November 5, 2025 • 36 mins
Mark plays a soundbite from Big Ben about the Steelers being dependent on turnovers . Mike Decourcey joins for his weekly chat with Mark
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
X since my baby has gone on, don't know what
to do.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Since the Steelers did zilch at yesterday's trade deadline. You
know what has to happen now is the Steelers need
to go to LA and beat the Chargers.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
If you think you're.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good enough as is, okay, then prove you're good enough
as is and get off that mushy middle up and
down headed to the same destination roller coaster the Steelers
have been on for a decade. To beat La, and
then you gotta beat Cincinnati at home. Joe Flack will
be damned, and then you're seven and three. Prove you're
(00:43):
good enough as is. After standing pat yesterday, we should
all be weary of the same old, same old. And
like I said, you got all these new guys, big
names Aaron Rodgers, and things feel exactly the same. I
get total all Well, though Steelers number said they're all in,
they went on and got Father Time to be the
(01:06):
quarterback that they brought in Darius shouldn't play it all
sway they brought in Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I mean, if that's not all in, bringing in.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
A bunch of fossils who still might be okay, but
eight got it for the long term.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I don't know how you describe all in there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Let's see if the defense can have a second straight
big game and what and if Highsmith can stay off
the milk carton After incredibly emerging to be the AFC
Defensive Player of the Week this week, it was like,
you know what himing a good game was. It was
like they finally found the Amelia Earhart. Yeah, I mean
the plane disappeared eighty years ago, but we found there.
(01:47):
It's amazing. And everybody under a certain age swier who
bring is Amelia Earhart? Look it up Google. You know,
Let's see if that went over Indy was an outlier.
Let's see even one very good game if it can
(02:08):
be sustained. Let's see if that happens. I mean, it's
not a team of consistency, not as a team, nor
the individuals. Rogers has been consistent, mostly, the O line
has been consistent, mostly Ramsey two mostly, actually Rogers more
(02:28):
than mostly. I can't think of one instance where I
can say Rogers, I mean, screwed the pooch. But if
you're gonna compile a list of who's been consistent with
the Steelers, it is not a very long list to me,
You've got to run the ball more. Ben said the
same thing. Got a clip from his podcast later, you
(02:49):
got to run the ball more and better. Not because
it's the so called Stiller way, but because Warren's getting better.
That O line's getting better. But Tada on the right
is emerging, Jones on the left, he's doing okay, So
do what's getting better?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
More?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
And maybe it gets better still, John, who's I eight
d K's been a big disappointment, he asks, Calvin Austin.
Third is just he's just what's the word I'm looking for? Well,
they like to be called little people. He's a number
three masquerading as number two, and he's okay, but he's little.
(03:35):
I gotta admit I was watching Bad Santa Too the
other night, the sequel, which ain't that good but ain't
that bad either, And when I saw what's the guy's name,
his partner in crime, the guy who played the elf,
I thought of Calvin Austin.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I mean, you can put together a link a list
of where the Steelers are weak, and it's not short,
and yet the Steelers did nothing yesterday. What I really
want to talk about is we got the Penguins hosting
Washington tomorrow. Sergei Morishov called up the Russian goalie, the
Russian nightmare, Kitha. I think he should play. I know
(04:18):
the rotations for Shiloffs to play, but then you have
Morishov make his Penguins debut in New Jersey on Saturday
at twelve thirty.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I know Muses all hockey. I know Dupas is all hockey.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I also know this team needs to sell seats and
generate hype. So have a sense of the freaking occasion
and start morishoff. Uh, Kendall is going to be on
Sid's line at wing. I like him at center, but
I like this too. Me like the Penguins need to
win tomorrow against Washington to get back on track, if
indeed you think they can get a playoff spot. We
(04:57):
are learning, by the way, when you look at some
of the moves that had to be I mean calling
up Ryan Graves and Danton Heinen, we are realizing it
that it only takes a few injuries to expose how
crappy that roster really is, that it lacks depth almost totally,
and you know, just it sabotages the depth chart.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
The college football.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Playoffs put out its first rankings. Pitt and Penn State
are absent. I mean, so is Ducane. Penn State plays
host to Indiana. Indian is undefeated nine to zero and
ranked number two in the CFP pull. Penn State is
three and five. When listen to Big Ten, Indian is
(05:39):
a fourteen point favorite, and write this down. You heard
it here. That's gonna be a close game and Penn
State might win. Penn State will easily cover in Creepy Valley,
no question. Uh, Indiana is maybe not good enough to
be ten and zero, you know what I mean. I
feel they're a real good team. I feel they could
win playoff games. I don't see them as a ten
(06:01):
and o team. Remember the year the Steelers started off
like was it ten and oh? Nine and oh? And
I said, okay, they're not that good. In the end
is nine and zero, and they're good, really good. I
feel better about them in the context of college football
now than I did about the Steelers then. I knew
the Steelers then that it was fool's gold and they
were headed right to where they arrived.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
But Penn State isn't so bad as to be winless
in the Big Ten.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Penn State has good players, and Pitt is off and
is preparing to host Notre Dame the week after.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
That'll be huge.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And really, I only talked about college football now because
I felt I had some time to fill and I'm
just not interested. I got a tweet I responded in
like some guy said, grow up, it's no big deal.
They didn't trade for a rental wide receiver. Blah blah
(06:57):
blah blah blah, grow up, and I tweeted back, I
go listen. There's nobody out there that gives a crap
less about what the Steelers do than I do. I'm
just analyzing, and I'm right about this. They should not
have stood Pat yesterday. They did themselves and you the fan,
(07:20):
a disservice by standing Pat yesterday. No question, in my mind,
they might not say they're all in, but the roster
they've assembled indicates they're all in.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You know what could happen? Nobody's talking about by the way.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Five and three start to me, it's one win less
than I expected and predicted. I expected six and two
at this point, and they've won games.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I didn't figure. They've lost games. I didn't figure.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I mean, namely, I didn't figure they'd beat the Colts,
but I didn't figure they'd lose to Cincinnati. But nobody
talks about this team's so old. Those old bastards gonna
get hurt, those old bastards gonna tie out. I don't
think this is going to be a team that gets
better in the second half. I think it's a team
that needs to, like now, have a two game lead
(08:09):
the AFC North and hold on for dear life, and
then how much you got left for the playoffs. Quit
being a baby, fat ass, you get upset about everything.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Fat ass. Now I just call like I say it.
Let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I'm almost always right because I'm smarter than all of you.
I've been doing these ads for a waking one to eighty,
(08:43):
the weight loss program, and it's working, no question. And
one of the favorite things they give you is you
get like a snack in the morning and in the
afternoon a lot of it's like a drink or a smoothie.
And they have this grapefruit drink that is just incredible,
just incredible. I'm having one right now. And one thing
(09:03):
to remember if you go on a wake a one
to eighty is this grapefruit drink is great, and vodka
has zero calories, just saying, just putting that out there.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Like vodka with this.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I haven't tried. It'd be better than vodka with actual grapefruit.
This tastes better than actual grapefruit juice.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Tom the producer corrected me during the break, pitt is
actually ranked in the college football playoff rankings. They're right
number twenty four, which is a long way from me
playoff spot, but at least it's something. Tom has been
fined one hundred dollars for correcting me. That's off limits,
out of bonds, even if you're right and I'm wrong.
(09:53):
I also saw Matt Williamson the hallway and I told
him what I just said about He is such a
big critic of the Steelers by tweeting facts like that
they lead the league going three and out. They go
three and out on forty three percent of their offensive possessions.
