October 14, 2025 • 35 mins
Tim Benz filling in for Mark Madden Pierre McGuire joins the show for his weekly segment
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last week before facing Cleveland, Mike Tomlin said that he's
not a big picture guy. And I kind of feel
like Tomlin prefers if we selectively apply that characterization of
him when it is best suited for a situation. But okay, coach,
t'all play along. You're not a big picture guy. Except
(00:22):
here's the thing with the state of the AFC North
right now, let alone the entire AFC, let alone the
entire NFL. You have to be a big picture guy
because the picture of the playoffs is already taking shape,
and your team is squarely in the middle of that picture.
(00:44):
I'm Tim Benzon for Mark madd Today. Lots of Steelers
talk today plenty on Penn State two, with James Franklin
being fired and Penguin's conversation with Peter maguire Later this hour,
Brian Metzer at five thirty, the Pens are on the
X ten to thirty to night in Anaheim against the Ducks,
and look, it's not just teams in the AFC North
that are struggling to find traction.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Frankly, it's the whole NFL. As I just talked.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
About with Tom Pro Football Talk as the Steelers at
four and one as the fifth best team in the
National Football League. Consider some of these factors before you
say that's crazy and stupid. There were no unbeaten teams
left in the entire league. Just five weeks in. The
Eagles got to four and one with the thirtieth ranked
(01:33):
offense in the National Football League. Buffalo got to four
and one with the fifth worst rush defense in the
National Football League. And my only question after watching them
last night is who are the four that were worse?
Bjeon Robinson is still running right now. The Chargers lead
THEFC West with a.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Plus two point differential.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
The Eagles lead the NFC East at minus one, and
the Niners lead the NFC at minus three. The Colts
are five and one and the Jags are four and two.
Those two teams they're over under win totals in Vegas
to start the season were set at seven and a
half and the Patriots are four and two.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
There over under win.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Total was eight and a half, and boy did I
think that was too high.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So at four and.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
One in an AFC North Division where the other three
teams are all under five hundred, there are plenty of
reasons to feel good about where the Steelers sit coming
out of there, went over Cleveland and going into the
short week against the Cincinnati Bengals. The reality though, is,
like everybody else in this discombobulated league, the Steelers have
(02:45):
a lot to work out, particularly on offense now. At
his press conference last week before the Browns game, Mike
Tomlin was asked where he sees the need for his
team to improve on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
And this is what Tomlin said at the.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Time, all areas would be quite honest with you, you know,
that's the nature of this day, particularly when you have
a young front individually and collectively. I just think the
only way to get better gain experiences through playing. And
so we've had some good moments, we've had some moments
that aren't good. We got to keep pushing and we
(03:22):
better win along the way. That's what a general mindset
or tend to regard to subject.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
All right, So I'm going to give Tomlin credit for
that response, and I'll tell you why in just a second.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But let's sort of flush this out here, because.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
These weren't the exact numbers of the time when Tomlin
was speaking, but they're very close.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I'll give them to you.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
What they are right now, amplifying Tomlin's point. The Steelers
are twenty ninth in the NFL in total offense right now.
Passing the ball, they're twenty fifth, and that's up a
little bit from the week before when Tomlin said that.
Now they only average eighty four yards per game on
the ground, and that's twenty ninth in the league. That's
still better than what Tomlin was talking about at the time,
(04:03):
So at least Tomlin was acknowledging those issues instead of
simply pointing at the standings and saying first place is
first place, or you are what your record is, or
some other empty coaching cliche, which I think tom was
usually predisposed to doing just to get through the answer
and get through the press conference. Now the challenge is
(04:25):
doing something about all that again. I'll give you the numbers.
Twenty fifth in throwing, twenty ninth in running, twenty ninth
overall in the National Football League in total offense. Yet somehow,
with all those numbers, they're right in the middle of
the league when it comes to scoring points because the
rest of the league stinks too. Now, one area that
(04:46):
might help is hunting for more big plays in the
passing game, and despite Aaron Rodgers' Hall of Fame resume,
he's only averaging five point four average air yards per
attempt and that's last the league, but it still is
up the four point nine that he posted last week.
That's because he hit a couple of shots down field
a dk Metcalf for twenty five yards a piece, one
(05:07):
for a touchdown against the Browns, another one that came
up just short, and Tomlin has talked about it. They
don't want to force the ball into two IY shelves.
If Metcalf is drawing double coverage, we all see it.
They don't want to risk Aaron Rodgers behind that offensive line,
even though a pass blocked quite well against the Browns
last week. In order to run the ball, the Steelers
(05:28):
know they need Darnell Washington and another offensive lineman to
do it effectively.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I will say this.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
As a compliment to Tomlin. He seems to have a
handle on what's wrong offensively. He doesn't appear delusional about
how this team is cobbled together together, this above average
start and what is otherwise a painfully mediocre league. He's
not using the four to one record as a way
to wrap himself in denial.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Improvements need to occur, and they need to occur.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Fast, Otherwise the Steelers are going to slip back like
the Bills have done, like the Chiefs did at the
start of the year, and like the Browns and the
Bengals and the Ravens in their own division or many
other perceived preseason contenders for the AFC crown have already
sort of slipped up in various ways thus far in
twenty twenty five. Acknowledging these problems great first step fixing
(06:27):
them something much more important and difficult for Tomlin and
the staff. They took some steps in the Browns game.
They can probably get by against the Bengals even on.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
A short week on the road this week.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
But then it gets dicey Packers, Colts, Chargers all over
the next three weeks. The Colts, by the way, number two,
number two in that poll on Pro Football Talk. So
what do you think happens over this next four game stretch?
And more to the point, more germane to the conversation,
(07:02):
the Pittsburgh Steelers really the fifth best team in football
eight three, three, four one two ninety nine thirty nine.
And as we discussed open up the program, I don't
look at the Steelers and see a top five team.
Then again, I don't look at the Colts and see
(07:24):
the second best team in the league either. These feel
to me like college football rankings in August, college basketball
rankings at Thanksgiving. Who the Ravens and Chiefs have played
so far is a whole different level than who the
Steelers have played, totally different. Do I think in February
we're gonna be looking at the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And saying top five team?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Based on how the division is happening right now, though,
Do I see the prospect of them potentially winning it
at like ten and seven? Yeah, absolutely, that's possible at
this point. In fact, it probably should happen. They could
be halfway there already. If they beat the Bengals on Thursday,
start doing math. If they win that game, five wins,
(08:15):
two more games against Cleveland and the Bengals, that could
get you to seven and between the Dolphins, Bears, and
Ravens twice. Can they scratch three more wins out of
that to get to ten? They certainly should. Can they
win just one of the next three against Green Bay
or Indy at home and the Chargers on the road.
