 (32:45):
Three, So.

Speaker 7 (32:48):
I'll take that absolutely.

Speaker 1 (32:49):
I could not be happier Mike. Good stuff. We'll talk
next week.

Speaker 7 (32:53):
Thanks Mark.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
That's Mike. The core Seat Mike. Brought to list by
south Fields Kia. South Fields Kia has the Ride and
a price You love You heard me right, The Palindrome
van Dijke Kanati three one rants, one oh five nine
The Spirits Summer News to join us for the Xers Halloween.

Speaker 7 (33:14):
Cruise on Thursday, October thirtyeth.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
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Speaker 10 (33:20):
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playing all your nineties favorites.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
Ten dollars and fifty nine cents from every ticket.

Speaker 10 (33:27):
Sold goes to the Mariellamuth Foundation, drawing the X Crew
for this twenty one ear older event and dressing your
Halloween best to score prizes all night. Fo Tickets are
on sale now at Gateway clipper dot com. The Exes
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Speaker 2 (33:48):
We'll see you one October thirty.

Speaker 7 (33:52):
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Speaker 6 (33:52):
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