And we were discussing, I wish we would have taped this.
(10:15):
We agreed in today's era of offensive football and rules
to protect the offense, Uber Honus that to go three
and out that often is just an incredible figure. And
we were wondering and Matt's going to check this out
and get back to me. We were wondering what the
(10:35):
second highest figures for three and outs because what if
it was something like thirty five percent compared to the
Steelers forty three percent, that would make an additional critical
statement with the Black and Gold offense. And like I've
been saying, Rogers is playing great, I think mostly he is.
But I used and then removed the term mostly a
(10:58):
couple segments ago.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Now I'm going back the mostly because.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
If your offense is going three and out forty three
percent of the time, well, Rogers is taking all the snaps.
When that happens, you can call the show.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
We got time for some calls eight.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Three three four one two w XDX right now, though,
we got a SoundBite from Ben Roethlisberger because the Big
Ben Podcast is simply awesome. The Big Ben Podcast is
easily better than my show. That's not true, but I
think it's the nice thing to say. Here's the old
cowboy talking about the slippery slope that is the Steelers
(11:38):
relying on a whole bunch of takeaways to win?
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Can we win without getting a ton of turnovers? Bengals,
we lose no turnovers. Packers, we lose no turnovers. Coach,
we win because we create a lot of turnovers. Can
we line up get no turnovers and still win the
football game? That's going to be the question everyone's right
now talking about. I know you're gonna ask me, is
(12:02):
the defense back?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah? I think this helps a lot. This gives you momentum.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Look, I never drink on the job, well rarely, usually
I don't, But if I had vodka here in the building,
I would add it to this grapefruit drink right now,
this awake in one eighty grapefruit drink.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
What Ben said, that's bang on.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
It's one thing to play good defense, it's another to
get five and six takeaways and another still to lose
when you don't get them, to rely on a bunch
of takeaways. And then there's the debate, did you take
or did they give against the Colts? The Steelers took
against New England the Patriots gave. People always talk about
(12:47):
it's a football truism. If you win the turnover battle,
you win the game. Whatever. Percent of the time, that's true.
But what if it's a tie with the turnovers? You
can't rely on that because some teams protect the ball
better on the day. Now number to call eight three
(13:08):
three four one two w xdx. I still with this
Penguins thing. I've really talked myself into this, being fanatic
about it. They got to stop moreshoft tomorrow night. If
he's here and he's gonna play one of the next
two games, play him the home game that debut.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
With Flurry, Flurry's rookie year when he was eighteen, Penguins lost,
He stopped the penalty shot. He made an.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Impression, and the fans knew where that team was headed
in goal. Anyway, I would start more shof tomorrow night.
And I know you want to stick to a rotation.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I know Dan muses hockey one hundred percent of the time,
so is Kyle Dubis. But you've got to have a sense.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Of the effing occasion when you got a bunch of
empty seats in net building and you're trying to stoke
hype from a start.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's pretty good eight four and two, but the hype
eight soul tickets hit, so up your hype game.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
MORI shot in goal tomorrow night. So it has been said,
so it should come to pass. Let's go to Nick
in the truck Nick, what's up?
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Hey? Mark?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
I called to ask to talk about the defense. But
first question, how many pounds you down? And how long
has it been?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
I weighed myself this morning. Let me think twenty six
pounds in about a month. And keep in mind I
took I took four days off the diet when I
went to Liverpool and eight fish and chips.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
So i lost four of those pounds twice. But I'm
gonna do that.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
That's I told them that I go when I travel,
I'm gonna, you know, not eat what I want, but
eat certain things I always do.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
And then did you have to change anything with your
exercise routine or that has that been the same.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
My exercise routine had been forty five minutes a day
on the treadmill, probably six days a week. Now I'm
doing thirty minutes a day on the treadmill five or
six days a week. And I'm doing less because they
say thirty minutes is the ideal amount, well the required amount.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I could do more.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
That never hurts, but also because it has sapped my
energy a little bit, losing that much weight that quickly,
but the weights the energy is starting to return as
I get used to the diet and now I'm back
to thirty minutes a day every day for the past week,
and uh, I'm going to try to do forty five
starting on the Monday.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
So you've lessened your exercise and you're still losing that
much weight.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Dude. Yeah, yeah, either that I have some bad.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Illness or a tapeworm or someone who knows, right, I
don't care. Hey job man. Yeah, Hey, the defense. Here's
what I'm happy about. They made changes that I didn't
think they were going to make. Ramsey at safety, I actually,
I don't know if you saw it. I actually saw
t J. Watt getting out of position and coming through
the middle and doing different stunts, not just staying in
(15:54):
his ideal comfortable spots. I saw like high and walk,
getting out in better coverage on pass plays and at
the same time blitzing backside corners and backs. You know,
I did. I was very excited to see that they
actually made some changes, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Anything part of that was bruh, the stuff you're talking
about because of the tactically changes. Because of the tactical
changes they made, like the four to three stuff, the
three inside backers, three outside backers, Matt Williamson explained all
that stuff so precisely earlier this week on the program.
It got the players out of playing by road of
doing the same.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Thing, snap in and snap out. And I think that
that is responsible as much as anything for the improvements
you said.
Speaker 6 (16:40):
Yeah, I definitely like that. What I don't like, though,
is that should have been a Steeler blowout with the
amounts not only of turnovers we had, but field position
that came to nothing. You said, three and outs were awful.
Look at our fourth down conversion rate that was that
was pitiful.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Good comment. Let's go to Eric. Eric, you're own with double.
Speaker 7 (17:01):
And Mark.
Speaker 8 (17:02):
I just want to talk about Steelers, you know, passing
up on two I resceivers. You know, we could have
gave up a fourth and a six or a fourth
and a fifth go out and grab you know, Jacoby
Myers or Fort Shaheed. You know, we're we're trying to
make a run this year. I don't see why we wouldn't,
you know, give up a fourth and a six or
a fourth and a fifth makes no sense.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
I mean I would have traded the two first round
picks for sauce. But barring that, I don't know how
you don't give up a third and a sixth which
would a top Jacksonville's offer to get Jakobe Myers, or
what exactly was giving up for Shaheed.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
Shahed was a fourth and a fifth round pick twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, roughly the same offer, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
As for Myers in Shaheed, like I said earlier, his
stats with New Orleans, he would he would be the
number one receiver on the Steelers and catch his and yards.
Speaker 8 (17:53):
Yeah, it's just insane. I hate hearing this all in.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
All in, all in, you.
Speaker 8 (17:58):
Think you grow all in, you go get a receiver,
sal You know now we're dealing with Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller,
Ben S. Karnick and all these bumbs.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
They're not all bums, They're just none of them are legit.
Number two S Thank.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
You for the call.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Okay, up next, gonna talk with the core seat one.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
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Speaker 1 (18:21):
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Speaker 4 (18:26):
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Speaker 1 (18:31):
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Speaker 4 (18:36):
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Speaker 7 (18:41):
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Speaker 2 (18:50):
We all livepool Trala La Up. We'll talk about poetry
in motion maybe at the end of this segment. But
joining me now from the Sporting News. He's a Pittsburgher,
He's a Red. He is Mike de Corsi. Mike, I'm
not shocked the Steelers did nothing at yesterday's trade deadline,
but I think they should have. The deadline is about
keeping up with the Joneses, and the Steelers didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well, I think that.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
You know, one of the things that Mike Tomlins said
yesterday at his press conference was he likes to go shopping. Well,
I like to go shopping, but when I go into
a store and I see an item that I think
I might want and there's no available price tag, and
you say to the clerk how much the second it costs?