(08:37):
Can they get just one of those, because if so,
then they can lose twice to the Ravens. Once Lamar
gets healthier, drop both games against the Bears and the
Dolphins in that equation and still come out with ten.
So I can squint and see ten wins out of that.
In fact, I don't think I have to squint that hard.
The Steelers can be in the driver's seat to win
(09:00):
the division, and they can be vastly overrated based.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
On their start.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
All at the same time, both things can be entirely true.
This is the opposite of the old cliche that I
was talking about with Tom, where the rising tide raises
all boats. In this case, the receding tide is raising
the Steelers boat. And sure it may still hit an iceberg,
(09:26):
but for right now it's churning through some pretty calm
seas and open waters. Eight three, three, four one two
ninety nine thirty nine. All right, still, come here in
the three o'clock hour of the Mark Madden Show. We
are going to talk some pens. If you want to
talk about the Penguins and their start, we can do that.
I do want to get into the college football conversation
(09:47):
about James Franklin and some of the reaction that we're
seeing nationally as opposed to what things are being said
here in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh portion of the Penn State
fan base. In fact, we'll get to that next. Pierre
Maguire coming up at three point thirty four. More Penguins talking.
The five o'clock hour. Brian Metzer is going to join us.
Mike the Fable will come on in the four o'clock
(10:08):
hour and we'll talk to Mike about the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
All that to come here in your home for the
Penns one o five nine the x.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
iHeartRadio Alter twenty six presented by Capitol on the x
at one five nine.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
All right, open up the show earlier today talking about
the Steelers and this Pro Football Talk story the latest
power rankings that they do. A win over the Cleveland
Browns has elevated them from the eleventh best team in
football to number five overall.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Vastly overrated.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yes, deserving of that based on where they're probably gonna
finish in the AFC North though, Yes, And that's sort
of the conundrum facing how we analyze the Pittsburgh Steelers
right now. But just when I say the sentence. I'm
gonna make it real easy. I'm gonna make the conversation
real easy to follow when I say Pittsburgh Steelers, top
(11:11):
five team in the NFL right now?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yes or no?
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You answer eight three, three, four, one two ninety nine
thirty nine? Is that deserved or not? I do want
to talk about the Penn State situation a little bit too,
because I stumbled across this story where is it from
the Slate or something like that where And there's been
a couple of these that have kind of been like
(11:36):
big overarching kind of think pc college football opinion columns
about Franklin getting fired at Penn State, and boy, what
a commentary that is on college football about the big
money world of college football.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That you have this huge buy out for a guy
that is in the middle.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Of one three game losing streak. Well, it's just one
down year. And you know what does this say about
the state of college football that you're gonna have one
losing streak and you're a team that was number two
in the country to start the year and then you're
fired and you don't even complete the season. Well, I
think what it says is your massive disappointment and that's
what Penn State is, and there's such a disappointment that
(12:18):
they lived down to my level of expectation, if that
makes any sense. I remember saying on these airwaves, and
I remember saying just in casual conversation.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I think even wrote.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It once that if you made me pick a team
that I thought was going to win the national title
at the start of the year, I was going to
pick Penn State. But I knew I was going to
be wrong because they were just gonna slam into that
brick wall at some point or another, and then that
brickwall became Oregon. So when they lived down to that
level expectation and then somehow crashed through the floor another
(12:52):
two levels with the losses to UCLA and the loss
to Northwestern, you can take your think piece about what
this says about the state of college football and Kramitt.
I have no problem with Penn State doing what they
did to James Franklin because the situation was just untenable there.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's how I view it, and.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Kind of associating this with what we're used to seeing
here in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
There just is an undercurrent of being.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Perpetually dissatisfied with above average performance, and the Steelers, by
technical definition, have been above average the whole time.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mike Tomlin has been the coach.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
But when you can't win the playoffs, or in the
case of Franklin, you can never beat a top five team,
then you aren't allowed to lose the one hundred percent games.
If you never win a fifty to fifty game, you
never win an ann Arbor, you never win in Columbus,
you never be a top five team. If you never
win those games, then you're never allowed to lose the
(13:57):
games you're supposed to win one hundred percent of the time.
And he did in inglorious fashion, and that's why he's gone.
And I'm not offended by it, like my football sensibilities
as a fan, and oh my god, what am I watching?
If this team can be number two in the country
and then all of a sudden the coach has to
be fired because they lost three in a row. Well,
when's the last time somebody lost as a twenty point
(14:19):
favorite twice in a row? And the fan base is
just so irate, Like I can't imagine what the next
game at State College would have been like if they
had that guy in the sidelines again, why not do
it now? You know, in a weird way. And I
think the recruiting aspect is a huge part of this,
because so long as it looked like he was coming back,
if I'm a recruit that was not one hundred percent
(14:40):
on board, I'm gonna be dissuaded. The longer he's there,
I'll live with the uncertainty of Hey, I like the campus,
I like the program. I like what you're offering me
in terms of nil and pay to play. I'm still interested.
Just hire the right guy and I'll come. But if
I'm fifty to fifty on staying and I don't want
(15:01):
to stay because of how things are going, I understand
the move like there are some that are saying you
fire Franklin, Well, that throws things into such an chaotic
state of affairs.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Everybody's going to decommit. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
You hire the right guy, and everything else about the
campus is still what I committed to.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I'll stay. See you next spring.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Eight three, three, four, one two thirty nine. Let's go
to the Viper in Cannonsburg and the Steelers Viper. You're
on one O five nine the X.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Jim Good day, sir. The reason I'm calling is because
he put the question out whether or not you think
Steelers are a top five team.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
And not not quite there.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
I'm saying, do you agree with those that have asserted it,
because I think that's high but go ahead, yes.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
No, no, sir, I do not believe their top five team.
I know don't necessarily look at strength to schedule at
the professional level like we do at the college level.
But if you look at who they have played, really,
in all honesty, the only playoff team possibly they played
right now, would you say it's the Seahawks?
Speaker 1 (16:03):
No, because I do think it's possible that the Patriots
slip in Okay, especially with them how bad the AFC
North is, because think about it, like, even as flawed
as the Bills look right now, you probably think the
Bills are going to win that division, right.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Yes, for sure, the Bills are going to win that
And it's it's.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Likely that we're going to see three teams from the West,
right Yeah, I.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
Think you're probably gonna have Kansas City, You're definitely gonna
have the Chargers, and then probably somebody else out there.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
So then it's entirely possible that the last wild Card
comes down to whoever is second in the South or
the Patriots, because everybody looks cooked in the North, correct,
So I could see the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Being the seventh team.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
So I'm not ready to rule them out of the
playoff position just because they're off to a good start
and are probably, like the Steelers, a little over puffed
up right now.
Speaker 6 (16:53):
Well, my question for you, then, too is how where
are you as far as on the Ravens. You know,
if they get a hellfu Lamar Jackson back, their defense
looked a lot better against the Rams. Obviously, I'm a
Steeler fan through and through, and I want them the
tank and continue the tank. But you know, they get
Lamar back, that offense is completely different. Their defense figures
out a little bit and they can whole team to
(17:15):
seventeen points. That Ravens offense is He's going to score
and they're going to come on late.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
And their schedule is crap moving forward, their schedule, they've
got three in a row on the row, but they're
all winnable games. And if Lamar comes back healthy, you know,
we thought the Ravens were done when they were eight
and five, and when they're buying the Steelers were ten
and three last year and they won the division.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
So you know, I do not want to be in a.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Mode yet where we're ruling the Ravens out when they've
still got what eleven games to play. So I'm with you,
they're not done being a threat until they're eliminated. The
big question is how healthy does Lamar look when he
comes back?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
And have they already quit?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
To your point, though, the defense was a lot better
against the Rams than I expected it to be going
into that game, thanks to call four one two all
right eight three three four one two ninety nine thirty
nine Peer McGuire. Next, we talk hockey with Pierre. We
come back here on one O five nine, The x.
Speaker 7 (18:07):
It's Story Show, weekday mornings at six Sweet Kid one
nine DX.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Hey, this is Linking Kennedy. Here's what's trending on the
Iheartsports Network, presented by MJM Insurance.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The Penguins are set to open a West Coast wing tonight.
They're out in Anaheim and Penn's defenseman Crystal tang He
could be back in action after nursing a lower body injury.
Steelers coach Mike Tomoin was shocked by the Browns trade
to Joe Blacko to the Bengals. He said, it doesn't
make sense to deal within the division. And the Brewers
turned the first ever eight six two double play in
baseball postseason history in their NLCS loss to the Dodgers
(18:40):
last night.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
I'm Scott David said. While some insurance companies use gimmicks
to get your attention, NJM would rather focus on putting
their palms. It is stand the man gable the ravatas.
How you doing Mark, I'm doing good? The exit one
oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Time now to talk hockey with Peer McGuire. You can
hear him as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins Radio network.
And don't forget the Pens played a night against the
Ducks ten thirty. Be listening here to oneh five nine.
The XPR is brought to us by Always Safe Flagging
and Traffic Control, making traffic safe again, now hiring with
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Speaker 2 (19:15):
Visit awsafe dot net.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Pierre, great to talk to you again, and uh, let's
start with a broad based question. You can take this
in any direction you want. But three games into the
Dan Mues era as head coach of the Penns. Has
anything surprised you from what you've seen with Dan as
the coach or is this what you expected to see
in terms of structure and pace of play from a
(19:40):
Dan muse team.
Speaker 7 (19:42):
Structure and pace of play, For sure. I was a
little surprised when it was one one on Saturday night
that the Rangers opened up the flood gates as much
as they did. I think it's one of those learning
lessons ten for a young team, and I would expect
being to have learned their lessons now. To be fair,
they're going into a very tough situation in Anaheim tonight.
(20:03):
I spoke with Anaheim Duck head coach Joe Quendoll yesterday
for a long period of time, and he's really excited
about his young team. They've got one line with Cutter Goce,
Mason mctavis and Beckett Seneke. The oldest player in that
line is twenty two mccabish and the youngest player in
that line is Senekee at nineteen. Carter Doci's had a
(20:24):
great start to the year. It's a team that's gotten
a little bit more veteran mudership when they had Chris
Prider into the mix and Mikhel Granlin, who I think
people in Pittsburgh know, and Ryan Paling, who people in
Pittsburgh know. So it's an interesting dynamic what's going on.
But I would expect with Dan News has done with
the Penguins or something we're probably going to see the
(20:44):
whole year is structure intelligence, and there will be some
games where they get blown out just because things will collapse.
You know, have hard time figuring it out as a
young team. But by and large, I think this team
is going to do well because they work. Habits are good.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
As far as offending against that line and in terms
of just defending against the Ducks overall. Then from a
tactical point of view, Pierre, what personnel is best to
go up against that line and try to slow down
Anaheim's attack.
Speaker 7 (21:12):
I would play power on power. I played with Kel
Crosby and Rust against go Chane, McTavish and Senekey as
much as possible, because you're going to force those guys
to play defense rather than play offense. And if you
can do that, that really helps you a lot. And
then I would really be comfortable with Mantha MalCon and
Brosol playing against Croator Carlston and Cologne. So it's one
(21:37):
of those where it's probably going to be a power
on Power night.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
Now.
Speaker 7 (21:40):
I don't know if Joel will buy into that for
the entire game, but I would say that for Dan Hughes,
if you could establish that early, that helps his team
a lot on the road, especially with the puck position
game with Cal, Crosby and Rust can play.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
I want to talk about those first two lines with
the Pens in a little bit of a different form
and fast here, Pierre, the first of which with the Raquel,
Rust and Crosby line that you talked about. As they
have been reunited now with Russ getting back and healthy,
did you get a sense maybe in that Ranger game,
the third game of the season, that they were trying
to do too much and putting so much of the
offensive onus on their shoulders.
Speaker 7 (22:18):
Yeah, I think that's more than fair. Absolutely, I do
think it's more than fair. After Kimball's scored to make
it one one, I was expecting a search, I got
the search from the wrong team, and so again, I
think part of that is just it's learning. It's understanding
what everybody's role is, understanding the messaging from the coach.
(22:39):
But I think Russ Crosby and Roquel no They've got
to score in order for this team to win. The
bottom of the lineup's not going to score that much.
Even though you can say Kindall's a death player, I
think eventually it will prove out to be more than that.
You're not going to get a lot of offense out
of Lazatt, You're not going to get a lot of
offense out of Noel and Cherry. You're not going to
(23:00):
get a lot offense out of kind of do It.