Speaker 7 (19:30):
And then you hear the price and you say, man,
I don't want it.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
That bad, and I think that that's what it came
down to for the Steelers. I think they would have
loved to have had Kobe Myers on their team, but
they weren't going to pay two draft picks for a
rental when you don't know how quickly the player will
get acclimated. You don't if you don't know if he'll
(19:52):
stay with you long term, or maybe even whether the
cost for a long term, longer term would be worthwhile.
Speaker 7 (20:00):
And I honestly, I think he's a better player.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
At this stage of his career than Calvin Austin. Don't
get me wrong, but if you look at the stats
through this part of the season, there's not enormous difference
between the two of them. I don't think that, with
the way the Steelers are playing at this stage, and
as they've continued to evolve, that having a second receiver
(20:25):
of Meyer's quality would make enough of a difference to
justify paying those two draft Well.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
No, that last part I get Mike, because I mean,
who knows how to utilize him. I mean, it's just
not that kind of offense. But the reason I'd have
done it is because I don't think the price of
a fourth and a sixth was onerous. I would have
traded for Shaheed maybe from New Orleans too. He commanded
a similar return. And my disclaimer would be, if DK
(20:54):
gets hurt the season is over, I would have got
a guy like that's not the way to be the
number two receiver.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
But as DK.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
Insurance, Yeah to me, I'll be honest with you, I
don't think you.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I mean, if DK gets hurt for a couple of games,
it may be a couple of games you're gonna lose. Anyway,
if DK gets hurt and he's down for a protracted period,
Kobe Myers isn't changing your math. I mean, you're you're
not going where you had hoped to go, and certainly
not where you were probably going. You know that you
had a chance to go. I don't think Jakobe Myers
(21:25):
changes that.
Speaker 7 (21:26):
I really don't like.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I said if I like the hope that he could though,
and I would trade a fourth and the sixth based
on hope, based on you have all these old guys
on the team, Mike. They they're now denying that anybody else,
well not them, but people were saying they never said
they're all in.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
But with these old guys.
Speaker 7 (21:43):
They are well, I mean they're in as much as
they can be.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Certainly they want this season to be the best they
it could be, and that over the last several years
has meant close to the playoffs or in the playoffs,
and it hasn't met advancement. And maybe if you get
a couple of breaks, you can advance. But I think
that if Myers had been available with another year on
his deal, I would have paid maybe even.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
More than a fourth and a sixth, But it to
get him for eight games at that price.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
With the way the Steelers operate their offense, I mean
they brought in Mike Williams last year.
Speaker 7 (22:20):
They didn't give up very much, but.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
They barely threw him the ball, They barely put him
out there.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
And I know Myers is a better football player today
than Williams was on that day.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
But it's still in the end, it's about costs versus reward.
And while I don't have any doubt Myers would make
you better for those last eight games, I don't know
if he would make you enough better to make it worthwhile.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
What's this matchup like at the LA Chargers Sunday night?
Because I think Herbert's a top ten quarterback. The Chargers
can run the ball too, but they're in a state
of flux with their tackles being injured. Although they did
go out and get a guy.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Yeah, I mean I think that that's you know, they've
got real challenges in that department. You want to protect
such a terrific player like Herbert, But you know, Harpert's
been one of those guys that has been a stat
guy more than a win guy. And I'm not saying
that he can't beat the Steelers or anything like that.
I mean, he certainly can.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
If he was a win guy, like I'd have him
top five, not top ten.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
Yeah, there you go. You know, there's still a lot
out there that he hasn't done.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
He's got a lot more commercials than he's got playoff wins,
let's put it that way.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
I think that it's a it's a game.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
It's very difficult for the Steelers, but based on their
performance against against the Colts, it's certainly not unwinnable. They
have to approximate what they did against Indy last Sunday.
Speaker 7 (23:39):
They were they.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Were it was the by far the best they've played,
and not just because Indy's really good, but because they
really didn't leave anything undone in that game. Last last
time they had a complete performance was against Minnesota. And
except for that that foul up on the long pass, well,
that was much more of a problem a predation comment
than the foul up of the fumble on the first
(24:05):
down conversion by Roman Wilson. That this that created a
significant problem for the Steelers. This one just created at a
little bit of a headache.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Should Ramsey and Dugger continue as the safeties, even when
the crappy safeties get healthy, There's no.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Way I would I would move away. I mean, remember
Deshaun Elliott's not in that crappy club. I mean he's
a very capable player. Whether or not he's he's as
good in every down safety as Douger.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
That's something that will be established.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
While Deshaun is out, Elliott is among the best run
support to safeties day at.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Least you have some depth, Mike. But I don't think
he's going to be back anytime soon. Let's say he's
not back for four games. Do you just stick with
Ramsey and Dugger.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Well, at that point, if they're doing a good job, yeah,
But for me, the real key question is Ramsey, I
had said several weeks ago on the Friday Football Show
that that I thought that that was the biggest need
for the Steelers to trade for, was a free safety.
And ultimately they decided, at least for Saturday Sunday, and
I hope and think for the future, they decided that
(25:09):
they had traded for him, and they finally committed to
Ramsey as a full time safety. And there's a couple
of things there. Won He's way better than what they had.
I mean, the safety was a disaster position for this team.
It's the biggest reason they were so poor for most
of the first half of the season. And second of all,
you remember, like, the biggest mistake I think the Steelers
(25:31):
have made, other than the Marino not non draft pick
in nineteen eighty three, the biggest mistake this organization.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
Made was not seeing Rod Woodson as a safety.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
I saw it at the time, and I'm being honest
with you.
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I saw it like if you thought that he wasn't.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
An elite corner anymore. I never had any doubt he's
going to be an elite safety. He was just too
great a football player, too great an athlete, He had everything,
too smart too sighs.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
Yeah, smart.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
He had every thing, and it showed in his time,
Uh with with the Ravens, especially won the Super Bowl
with them.
Speaker 7 (26:06):
Uh that he had he had it.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
And and Ramsey, I don't know that he's Rob Woodson
back there, but he is so much.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
Better than what they have.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And the point I'm kind of kind of getting too
slowly is he could be there for a long time.
He could you know, he could be there for three,
four five years as a high end free safety and
you don't have to worry about that position again for
a while.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
No, I I totally agree. We're talking to Mike the
course he brought to us by South Hills Kia. South
Hills Kia has the ride and a priceial love. I
loved how the Steelers juggled the front seven with that
occasional four to three look Mike up, Watt, Peyton, Wilson,
Hein Smith. They had like their best games of the year,
and I think they kind of fan off that.
Speaker 7 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
And one of the interesting things I was complaining a
lot and some others about the lack of blitzing, especially
against against the raven excuse me, against the the Bengals
and Flacco in the in their game a couple of
weeks go and they didn't blitz hardly at all in
this game, and they still really got to Daniel Jones.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
That was impressive. When they did blitz, I think they
were effective.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
When they didn't, they were they were still getting they
were getting home, or they were being bothersome with with.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
The straight four man rush.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
I think they were more inventive with what they did
in terms of their rush, and I think they were
more determined. And the other thing that they did that
they weren't doing for a couple of games was when
they when they were able to drive the offensive lineman
back a little but not all the way, get their
hands up.