What you're going to get from them is energy and
push back physically and a lot of passions. But you're right,
the stress is going to be on the top line,
in particular the provide offense.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
The size is just so impressive with that line that
Malkin is on right now with Brazil and Mantha. I
was talking to some of the other guys in the
locker room about that, particularly guys who will play with
Gino for a while, and like Rust said, this is
what I was mining for, and he just gave me
the quote. It's just weird to see him out there
and see him not be the biggest guy in his line.
(23:35):
In fact, he might be the shortest if you get
him out of skates, that's how big those guys are.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
It's maybe not a.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Crash and bang line Pierre, but there's still something physically
imposing to the size, even if you're not expecting big
hits and violence out of it, Like how do I
skate through these guys? How do I skate around these guys?
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Just the reach that they have.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I thought it was indicative the goal that Braso scored
in the first game of the year, the poke forward
on the face off by Malkin, the reach by Brazo
to get it the hands in tight. I like what
I see. There is a very unique look to that line.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
Well said, I completely agree, and you know, Tim, the
biggest thing for them is they just with gin Over
such a good defensive player, especially now that he's moving
his speed. I think he's moving better now that he
had the previous two years, and if he can keep
that going, that takes a lot of pressure off of
manthan Brizil. Neither one of them will be considered for
the Selfie Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league,
(24:34):
but they're They're very capable and one of the things
I think they can do to really alleviate some of
the pressure on the younger defenseman for Pittsburgh in particular,
is to get pucks in deep and dominate not so
much crash and bang, but dominate puck possession, dominate cycle,
and dominate base off playing the offensive zone and at
the offensive blue line. And if they can do that
(24:55):
with the face offs in particular and the cycle down low,
that's going to eat up a lot of time and
over the course of the game and making an easier
game for the Penguins to play.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Brazo's twenty seven, He's six six to twenty seven. He's
topped out at twenty two points in season. What is
his high end, Pierre? Is there possibility for him to
be a little bit of a later bloomer here with
the Penguins, Well, there is.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
As long as they given the opportunity to play with,
you know, playmaking type players. If you're going to play
him in a checking role, that's not going to happen
for him. He was a tremendous score at tim in
North Bay in the Ontario Hockey League. He's an undrafted player.
He got his opportunity because Kyle Dugas, who was a
general manager in Sue Saint Marie before he went to
(25:43):
be the assistant GM in Toronto, and gave him an
opportunity because he played so many games. That's a big
rivalry North Bay and Susan Marie up in the northern
part of Ontario, so he got to know him and
watch him. And Brazil has developed into a very useful
player as long as he's played in the proper position,
and right now he's being played in the proper position,
(26:04):
which is really good.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
How about Kendall and Brunick on their nine game audition here,
how have you thought they've handled themselves to this point
and what does that say about forecasting for the rest
of their time in the NHL. Should it end at
nine games for both or either of them or should
they both stay.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
It's a little early still. They've only played three games.
He got six to go on accluding tonight, and they're
on the road. Brunett looks to me like he's ready
for prime time. And if you look at the Penguins,
I don't think they're going to mess around with what's
going on in Wilkesbury where they're really off to a
great start. I think Harrison probably stays here, maybe eventually,
if they do think he's getting worn out or tired,
(26:46):
maybe you send him to the World Junior at Christmas.
Kindall's a great story. I mean, no, I don't think
too many people ahead him making an NHL roster this year.
But he has gone in and his speed is very,
very apparent. He's comfort level with Pucket is very apparent,
his peripheral vision is very apparent, and his ability to
make plays and confined areas is really apparent. Now you're
(27:09):
on the road, the other team gets the last change
and he got some travel coming up, so that's the
first time his experienced that. Let's see where he is
at the end of his trip. But I think both
of those young men have done fantastically well, and I'm
very excited and encourage long term because of the start
they've had in Wilkesbury as a group.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
I guess peer the reason that maybe I was more
dubious of Kindle succeeding so quickly at the NHL level
was just when I saw him up close and in
person over the summer, I just didn't think physically he
was going to be able to handle it this early
in his development. How have you found that aspect of
the challenge of being a rookie at that age, at
(27:47):
this level.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
For him, yeah, a.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
Little bit surprised again knowing his game from Calgary in
the Western Hockey League. Not an overly large guy and
a guy that got a lot of points, but did
it basically because he dominated with his skill and the
speed out of his physicality. And that's why I think
this is going to be a really really good test
for him, for Harrison, and I think for the whole
(28:11):
team honestly, because they're going up against some physical teams,
are going up against some teams that are urging for points,
and it's like when you go out Western you're a
kid for the first time. It's way different from what
you used to You know, you got sand beaches, you've
got ocean waters, You've got you know, palm trees, you
(28:31):
got heat. It's different for hockey guys than they've never
gone through this before, and I don't think Kendall or
Grunick had ever gone through that before, which.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
You think the two goalies so far, Tristan I thought.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
Was really good, especially late in the game against the
New York Islanders. I thought it was fantastic. I really did.
I was very very impressed by Tristan. I like Sea
Loops game obviously to shut out of the New York
against the Rangers, and I like it for good portions
of the game until probably near the end of the
second in the player I just thought there was too
many letdowns when the Rangers you turn the favor against
(29:08):
the Penguins on Saturday Night. But buy and large, it's
been more consistent this year than it was last year,
and I was very happy that. You know, again, Tristan
had to come up with some huge staves against the
Islanders late in that game. I thought he was very good.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
You know.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I was wondering a little bit, Pierre about sort of
the landscape of the metro and where New York was
going to fit into it under Sully. After seeing the
Rangers play the Penguins twice, do you get a sense
of how that's going to work with Sully in New
York and how those players are going to respond to him.
Speaker 7 (29:41):
I think the players will respond well to him, Mike.
Concern for the Rangers. I know people in Pittsford don't care,
but my concern for the Rangers on the question you're
asking me, Tim is how deep are they on defense,
how deeper they at ten or ice, and are their
older players going to be able to hold up and
produce a key time over the course of the year,
(30:01):
Because I've seen Ranger teams, you know, where they go
into Buffalo and they steamroll the Savers who aren't very good.
They come into Pittsburgh and it's a one to one
game for almost forty minutes, and then they take advantage of,
you know, some opportunities in the tower playing particularly, extend
the lead and win the way they did comfortably. But
I'm not sure they're deep enough as a group, not
(30:22):
just on defense, to forward too. And if they're not,
that's going to put a lot of the rest and
Jonathan Quick and he's going to put a lot of
the rest of Lebrushy Sturt getting two goalies.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
One more question about the penns Pierre, and that's going
back to Coven and the decision that was made there
to have him go down. Is that surprising to you.
Speaker 7 (30:40):
No, not really. I'm looking at their lineup on the
left side and for the role that they want him
to play, they need him to touch the puck a lot,
and he's not going to play ahead of the call
he's not going to play out of Manta and know
that brings a speed element and a grid element that
Craven and probably doesn't have. So and he's not going
to do Connor Dower's job. So I'm not surprised. And
(31:00):
like I said, they got something really good going on
in most grade right now. He needs to play. He
needs to play big mines and needs the puck and
the stick a lot and weak to dominate against his
peer group.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Ben's Ducks Tonight one five nine the Acts the Ducks, Pierre,
Where do you see them fall in the Pacific this year?
Speaker 7 (31:16):
I think they could be one of the most improved
teams in the entire league. And so for them, it's
it's really and it talked to Joel about this yesterday.
It's really important for them to establish their identity in
terms of how they want to play. I know he
wants them to be better defensively than what they've been.
I don't know how deep they are in goal, and
that's gonna be one of the questions, whether it's the
(31:36):
stall of Morazac. That's something for down the road they're
gonna have to address. They didn't have more than enough
firepower and if they stay healthy in defense, the young
guys Lacombs, Elviger and Minschikov are really good. They got
and they got three guys down and the American hockey
is in San Diego, led by Ian Moore, who's a
Harvard kid. They got They got a bunch of guys
(31:58):
down there that a big too. So this is a
team that I is going to be vastly improved. I
just don't know if they're gonna have enough to make
it to the playoffs this year, but if they do,
they could be very, very dangerous.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Pierre, Penn State's a hockey school. Now, what do you
think of Muckennis so far?
Speaker 7 (32:16):
He's been good on the power play, needs to be
better five on five. And that's not a knock on him.
The truth of the matter, Tim is, all the guys
that have come down from major junior, none of them
have dominated. It just shows you how great college hockey is.
And Penn State truly is a hockey school. It's Hockey
Valley for a reason. And I'm so happy for Guy Gabelski.
He's a fantastic person. I had the privilege of working
(32:38):
with him when I was a minor pro player. He
played for our team went out was in Ottawa. He
played in Prince Edward Island where an American Hockey League
team was, and he was a hard working, gritty guy.
I've always had a ton of respect for guy, and
I'm so happy for him and his family that they're
doing so well out in Penn State.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Well, the why Bush kid is the one that stole
the show. He had four goals the other night against
and then well they lost that one, but then he
had another goal to night that they wont to split
the series, didn't.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
He He did absolutely right. So he's ripping it up.
You're your spot on on that, you know. I think
the biggest thing going on in college hockey Michael Hayes
just had an amazing start to the year for the
University of Michigan is that if you get the right
early season matchups, you can ring up some big points.
And I think we're seeing that when you see DC
(33:27):
play Minnesota, you see you know, DC play Michigan State
and one of those when the top guys you're playing
one another, they're kind of shutting it down. We're gonna
start seeing more and more of that now, so you're
not gonna see these big, gaudy points, butts anymore. I
think once the league play starts and we're one week
away from most of the league starting.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Up, well, well, you know who.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
El Spear actually had a big first weekend or two,
and Robert Morris is going to see them Thursday night
at the Colonials. I do play by play for them.
I'm not calling the games on the road, but they're
going the road to play Michigan. Didn't Horcoff have like
a five goal weekend open things up against Mercyhurst, the
Penguin's draft choice, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
I did.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
He did a real good job and then he had
a tough weekend last weekend against Providence. And that's what
I'm talking about. You know all that. Roger McQueen is
a really good player. And it's interesting as we're talking
about Pittsburgh and Anaheim drafteds with horror copying drafted by
Pittsburgh and McQueen being drafted by Anaheim. McQueen has had
a tough start to the year point wise, but you
(34:25):
watch Providence play, and I've watched him play four times now.
He's been really good. He's just not getting points. And
because it's as you know him, it's such a big
difference when you're playing against sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year
old guys versus playing nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two
and twenty three year old guys. It's a big difference.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Pierre, appreciate it as always look forward to hearing you
whenever you're part of the broadcast here on one oh
five nine, The X depends by the way again to
night ten thirty against the Ducks.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
We'll catch up soon, Pierre. Thanks, oh Tim, thank you
so much.
Speaker 7 (34:57):
Love talking hockey with you.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Take care, Pierre Maguire.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Brought to us by I always say flagging and traffic control,
making traffic safe again, now hiring with four oh one
K and benefits. Visit awsafe dot net when we come back.
Something that didn't make much sense to me at all
about these Steelers win against the Browns. I'm still trying
to figure this one out. It's one oh five nine
the X.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Tonight's the Penns square up against the Ducks. Game time
is ten thirty. Our coverage starts at nine thirty. Listen
to every game and the best Pens coverage on your
home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
One five nine D x and Kenny Rossford
Last week before facing Cleveland, Mike Tomlin said that he's
not a big picture guy. And I kind of feel
like Tomlin prefers if we selectively apply that characterization of
him when it is best suited for a situation. But okay, coach,
t'all play along. You're not a big picture guy. Except
(00:22):
here's the thing with the state of the AFC North
right now, let alone the entire AFC, let alone the
entire NFL. You have to be a big picture guy
because the picture of the playoffs is already taking shape,
and your team is squarely in the middle of that picture.
(00:44):
I'm Tim Benzon for Mark madd Today. Lots of Steelers
talk today plenty on Penn State two, with James Franklin
being fired and Penguin's conversation with Peter maguire Later this hour,
Brian Metzer at five thirty, the Pens are on the
X ten to thirty to night in Anaheim against the Ducks,
and look, it's not just teams in the AFC North
that are struggling to find traction.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Frankly, it's the whole NFL. As I just talked.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
About with Tom Pro Football Talk as the Steelers at
four and one as the fifth best team in the
National Football League. Consider some of these factors before you
say that's crazy and stupid. There were no unbeaten teams
left in the entire league. Just five weeks in. The
Eagles got to four and one with the thirtieth ranked
(01:33):
offense in the National Football League. Buffalo got to four
and one with the fifth worst rush defense in the
National Football League. And my only question after watching them
last night is who are the four that were worse?
Bjeon Robinson is still running right now. The Chargers lead
THEFC West with a.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Plus two point differential.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
The Eagles lead the NFC East at minus one, and
the Niners lead the NFC at minus three. The Colts
are five and one and the Jags are four and two.