Speaker 7 (27:32):
I mean, Daniel.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Jones is six five sixty six and they were still
swatting his passes down like he was Dylan Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Why doesn't Porter get used more on pressman coverage. He
did that more against Indy and I thought had his
best game of the year. Now, I agree, since being drafted,
he's not progressed like that hoped.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
But I want to see them play it with strengths. Mike.
I don't mind the occasional flag if he covers like
he did against the Colts.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Yeah, I think that that that goes down to.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Who's around him, the scheme, what they're worried about others doing,
and I think some of that again goes back to
having somebody behind you that can help. I mean they
were getting no help at all from the free safety
position mark for the first seven eight games, so they
were getting almost none, and I think the first time
out when Ramsey played there a little bit early, I
(28:21):
think it was getting adjusted to it.
Speaker 7 (28:23):
But he was terrific on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
His presence made a big difference, and I think they
felt like they could be more aggressive at times. I
think they still were effective in zone coverage as well.
I'm not as discouraged with Joey.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
I mean, you'd like him to be better than he
is or better.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Than he has been, but he's been good at a
lot of things in his three years. The penalty thing
was really problematic against the Bengals, but I think if
you took all his Bengals penalties out, he seems to
be when he has his most trouble.
Speaker 7 (28:55):
But I think if you took all.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Those out, his penalty numbers would be that much different
than the average cornerback.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
It's just you go he goes up.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Against the Bengals and he gets, you know, he gets
he's up into double digits.
Speaker 7 (29:08):
He's like Steph Curry trying to get the twenty points.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Give me the pros and cons of Aaron Rodgers so far,
because he's not spectacular, He's opportunistic, get precise, got.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
A lot of touchdown passes.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
But I was shocked to learn Mike that the Steelers
lead the NFL in three and outs forty three percent
of the time. And that can't help but reflect someone
the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Yeah, I think, but I think that some of that
also reflects on the offensive line, and it's and it's
gradual growth. They were better over the course of the
last couple of weeks than they were over the first
couple of weeks of the season, So I think the
offensive line continues to improve.
Speaker 7 (29:46):
Faltanu has been really good. Broderick Jones still.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Has his breakdowns at times, but I think he's been better.
And they've had a little bit of trouble at the
left guard position. I think I think some of that
was health related, and so I think there are times
when when Rogers gets rid of the ball quickly just
because he knows that the play's not going to happen,
and they wind up in third downs that aren't manageable.
(30:12):
And I do think they probably lean toward the give
up play on third and long more than some teams.
I mean, like, if you're facing the Steelers defense and
it's third and long, it's not over. So why is
it over for the Steelers against I don't know the
Bengals or whoever. They do tend to do that a
little bit when they get behind the chains. I think
that's still a lack of trust in the O line
(30:32):
and I'd like to see them get beyond that.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Mike, do you agree with the fixation on Mott Washington
at tight end and obviously the expense of John new Smith.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
People say Washington's a unicorn. I kind of feel he's
just big.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
I can't argue with how he's done, but I don't
like Smith being.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
On a milk carton.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I don't want I don't want John Ousmith to disappear either,
But remember some of that was they threw him the
ball and it and and it didn't happen on the
first play of the game.
Speaker 7 (31:03):
And you asked me before about the.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
About the the upside downside of Rogers and I didn't
get to the downside.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
And I think some of the downside is one.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I think he's a little bit too demonstrative when things
don't go right, just.
Speaker 7 (31:17):
A little bit.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I'm not I don't have a problem with making sure
that someone gets the message.
Speaker 7 (31:22):
Like when Warren missed the uh the audible on that
flea flicker a couple of weeks ago. I think it's
okay to make sure that he gets the message. That's
not going to be acceptable.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
But I do think there's a little bit of excess there,
a little bit.
Speaker 7 (31:36):
And then the second thing he does is he has
a memory.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Like if you let him down like Muth did in
the second game, I think against Seattle or John who
did on the first play this this last game, he
remembers and he starts looking for other guys.
Speaker 7 (31:49):
And I would say that that's what happened to John
Who on Sunday in a large part is he they
threw him. They threw him that ball. It should have
been a big play. It could have been a big play.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
The throw could have been a little better, but it
probably was still catchable by a player with John Who's ability.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
I would suspect that next time. If they threw him
that ball and.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
He caught it, he'd end up catching three four balls
and getting a bunch of yards.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
When the Steelers abandoned the run, which they've done too
quickly the last couple of games, Mike, is that a
coaching decision or a Rogers decision?
Speaker 1 (32:20):
I guess we don't really know, but I wonder.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
I don't think that that they abandoned it too quickly
against the Colts because they weren't getting anywhere. The Colts
decided that the Steelers weren't going to run, and so
you can go ahead and continue to bang your.
Speaker 7 (32:35):
Head against that wall.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
But or you could take advantage of Okay, well, if
they're taking that away, they got to be given us something,
and I think that something was the tight end passes,
especially to Washington, and they were.
Speaker 7 (32:47):
Successful in that.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
The game before that was one where I thought that
they got behind, both in terms of the chains with
early penalties as well as getting into that game where
you kind of had to score to match with Green Bay.
Right Statistically, statistically they didn't run the ball enough in
(33:09):
the second half, but practically they you know, they probably
ran it about as much within a few plays of
what they could afford to. So I'm not concerned about
that element. I think you certainly would want to go
out to to to La and get back to running
the football at the way you're capable of, the way
they did in the first half against the Packers, the
(33:31):
way they did for the entire game against the Bengals.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Mike, we agree to disagree. I think they should have
done more at the deadline. You don't. I think the
proofs in the pudding. I feel like they need to
win at LA to prove they didn't need to make
a move yesterday.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And I think if they do that, there's a long
way to go.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
But they will have kept the Ravens at arms length
in a period when they.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Might not have right and the Ravens still have a
very soft period in their schedule, And so that that's
a constant concern for the Steelers, is you want to
stay ahead of them, and and and this is in
this particular season, winning the division may be the only
path in it may it may not be it, but
(34:15):
it may be because they're strong teams in the West.
There's two really, really really good teams in the East.
So it may be your one path into the playoffs
to win the division.
Speaker 7 (34:26):
So staying ahead of.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Baltimore all the way through it may be of paramount importance.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
It's not just a pride thing.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
It's not just a wouldn't it be cool to say
we run the North and all that.
Speaker 7 (34:39):
It's it may be the only way to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yeah, but here's here's the thing that worries me, Mike,
And it would be ironic and really so typical of
how things have gone for the Steelers the last decade.
What if they win the division in Kansas City and
Buffalo are both wild cards.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Well, at least you'd have them here and you wouldn't
have to go into those buildings.
Speaker 7 (35:00):
Uh and either free and Freezer tails off.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
In either in either location, they've had some really rough
weather both in Case when they got when they got
smacked around, and then the snow game that Mason tried
to play in.
Speaker 7 (35:12):
A couple of years ago. So you at least should
have them here. But no, Yeah, it is certainly as
a possibility.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Buffalo has has a real tough division race in order
to get to uh head of New England, and and hey,
Casey's in as much trouble to make the playoffs as
a lot of teams because again because uh there are
there are really good teams in their division that are
playing well Denver and and l A uh and then
of course you have those two teams in the East
(35:40):
and uh so it's it's it's gonna be a maybe
as fascinating a race for the wild card playoff places
as we've seen in a very long time.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Mike, we're up against We'll talk about Liverpool next week
after we beat City on Sunday.