Those two teams they're over under win totals in Vegas
to start the season were set at seven and a
half and the Patriots are four and two.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
There over under win.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Total was eight and a half, and boy did I
think that was too high.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So at four and.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
One in an AFC North Division where the other three
teams are all under five hundred, there are plenty of
reasons to feel good about where the Steelers sit coming
out of there, went over Cleveland and going into the
short week against the Cincinnati Bengals. The reality though, is,
like everybody else in this discombobulated league, the Steelers have
(02:45):
a lot to work out, particularly on offense now. At
his press conference last week before the Browns game, Mike
Tomlin was asked where he sees the need for his
team to improve on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
And this is what Tomlin said at the.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Time, all areas would be quite honest with you, you know,
that's the nature of this day, particularly when you have
a young front individually and collectively. I just think the
only way to get better gain experiences through playing. And
so we've had some good moments, we've had some moments
that aren't good. We got to keep pushing and we
(03:22):
better win along the way. That's what a general mindset
or tend to regard to subject.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
All right, So I'm going to give Tomlin credit for
that response, and I'll tell you why in just a second.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But let's sort of flush this out here, because.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
These weren't the exact numbers of the time when Tomlin
was speaking, but they're very close.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I'll give them to you.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
What they are right now, amplifying Tomlin's point. The Steelers
are twenty ninth in the NFL in total offense right now.
Passing the ball, they're twenty fifth, and that's up a
little bit from the week before when Tomlin said that.
Now they only average eighty four yards per game on
the ground, and that's twenty ninth in the league. That's
still better than what Tomlin was talking about at the time,
(04:03):
So at least Tomlin was acknowledging those issues instead of
simply pointing at the standings and saying first place is
first place, or you are what your record is, or
some other empty coaching cliche, which I think tom was
usually predisposed to doing just to get through the answer
and get through the press conference. Now the challenge is
(04:25):
doing something about all that again. I'll give you the numbers.
Twenty fifth in throwing, twenty ninth in running, twenty ninth
overall in the National Football League in total offense. Yet somehow,
with all those numbers, they're right in the middle of
the league when it comes to scoring points because the
rest of the league stinks too. Now, one area that
(04:46):
might help is hunting for more big plays in the
passing game, and despite Aaron Rodgers' Hall of Fame resume,
he's only averaging five point four average air yards per
attempt and that's last the league, but it still is
up the four point nine that he posted last week.
That's because he hit a couple of shots down field
a dk Metcalf for twenty five yards a piece, one
(05:07):
for a touchdown against the Browns, another one that came
up just short, and Tomlin has talked about it. They
don't want to force the ball into two IY shelves.
If Metcalf is drawing double coverage, we all see it.
They don't want to risk Aaron Rodgers behind that offensive line,
even though a pass blocked quite well against the Browns
last week. In order to run the ball, the Steelers
(05:28):
know they need Darnell Washington and another offensive lineman to
do it effectively.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I will say this.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
As a compliment to Tomlin. He seems to have a
handle on what's wrong offensively. He doesn't appear delusional about
how this team is cobbled together together, this above average
start and what is otherwise a painfully mediocre league. He's
not using the four to one record as a way
to wrap himself in denial.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Improvements need to occur, and they need to occur.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Fast, Otherwise the Steelers are going to slip back like
the Bills have done, like the Chiefs did at the
start of the year, and like the Browns and the
Bengals and the Ravens in their own division or many
other perceived preseason contenders for the AFC crown have already
sort of slipped up in various ways thus far in
twenty twenty five. Acknowledging these problems great first step fixing
(06:27):
them something much more important and difficult for Tomlin and
the staff. They took some steps in the Browns game.
They can probably get by against the Bengals even on.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
A short week on the road this week.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
But then it gets dicey Packers, Colts, Chargers all over
the next three weeks. The Colts, by the way, number two,
number two in that poll on Pro Football Talk. So
what do you think happens over this next four game stretch?
And more to the point, more germane to the conversation,
(07:02):
the Pittsburgh Steelers really the fifth best team in football
eight three, three, four one two ninety nine thirty nine.
And as we discussed open up the program, I don't
look at the Steelers and see a top five team.
Then again, I don't look at the Colts and see
(07:24):
the second best team in the league either. These feel
to me like college football rankings in August, college basketball
rankings at Thanksgiving. Who the Ravens and Chiefs have played
so far is a whole different level than who the
Steelers have played, totally different. Do I think in February
we're gonna be looking at the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And saying top five team?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Based on how the division is happening right now, though,
Do I see the prospect of them potentially winning it
at like ten and seven? Yeah, absolutely, that's possible at
this point. In fact, it probably should happen. They could
be halfway there already. If they beat the Bengals on Thursday,
start doing math. If they win that game, five wins,
(08:15):
two more games against Cleveland and the Bengals, that could
get you to seven and between the Dolphins, Bears, and
Ravens twice. Can they scratch three more wins out of
that to get to ten? They certainly should. Can they
win just one of the next three against Green Bay
or Indy at home and the Chargers on the road.
(08:37):
Can they get just one of those, because if so,
then they can lose twice to the Ravens. Once Lamar
gets healthier, drop both games against the Bears and the
Dolphins in that equation and still come out with ten.
So I can squint and see ten wins out of that.
In fact, I don't think I have to squint that hard.
The Steelers can be in the driver's seat to win
(09:00):
the division, and they can be vastly overrated based.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
On their start.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
All at the same time, both things can be entirely true.
This is the opposite of the old cliche that I
was talking about with Tom, where the rising tide raises
all boats. In this case, the receding tide is raising
the Steelers boat. And sure it may still hit an iceberg,
(09:26):
but for right now it's churning through some pretty calm
seas and open waters. Eight three, three, four one two
ninety nine thirty nine. All right, still, come here in
the three o'clock hour of the Mark Madden Show. We
are going to talk some pens. If you want to
talk about the Penguins and their start, we can do that.
I do want to get into the college football conversation
(09:47):
about James Franklin and some of the reaction that we're
seeing nationally as opposed to what things are being said
here in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh portion of the Penn State
fan base. In fact, we'll get to that next. Pierre
Maguire coming up at three point thirty four. More Penguins talking.
The five o'clock hour. Brian Metzer is going to join us.
Mike the Fable will come on in the four o'clock
(10:08):
hour and we'll talk to Mike about the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
All that to come here in your home for the
Penns one o five nine the x.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
iHeartRadio Alter twenty six presented by Capitol on the x
at one five nine.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
All right, open up the show earlier today talking about
the Steelers and this Pro Football Talk story the latest
power rankings that they do. A win over the Cleveland
Browns has elevated them from the eleventh best team in
football to number five overall.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Vastly overrated.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yes, deserving of that based on where they're probably gonna
finish in the AFC North though, Yes, And that's sort
of the conundrum facing how we analyze the Pittsburgh Steelers
right now. But just when I say the sentence. I'm
gonna make it real easy. I'm gonna make the conversation
real easy to follow when I say Pittsburgh Steelers, top
(11:11):
five team in the NFL right now?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yes or no?
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You answer eight three, three, four, one two ninety nine
thirty nine? Is that deserved or not? I do want
to talk about the Penn State situation a little bit too,
because I stumbled across this story where is it from
the Slate or something like that where And there's been
a couple of these that have kind of been like
(11:36):
big overarching kind of think pc college football opinion columns
about Franklin getting fired at Penn State, and boy, what
a commentary that is on college football about the big
money world of college football.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That you have this huge buy out for a guy
that is in the middle.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Of one three game losing streak. Well, it's just one
down year. And you know what does this say about
the state of college football that you're gonna have one
losing streak and you're a team that was number two
in the country to start the year and then you're
fired and you don't even complete the season. Well, I
think what it says is your massive disappointment and that's
what Penn State is, and there's such a disappointment that
(12:18):
they lived down to my level of expectation, if that
makes any sense. I remember saying on these airwaves, and
I remember saying just in casual conversation.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I think even wrote.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It once that if you made me pick a team
that I thought was going to win the national title
at the start of the year, I was going to
pick Penn State. But I knew I was going to
be wrong because they were just gonna slam into that
brick wall at some point or another, and then that
brickwall became Oregon. So when they lived down to that
level expectation and then somehow crashed through the floor another
(12:52):
two levels with the losses to UCLA and the loss
to Northwestern, you can take your think piece about what
this says about the state of college football and Kramitt.
I have no problem with Penn State doing what they
did to James Franklin because the situation was just untenable there.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's how I view it, and.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Kind of associating this with what we're used to seeing
here in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
There just is an undercurrent of being.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Perpetually dissatisfied with above average performance, and the Steelers, by
technical definition, have been above average the whole time.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mike Tomlin has been the coach.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
But when you can't win the playoffs, or in the
case of Franklin, you can never beat a top five team,
then you aren't allowed to lose the one hundred percent games.
If you never win a fifty to fifty game, you
never win an ann Arbor, you never win in Columbus,
you never be a top five team. If you never
win those games, then you're never allowed to lose the
(13:57):
games you're supposed to win one hundred percent of the time.
And he did in inglorious fashion, and that's why he's gone.
And I'm not offended by it, like my football sensibilities
as a fan, and oh my god, what am I watching?
If this team can be number two in the country
and then all of a sudden the coach has to
be fired because they lost three in a row. Well,
when's the last time somebody lost as a twenty point
(14:19):
favorite twice in a row? And the fan base is
just so irate, Like I can't imagine what the next
game at State College would have been like if they
had that guy in the sidelines again, why not do
it now? You know, in a weird way. And I
think the recruiting aspect is a huge part of this,
because so long as it looked like he was coming back,
if I'm a recruit that was not one hundred percent
(14:40):
on board, I'm gonna be dissuaded. The longer he's there,
I'll live with the uncertainty of Hey, I like the campus,
I like the program. I like what you're offering me
in terms of nil and pay to play. I'm still interested.
Just hire the right guy and I'll come. But if
I'm fifty to fifty on staying and I don't want
(15:01):
to stay because of how things are going, I understand
the move like there are some that are saying you
fire Franklin, Well, that throws things into such an chaotic
state of affairs.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Everybody's going to decommit. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
You hire the right guy, and everything else about the
campus is still what I committed to.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I'll stay. See you next spring.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Eight three, three, four, one two thirty nine. Let's go
to the Viper in Cannonsburg and the Steelers Viper. You're
on one O five nine the X.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Jim Good day, sir. The reason I'm calling is because
he put the question out whether or not you think
Steelers are a top five team.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
And not not quite there.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
I'm saying, do you agree with those that have asserted it,
because I think that's high but go ahead, yes.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
No, no, sir, I do not believe their top five team.
I know don't necessarily look at strength to schedule at
the professional level like we do at the college level.
But if you look at who they have played, really,
in all honesty, the only playoff team possibly they played
right now, would you say it's the Seahawks?
Speaker 1 (16:03):
No, because I do think it's possible that the Patriots
slip in Okay, especially with them how bad the AFC
North is, because think about it, like, even as flawed
as the Bills look right now, you probably think the
Bills are going to win that division, right.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Yes, for sure, the Bills are going to win that
And it's it's.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Likely that we're going to see three teams from the West,
right Yeah, I.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
Think you're probably gonna have Kansas City, You're definitely gonna
have the Chargers, and then probably somebody else out there.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
So then it's entirely possible that the last wild Card
comes down to whoever is second in the South or
the Patriots, because everybody looks cooked in the North, correct,
So I could see the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Being the seventh team.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
So I'm not ready to rule them out of the
playoff position just because they're off to a good start
and are probably, like the Steelers, a little over puffed
up right now.
Speaker 6 (16:53):
Well, my question for you, then, too is how where
are you as far as on the Ravens. You know,
if they get a hellfu Lamar Jackson back, their defense
looked a lot better against the Rams. Obviously, I'm a
Steeler fan through and through, and I want them the
tank and continue the tank. But you know, they get
Lamar back, that offense is completely different. Their defense figures
out a little bit and they can whole team to
(17:15):
seventeen points. That Ravens offense is He's going to score
and they're going to come on late.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
And their schedule is crap moving forward, their schedule, they've
got three in a row on the row, but they're
all winnable games. And if Lamar comes back healthy, you know,
we thought the Ravens were done when they were eight
and five, and when they're buying the Steelers were ten
and three last year and they won the division.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
So you know, I do not want to be in a.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Mode yet where we're ruling the Ravens out when they've
still got what eleven games to play. So I'm with you,
they're not done being a threat until they're eliminated. The
big question is how healthy does Lamar look when he
comes back?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
And have they already quit?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
To your point, though, the defense was a lot better
against the Rams than I expected it to be going
into that game, thanks to call four one two all
right eight three three four one two ninety nine thirty
nine Peer McGuire. Next, we talk hockey with Pierre. We
come back here on one O five nine, The x.