Speaker 7 (35:54):
Great stuff sounds great, Thanks Mark.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
That's Mike.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
The course he brought to us by south Fields Kisa.
Southfields Key has the ride and a price you'll love
X since my baby has gone on, don't know what
to do.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Since the Steelers did zilch at yesterday's trade deadline. You
know what has to happen now is the Steelers need
to go to LA and beat the Chargers.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
If you think you're.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good enough as is, okay, then prove you're good enough
as is and get off that mushy middle up and
down headed to the same destination roller coaster the Steelers
have been on for a decade. To beat La, and
then you gotta beat Cincinnati at home. Joe Flack will
be damned, and then you're seven and three. Prove you're
(00:43):
good enough as is. After standing pat yesterday, we should
all be weary of the same old, same old. And
like I said, you got all these new guys, big
names Aaron Rodgers, and things feel exactly the same. I
get total all Well, though Steelers number said they're all in,
they went on and got Father Time to be the
(01:06):
quarterback that they brought in Darius shouldn't play it all
sway they brought in Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I mean, if that's not all in, bringing in.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
A bunch of fossils who still might be okay, but
eight got it for the long term.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I don't know how you describe all in there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Let's see if the defense can have a second straight
big game and what and if Highsmith can stay off
the milk carton After incredibly emerging to be the AFC
Defensive Player of the Week this week, it was like,
you know what himing a good game was. It was
like they finally found the Amelia Earhart. Yeah, I mean
the plane disappeared eighty years ago, but we found there.
(01:47):
It's amazing. And everybody under a certain age swier who
bring is Amelia Earhart? Look it up Google. You know,
Let's see if that went over Indy was an outlier.
Let's see even one very good game if it can
(02:08):
be sustained. Let's see if that happens. I mean, it's
not a team of consistency, not as a team, nor
the individuals. Rogers has been consistent, mostly, the O line
has been consistent, mostly Ramsey two mostly, actually Rogers more
(02:28):
than mostly. I can't think of one instance where I
can say Rogers, I mean, screwed the pooch. But if
you're gonna compile a list of who's been consistent with
the Steelers, it is not a very long list to me,
You've got to run the ball more. Ben said the
same thing. Got a clip from his podcast later, you
(02:49):
got to run the ball more and better. Not because
it's the so called Stiller way, but because Warren's getting better.
That O line's getting better. But Tada on the right
is emerging, Jones on the left, he's doing okay, So
do what's getting better?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
More?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
And maybe it gets better still, John, who's I eight
d K's been a big disappointment, he asks, Calvin Austin.
Third is just he's just what's the word I'm looking for? Well,
they like to be called little people. He's a number
three masquerading as number two, and he's okay, but he's little.
(03:35):
I gotta admit I was watching Bad Santa Too the
other night, the sequel, which ain't that good but ain't
that bad either, And when I saw what's the guy's name,
his partner in crime, the guy who played the elf,
I thought of Calvin Austin.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I mean, you can put together a link a list
of where the Steelers are weak, and it's not short,
and yet the Steelers did nothing yesterday. What I really
want to talk about is we got the Penguins hosting
Washington tomorrow. Sergei Morishov called up the Russian goalie, the
Russian nightmare, Kitha. I think he should play. I know
(04:18):
the rotations for Shiloffs to play, but then you have
Morishov make his Penguins debut in New Jersey on Saturday
at twelve thirty.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I know Muses all hockey. I know Dupas is all hockey.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I also know this team needs to sell seats and
generate hype. So have a sense of the freaking occasion
and start morishoff. Uh, Kendall is going to be on
Sid's line at wing. I like him at center, but
I like this too. Me like the Penguins need to
win tomorrow against Washington to get back on track, if
indeed you think they can get a playoff spot. We
(04:57):
are learning, by the way, when you look at some
of the moves that had to be I mean calling
up Ryan Graves and Danton Heinen, we are realizing it
that it only takes a few injuries to expose how
crappy that roster really is, that it lacks depth almost totally,
and you know, just it sabotages the depth chart.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
The college football.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Playoffs put out its first rankings. Pitt and Penn State
are absent. I mean, so is Ducane. Penn State plays
host to Indiana. Indian is undefeated nine to zero and
ranked number two in the CFP pull. Penn State is
three and five. When listen to Big Ten, Indian is
(05:39):
a fourteen point favorite, and write this down. You heard
it here. That's gonna be a close game and Penn
State might win. Penn State will easily cover in Creepy Valley,
no question. Uh, Indiana is maybe not good enough to
be ten and zero, you know what I mean. I
feel they're a real good team. I feel they could
win playoff games. I don't see them as a ten
(06:01):
and o team. Remember the year the Steelers started off
like was it ten and oh? Nine and oh? And
I said, okay, they're not that good. In the end
is nine and zero, and they're good, really good. I
feel better about them in the context of college football
now than I did about the Steelers then. I knew
the Steelers then that it was fool's gold and they
were headed right to where they arrived.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
But Penn State isn't so bad as to be winless
in the Big Ten.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Penn State has good players, and Pitt is off and
is preparing to host Notre Dame the week after.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
That'll be huge.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And really, I only talked about college football now because
I felt I had some time to fill and I'm
just not interested. I got a tweet I responded in
like some guy said, grow up, it's no big deal.
They didn't trade for a rental wide receiver. Blah blah
(06:57):
blah blah blah, grow up, and I tweeted back, I
go listen. There's nobody out there that gives a crap
less about what the Steelers do than I do. I'm
just analyzing, and I'm right about this. They should not
have stood Pat yesterday. They did themselves and you the fan,
(07:20):
a disservice by standing Pat yesterday. No question, in my mind,
they might not say they're all in, but the roster
they've assembled indicates they're all in.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You know what could happen? Nobody's talking about by the way.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Five and three start to me, it's one win less
than I expected and predicted. I expected six and two
at this point, and they've won games.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I didn't figure. They've lost games. I didn't figure.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I mean, namely, I didn't figure they'd beat the Colts,
but I didn't figure they'd lose to Cincinnati. But nobody
talks about this team's so old. Those old bastards gonna
get hurt, those old bastards gonna tie out. I don't
think this is going to be a team that gets
better in the second half. I think it's a team
that needs to, like now, have a two game lead
(08:09):
the AFC North and hold on for dear life, and
then how much you got left for the playoffs. Quit
being a baby, fat ass, you get upset about everything.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Fat ass. Now I just call like I say it.
Let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I'm almost always right because I'm smarter than all of you.
I've been doing these ads for a waking one to eighty,
(08:43):
the weight loss program, and it's working, no question. And
one of the favorite things they give you is you
get like a snack in the morning and in the
afternoon a lot of it's like a drink or a smoothie.
And they have this grapefruit drink that is just incredible,
just incredible. I'm having one right now. And one thing
(09:03):
to remember if you go on a wake a one
to eighty is this grapefruit drink is great, and vodka
has zero calories, just saying, just putting that out there.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Like vodka with this.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I haven't tried. It'd be better than vodka with actual grapefruit.
This tastes better than actual grapefruit juice.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Tom the producer corrected me during the break, pitt is
actually ranked in the college football playoff rankings. They're right
number twenty four, which is a long way from me
playoff spot, but at least it's something. Tom has been
fined one hundred dollars for correcting me. That's off limits,
out of bonds, even if you're right and I'm wrong.
(09:53):
I also saw Matt Williamson the hallway and I told
him what I just said about He is such a
big critic of the Steelers by tweeting facts like that
they lead the league going three and out. They go
three and out on forty three percent of their offensive possessions.
And we were discussing, I wish we would have taped this.
(10:15):
We agreed in today's era of offensive football and rules
to protect the offense, Uber Honus that to go three
and out that often is just an incredible figure. And
we were wondering and Matt's going to check this out
and get back to me. We were wondering what the
(10:35):
second highest figures for three and outs because what if
it was something like thirty five percent compared to the
Steelers forty three percent, that would make an additional critical
statement with the Black and Gold offense. And like I've
been saying, Rogers is playing great, I think mostly he is.
But I used and then removed the term mostly a
(10:58):
couple segments ago.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Now I'm going back the mostly because.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
If your offense is going three and out forty three
percent of the time, well, Rogers is taking all the snaps.
When that happens, you can call the show.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
We got time for some calls eight.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Three three four one two w XDX right now, though,
we got a SoundBite from Ben Roethlisberger because the Big
Ben Podcast is simply awesome. The Big Ben Podcast is
easily better than my show. That's not true, but I
think it's the nice thing to say. Here's the old
cowboy talking about the slippery slope that is the Steelers
(11:38):
relying on a whole bunch of takeaways to win?
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Can we win without getting a ton of turnovers? Bengals,
we lose no turnovers. Packers, we lose no turnovers. Coach,
we win because we create a lot of turnovers. Can
we line up get no turnovers and still win the
football game? That's going to be the question everyone's right
now talking about. I know you're gonna ask me, is
(12:02):
the defense back?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah? I think this helps a lot. This gives you momentum.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Look, I never drink on the job, well rarely, usually
I don't, But if I had vodka here in the building,
I would add it to this grapefruit drink right now,
this awake in one eighty grapefruit drink.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
What Ben said, that's bang on.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
It's one thing to play good defense, it's another to
get five and six takeaways and another still to lose
when you don't get them, to rely on a bunch
of takeaways. And then there's the debate, did you take
or did they give against the Colts? The Steelers took
against New England the Patriots gave. People always talk about
(12:47):
it's a football truism. If you win the turnover battle,
you win the game. Whatever. Percent of the time, that's true.
But what if it's a tie with the turnovers? You
can't rely on that because some teams protect the ball
better on the day. Now number to call eight three
(13:08):
three four one two w xdx. I still with this
Penguins thing. I've really talked myself into this, being fanatic
about it. They got to stop moreshoft tomorrow night. If
he's here and he's gonna play one of the next
two games, play him the home game that debut.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
With Flurry, Flurry's rookie year when he was eighteen, Penguins lost,
He stopped the penalty shot. He made an.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Impression, and the fans knew where that team was headed
in goal. Anyway, I would start more shof tomorrow night.
And I know you want to stick to a rotation.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I know Dan muses hockey one hundred percent of the time,
so is Kyle Dubis. But you've got to have a sense.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Of the effing occasion when you got a bunch of
empty seats in net building and you're trying to stoke
hype from a start.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's pretty good eight four and two, but the hype
eight soul tickets hit, so up your hype game.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
MORI shot in goal tomorrow night. So it has been said,
so it should come to pass. Let's go to Nick
in the truck Nick, what's up?
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Hey? Mark?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
I called to ask to talk about the defense. But
first question, how many pounds you down? And how long
has it been?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
I weighed myself this morning. Let me think twenty six
pounds in about a month. And keep in mind I
took I took four days off the diet when I
went to Liverpool and eight fish and chips.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
So i lost four of those pounds twice. But I'm
gonna do that.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
That's I told them that I go when I travel,
I'm gonna, you know, not eat what I want, but
eat certain things I always do.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
And then did you have to change anything with your
exercise routine or that has that been the same.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
My exercise routine had been forty five minutes a day
on the treadmill, probably six days a week. Now I'm
doing thirty minutes a day on the treadmill five or
six days a week. And I'm doing less because they
say thirty minutes is the ideal amount, well the required amount.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I could do more.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
That never hurts, but also because it has sapped my
energy a little bit, losing that much weight that quickly,
but the weights the energy is starting to return as
I get used to the diet and now I'm back
to thirty minutes a day every day for the past week,
and uh, I'm going to try to do forty five
starting on the Monday.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
So you've lessened your exercise and you're still losing that
much weight.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Dude. Yeah, yeah, either that I have some bad.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Illness or a tapeworm or someone who knows, right, I
don't care. Hey job man. Yeah, Hey, the defense. Here's
what I'm happy about. They made changes that I didn't
think they were going to make. Ramsey at safety, I actually,
I don't know if you saw it. I actually saw
t J. Watt getting out of position and coming through
the middle and doing different stunts, not just staying in
(15:54):
his ideal comfortable spots. I saw like high and walk,
getting out in better coverage on pass plays and at
the same time blitzing backside corners and backs. You know,
I did. I was very excited to see that they
actually made some changes, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Anything part of that was bruh, the stuff you're talking
about because of the tactically changes. Because of the tactical
changes they made, like the four to three stuff, the
three inside backers, three outside backers, Matt Williamson explained all
that stuff so precisely earlier this week on the program.
It got the players out of playing by road of
doing the same.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Thing, snap in and snap out. And I think that
that is responsible as much as anything for the improvements
you said.
Speaker 6 (16:40):
Yeah, I definitely like that. What I don't like, though,
is that should have been a Steeler blowout with the
amounts not only of turnovers we had, but field position
that came to nothing. You said, three and outs were awful.
Look at our fourth down conversion rate that was that
was pitiful.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Good comment. Let's go to Eric. Eric, you're own with double.
Speaker 7 (17:01):
And Mark.
Speaker 8 (17:02):
I just want to talk about Steelers, you know, passing
up on two I resceivers. You know, we could have
gave up a fourth and a six or a fourth
and a fifth go out and grab you know, Jacoby
Myers or Fort Shaheed. You know, we're we're trying to
make a run this year. I don't see why we wouldn't,
you know, give up a fourth and a six or
a fourth and a fifth makes no sense.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
I mean I would have traded the two first round
picks for sauce. But barring that, I don't know how
you don't give up a third and a sixth which
would a top Jacksonville's offer to get Jakobe Myers, or
what exactly was giving up for Shaheed.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
Shahed was a fourth and a fifth round pick twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, roughly the same offer, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
As for Myers in Shaheed, like I said earlier, his
stats with New Orleans, he would he would be the
number one receiver on the Steelers and catch his and yards.
Speaker 8 (17:53):
Yeah, it's just insane. I hate hearing this all in.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
All in, all in, you.
Speaker 8 (17:58):
Think you grow all in, you go get a receiver,
sal You know now we're dealing with Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller,
Ben S. Karnick and all these bumbs.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
They're not all bums, They're just none of them are legit.
Number two S Thank.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
You for the call.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Okay, up next, gonna talk with the core seat one.
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Speaker 2 (18:50):
We all livepool Trala La Up. We'll talk about poetry
in motion maybe at the end of this segment. But
joining me now from the Sporting News. He's a Pittsburgher,
He's a Red. He is Mike de Corsi. Mike, I'm
not shocked the Steelers did nothing at yesterday's trade deadline,
but I think they should have. The deadline is about
keeping up with the Joneses, and the Steelers didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well, I think that.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
You know, one of the things that Mike Tomlins said
yesterday at his press conference was he likes to go shopping. Well,
I like to go shopping, but when I go into
a store and I see an item that I think
I might want and there's no available price tag, and
you say to the clerk how much the second it costs?
Speaker 7 (19:30):
And then you hear the price and you say, man,
I don't want it.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
That bad, and I think that that's what it came
down to for the Steelers. I think they would have
loved to have had Kobe Myers on their team, but
they weren't going to pay two draft picks for a
rental when you don't know how quickly the player will
get acclimated. You don't if you don't know if he'll
(19:52):
stay with you long term, or maybe even whether the
cost for a long term, longer term would be worthwhile.
Speaker 7 (20:00):
And I honestly, I think he's a better player.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
At this stage of his career than Calvin Austin. Don't
get me wrong, but if you look at the stats
through this part of the season, there's not enormous difference
between the two of them. I don't think that, with
the way the Steelers are playing at this stage, and
as they've continued to evolve, that having a second receiver
(20:25):
of Meyer's quality would make enough of a difference to
justify paying those two draft Well.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
No, that last part I get Mike, because I mean,
who knows how to utilize him. I mean, it's just
not that kind of offense. But the reason I'd have
done it is because I don't think the price of
a fourth and a sixth was onerous. I would have
traded for Shaheed maybe from New Orleans too. He commanded
a similar return. And my disclaimer would be, if DK
(20:54):
gets hurt the season is over, I would have got
a guy like that's not the way to be the
number two receiver.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
But as DK.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
Insurance, Yeah to me, I'll be honest with you, I
don't think you.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I mean, if DK gets hurt for a couple of games,
it may be a couple of games you're gonna lose. Anyway,
if DK gets hurt and he's down for a protracted period,
Kobe Myers isn't changing your math. I mean, you're you're
not going where you had hoped to go, and certainly
not where you were probably going. You know that you
had a chance to go. I don't think Jakobe Myers
(21:25):
changes that.
Speaker 7 (21:26):
I really don't like.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I said if I like the hope that he could though,
and I would trade a fourth and the sixth based
on hope, based on you have all these old guys
on the team, Mike. They they're now denying that anybody else,
well not them, but people were saying they never said
they're all in.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
But with these old guys.
Speaker 7 (21:43):
They are well, I mean they're in as much as
they can be.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Certainly they want this season to be the best they
it could be, and that over the last several years
has meant close to the playoffs or in the playoffs,
and it hasn't met advancement. And maybe if you get
a couple of breaks, you can advance. But I think
that if Myers had been available with another year on
his deal, I would have paid maybe even.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
More than a fourth and a sixth, But it to
get him for eight games at that price.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
With the way the Steelers operate their offense, I mean
they brought in Mike Williams last year.
Speaker 7 (22:20):
They didn't give up very much, but.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
They barely threw him the ball, They barely put him
out there.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
And I know Myers is a better football player today
than Williams was on that day.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
But it's still in the end, it's about costs versus reward.
And while I don't have any doubt Myers would make
you better for those last eight games, I don't know
if he would make you enough better to make it worthwhile.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
What's this matchup like at the LA Chargers Sunday night?
Because I think Herbert's a top ten quarterback. The Chargers
can run the ball too, but they're in a state
of flux with their tackles being injured. Although they did
go out and get a guy.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Yeah, I mean I think that that's you know, they've
got real challenges in that department. You want to protect
such a terrific player like Herbert, But you know, Harpert's
been one of those guys that has been a stat
guy more than a win guy. And I'm not saying
that he can't beat the Steelers or anything like that.
I mean, he certainly can.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
If he was a win guy, like I'd have him
top five, not top ten.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
Yeah, there you go. You know, there's still a lot
out there that he hasn't done.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
He's got a lot more commercials than he's got playoff wins,
let's put it that way.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
I think that it's a it's a game.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
It's very difficult for the Steelers, but based on their
performance against against the Colts, it's certainly not unwinnable. They
have to approximate what they did against Indy last Sunday.
Speaker 7 (23:39):
They were they.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Were it was the by far the best they've played,
and not just because Indy's really good, but because they
really didn't leave anything undone in that game. Last last
time they had a complete performance was against Minnesota. And
except for that that foul up on the long pass, well,
that was much more of a problem a predation comment
than the foul up of the fumble on the first
(24:05):
down conversion by Roman Wilson. That this that created a
significant problem for the Steelers. This one just created at a
little bit of a headache.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Should Ramsey and Dugger continue as the safeties, even when
the crappy safeties get healthy, There's no.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Way I would I would move away. I mean, remember
Deshaun Elliott's not in that crappy club. I mean he's
a very capable player. Whether or not he's he's as
good in every down safety as Douger.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
That's something that will be established.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
While Deshaun is out, Elliott is among the best run
support to safeties day at.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Least you have some depth, Mike. But I don't think
he's going to be back anytime soon. Let's say he's
not back for four games. Do you just stick with
Ramsey and Dugger.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Well, at that point, if they're doing a good job, yeah,
But for me, the real key question is Ramsey, I
had said several weeks ago on the Friday Football Show
that that I thought that that was the biggest need
for the Steelers to trade for, was a free safety.
And ultimately they decided, at least for Saturday Sunday, and
I hope and think for the future, they decided that
(25:09):
they had traded for him, and they finally committed to
Ramsey as a full time safety. And there's a couple
of things there. Won He's way better than what they had.
I mean, the safety was a disaster position for this team.
It's the biggest reason they were so poor for most
of the first half of the season. And second of all,
you remember, like, the biggest mistake I think the Steelers
(25:31):
have made, other than the Marino not non draft pick
in nineteen eighty three, the biggest mistake this organization.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
Made was not seeing Rod Woodson as a safety.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
I saw it at the time, and I'm being honest
with you.
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I saw it like if you thought that he wasn't.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
An elite corner anymore. I never had any doubt he's
going to be an elite safety. He was just too
great a football player, too great an athlete, He had everything,
too smart too sighs.
Speaker 7 (25:58):
Yeah, smart.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
He had every thing, and it showed in his time,
Uh with with the Ravens, especially won the Super Bowl
with them.
Speaker 7 (26:06):
Uh that he had he had it.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
And and Ramsey, I don't know that he's Rob Woodson
back there, but he is so much.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
Better than what they have.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And the point I'm kind of kind of getting too
slowly is he could be there for a long time.
He could you know, he could be there for three,
four five years as a high end free safety and
you don't have to worry about that position again for
a while.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
No, I I totally agree. We're talking to Mike the
course he brought to us by South Hills Kia. South
Hills Kia has the ride and a priceial love. I
loved how the Steelers juggled the front seven with that
occasional four to three look Mike up, Watt, Peyton, Wilson,
Hein Smith. They had like their best games of the year,
and I think they kind of fan off that.
Speaker 7 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
And one of the interesting things I was complaining a
lot and some others about the lack of blitzing, especially
against against the raven excuse me, against the the Bengals
and Flacco in the in their game a couple of
weeks go and they didn't blitz hardly at all in
this game, and they still really got to Daniel Jones.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
That was impressive. When they did blitz, I think they
were effective.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
When they didn't, they were they were still getting they
were getting home, or they were being bothersome with with.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
The straight four man rush.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
I think they were more inventive with what they did
in terms of their rush, and I think they were
more determined. And the other thing that they did that
they weren't doing for a couple of games was when
they when they were able to drive the offensive lineman
back a little but not all the way, get their
hands up.
Speaker 7 (27:32):
I mean, Daniel.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Jones is six five sixty six and they were still
swatting his passes down like he was Dylan Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Why doesn't Porter get used more on pressman coverage. He
did that more against Indy and I thought had his
best game of the year. Now, I agree, since being drafted,
he's not progressed like that hoped.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
But I want to see them play it with strengths. Mike.
I don't mind the occasional flag if he covers like
he did against the Colts.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Yeah, I think that that that goes down to.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Who's around him, the scheme, what they're worried about others doing,
and I think some of that again goes back to
having somebody behind you that can help. I mean they
were getting no help at all from the free safety
position mark for the first seven eight games, so they
were getting almost none, and I think the first time
out when Ramsey played there a little bit early, I
(28:21):
think it was getting adjusted to it.
Speaker 7 (28:23):
But he was terrific on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
His presence made a big difference, and I think they
felt like they could be more aggressive at times. I
think they still were effective in zone coverage as well.
I'm not as discouraged with Joey.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
I mean, you'd like him to be better than he
is or better.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Than he has been, but he's been good at a
lot of things in his three years. The penalty thing
was really problematic against the Bengals, but I think if
you took all his Bengals penalties out, he seems to
be when he has his most trouble.
Speaker 7 (28:55):
But I think if you took all.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Those out, his penalty numbers would be that much different
than the average cornerback.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
It's just you go he goes up.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Against the Bengals and he gets, you know, he gets
he's up into double digits.
Speaker 7 (29:08):
He's like Steph Curry trying to get the twenty points.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Give me the pros and cons of Aaron Rodgers so far,
because he's not spectacular, He's opportunistic, get precise, got.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
A lot of touchdown passes.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
But I was shocked to learn Mike that the Steelers
lead the NFL in three and outs forty three percent
of the time. And that can't help but reflect someone
the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Yeah, I think, but I think that some of that
also reflects on the offensive line, and it's and it's
gradual growth. They were better over the course of the
last couple of weeks than they were over the first
couple of weeks of the season, So I think the
offensive line continues to improve.
Speaker 7 (29:46):
Faltanu has been really good. Broderick Jones still.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Has his breakdowns at times, but I think he's been better.
And they've had a little bit of trouble at the
left guard position. I think I think some of that
was health related, and so I think there are times
when when Rogers gets rid of the ball quickly just
because he knows that the play's not going to happen,
and they wind up in third downs that aren't manageable.
(30:12):
And I do think they probably lean toward the give
up play on third and long more than some teams.
I mean, like, if you're facing the Steelers defense and
it's third and long, it's not over. So why is
it over for the Steelers against I don't know the
Bengals or whoever. They do tend to do that a
little bit when they get behind the chains. I think
that's still a lack of trust in the O line
(30:32):
and I'd like to see them get beyond that.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Mike, do you agree with the fixation on Mott Washington
at tight end and obviously the expense of John new Smith.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
People say Washington's a unicorn. I kind of feel he's
just big.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
I can't argue with how he's done, but I don't
like Smith being.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
On a milk carton.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I don't want I don't want John Ousmith to disappear either,
But remember some of that was they threw him the
ball and it and and it didn't happen on the
first play of the game.
Speaker 7 (31:03):
And you asked me before about the.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
About the the upside downside of Rogers and I didn't
get to the downside.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
And I think some of the downside is one.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I think he's a little bit too demonstrative when things
don't go right, just.
Speaker 7 (31:17):
A little bit.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I'm not I don't have a problem with making sure
that someone gets the message.
Speaker 7 (31:22):
Like when Warren missed the uh the audible on that
flea flicker a couple of weeks ago. I think it's
okay to make sure that he gets the message. That's
not going to be acceptable.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
But I do think there's a little bit of excess there,
a little bit.
Speaker 7 (31:36):
And then the second thing he does is he has
a memory.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Like if you let him down like Muth did in
the second game, I think against Seattle or John who
did on the first play this this last game, he
remembers and he starts looking for other guys.
Speaker 7 (31:49):
And I would say that that's what happened to John
Who on Sunday in a large part is he they
threw him. They threw him that ball. It should have
been a big play. It could have been a big play.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
The throw could have been a little better, but it
probably was still catchable by a player with John Who's ability.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
I would suspect that next time. If they threw him
that ball and.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
He caught it, he'd end up catching three four balls
and getting a bunch of yards.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
When the Steelers abandoned the run, which they've done too
quickly the last couple of games, Mike, is that a
coaching decision or a Rogers decision?
Speaker 1 (32:20):
I guess we don't really know, but I wonder.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
I don't think that that they abandoned it too quickly
against the Colts because they weren't getting anywhere. The Colts
decided that the Steelers weren't going to run, and so
you can go ahead and continue to bang your.
Speaker 7 (32:35):
Head against that wall.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
But or you could take advantage of Okay, well, if
they're taking that away, they got to be given us something,
and I think that something was the tight end passes,
especially to Washington, and they were.
Speaker 7 (32:47):
Successful in that.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
The game before that was one where I thought that
they got behind, both in terms of the chains with
early penalties as well as getting into that game where
you kind of had to score to match with Green Bay.
Right Statistically, statistically they didn't run the ball enough in
(33:09):
the second half, but practically they you know, they probably
ran it about as much within a few plays of
what they could afford to. So I'm not concerned about
that element. I think you certainly would want to go
out to to to La and get back to running
the football at the way you're capable of, the way
they did in the first half against the Packers, the
(33:31):
way they did for the entire game against the Bengals.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Mike, we agree to disagree. I think they should have
done more at the deadline. You don't. I think the
proofs in the pudding. I feel like they need to
win at LA to prove they didn't need to make
a move yesterday.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And I think if they do that, there's a long
way to go.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
But they will have kept the Ravens at arms length
in a period when they.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Might not have right and the Ravens still have a
very soft period in their schedule, And so that that's
a constant concern for the Steelers, is you want to
stay ahead of them, and and and this is in
this particular season, winning the division may be the only
path in it may it may not be it, but
(34:15):
it may be because they're strong teams in the West.
There's two really, really really good teams in the East.
So it may be your one path into the playoffs
to win the division.
Speaker 7 (34:26):
So staying ahead of.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Baltimore all the way through it may be of paramount importance.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
It's not just a pride thing.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
It's not just a wouldn't it be cool to say
we run the North and all that.
Speaker 7 (34:39):
It's it may be the only way to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yeah, but here's here's the thing that worries me, Mike,
And it would be ironic and really so typical of
how things have gone for the Steelers the last decade.
What if they win the division in Kansas City and
Buffalo are both wild cards.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Well, at least you'd have them here and you wouldn't
have to go into those buildings.
Speaker 7 (35:00):
Uh and either free and Freezer tails off.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
In either in either location, they've had some really rough
weather both in Case when they got when they got
smacked around, and then the snow game that Mason tried
to play in.
Speaker 7 (35:12):
A couple of years ago. So you at least should
have them here. But no, Yeah, it is certainly as
a possibility.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Buffalo has has a real tough division race in order
to get to uh head of New England, and and hey,
Casey's in as much trouble to make the playoffs as
a lot of teams because again because uh there are
there are really good teams in their division that are
playing well Denver and and l A uh and then
of course you have those two teams in the East
(35:40):
and uh so it's it's it's gonna be a maybe
as fascinating a race for the wild card playoff places
as we've seen in a very long time.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Mike, we're up against We'll talk about Liverpool next week
after we beat City on Sunday.
Speaker 7 (35:54):
Great stuff sounds great, Thanks Mark.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
That's Mike.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
The course he brought to us by south Fields Kisa.
Southfields Key has the ride and a price you'll love
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