Speaker 7 (18:07):
It's Story Show, weekday mornings at six Sweet Kid one
nine DX.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Hey, this is Linking Kennedy. Here's what's trending on the
Iheartsports Network, presented by MJM Insurance.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The Penguins are set to open a West Coast wing tonight.
They're out in Anaheim and Penn's defenseman Crystal tang He
could be back in action after nursing a lower body injury.
Steelers coach Mike Tomoin was shocked by the Browns trade
to Joe Blacko to the Bengals. He said, it doesn't
make sense to deal within the division. And the Brewers
turned the first ever eight six two double play in
baseball postseason history in their NLCS loss to the Dodgers
(18:40):
last night.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
I'm Scott David said. While some insurance companies use gimmicks
to get your attention, NJM would rather focus on putting
their palms. It is stand the man gable the ravatas.
How you doing Mark, I'm doing good? The exit one
oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Time now to talk hockey with Peer McGuire. You can
hear him as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins Radio network.
And don't forget the Pens played a night against the
Ducks ten thirty. Be listening here to oneh five nine.
The XPR is brought to us by Always Safe Flagging
and Traffic Control, making traffic safe again, now hiring with
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Speaker 2 (19:15):
Visit awsafe dot net.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Pierre, great to talk to you again, and uh, let's
start with a broad based question. You can take this
in any direction you want. But three games into the
Dan Mues era as head coach of the Penns. Has
anything surprised you from what you've seen with Dan as
the coach or is this what you expected to see
in terms of structure and pace of play from a
(19:40):
Dan muse team.
Speaker 7 (19:42):
Structure and pace of play, For sure. I was a
little surprised when it was one one on Saturday night
that the Rangers opened up the flood gates as much
as they did. I think it's one of those learning
lessons ten for a young team, and I would expect
being to have learned their lessons now. To be fair,
they're going into a very tough situation in Anaheim tonight.
(20:03):
I spoke with Anaheim Duck head coach Joe Quendoll yesterday
for a long period of time, and he's really excited
about his young team. They've got one line with Cutter Goce,
Mason mctavis and Beckett Seneke. The oldest player in that
line is twenty two mccabish and the youngest player in
that line is Senekee at nineteen. Carter Doci's had a
(20:24):
great start to the year. It's a team that's gotten
a little bit more veteran mudership when they had Chris
Prider into the mix and Mikhel Granlin, who I think
people in Pittsburgh know, and Ryan Paling, who people in
Pittsburgh know. So it's an interesting dynamic what's going on.
But I would expect with Dan News has done with
the Penguins or something we're probably going to see the
(20:44):
whole year is structure intelligence, and there will be some
games where they get blown out just because things will collapse.
You know, have hard time figuring it out as a
young team. But by and large, I think this team
is going to do well because they work. Habits are good.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
As far as offending against that line and in terms
of just defending against the Ducks overall. Then from a
tactical point of view, Pierre, what personnel is best to
go up against that line and try to slow down
Anaheim's attack.
Speaker 7 (21:12):
I would play power on power. I played with Kel
Crosby and Rust against go Chane, McTavish and Senekey as
much as possible, because you're going to force those guys
to play defense rather than play offense. And if you
can do that, that really helps you a lot. And
then I would really be comfortable with Mantha MalCon and
Brosol playing against Croator Carlston and Cologne. So it's one
(21:37):
of those where it's probably going to be a power
on Power night.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
Now.
Speaker 7 (21:40):
I don't know if Joel will buy into that for
the entire game, but I would say that for Dan Hughes,
if you could establish that early, that helps his team
a lot on the road, especially with the puck position
game with Cal, Crosby and Rust can play.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
I want to talk about those first two lines with
the Pens in a little bit of a different form
and fast here, Pierre, the first of which with the Raquel,
Rust and Crosby line that you talked about. As they
have been reunited now with Russ getting back and healthy,
did you get a sense maybe in that Ranger game,
the third game of the season, that they were trying
to do too much and putting so much of the
offensive onus on their shoulders.
Speaker 7 (22:18):
Yeah, I think that's more than fair. Absolutely, I do
think it's more than fair. After Kimball's scored to make
it one one, I was expecting a search, I got
the search from the wrong team, and so again, I
think part of that is just it's learning. It's understanding
what everybody's role is, understanding the messaging from the coach.
(22:39):
But I think Russ Crosby and Roquel no They've got
to score in order for this team to win. The
bottom of the lineup's not going to score that much.
Even though you can say Kindall's a death player, I
think eventually it will prove out to be more than that.
You're not going to get a lot of offense out
of Lazatt, You're not going to get a lot of
offense out of Noel and Cherry. You're not going to
(23:00):
get a lot offense out of kind of do It.
What you're going to get from them is energy and
push back physically and a lot of passions. But you're right,
the stress is going to be on the top line,
in particular the provide offense.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
The size is just so impressive with that line that
Malkin is on right now with Brazil and Mantha. I
was talking to some of the other guys in the
locker room about that, particularly guys who will play with
Gino for a while, and like Rust said, this is
what I was mining for, and he just gave me
the quote. It's just weird to see him out there
and see him not be the biggest guy in his line.
(23:35):
In fact, he might be the shortest if you get
him out of skates, that's how big those guys are.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
It's maybe not a.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Crash and bang line Pierre, but there's still something physically
imposing to the size, even if you're not expecting big
hits and violence out of it, Like how do I
skate through these guys? How do I skate around these guys?
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Just the reach that they have.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I thought it was indicative the goal that Braso scored
in the first game of the year, the poke forward
on the face off by Malkin, the reach by Brazo
to get it the hands in tight. I like what
I see. There is a very unique look to that line.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
Well said, I completely agree, and you know, Tim, the
biggest thing for them is they just with gin Over
such a good defensive player, especially now that he's moving
his speed. I think he's moving better now that he
had the previous two years, and if he can keep
that going, that takes a lot of pressure off of
manthan Brizil. Neither one of them will be considered for
the Selfie Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league,
(24:34):
but they're They're very capable and one of the things
I think they can do to really alleviate some of
the pressure on the younger defenseman for Pittsburgh in particular,
is to get pucks in deep and dominate not so
much crash and bang, but dominate puck possession, dominate cycle,
and dominate base off playing the offensive zone and at
the offensive blue line. And if they can do that
(24:55):
with the face offs in particular and the cycle down low,
that's going to eat up a lot of time and
over the course of the game and making an easier
game for the Penguins to play.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Brazo's twenty seven, He's six six to twenty seven. He's
topped out at twenty two points in season. What is
his high end, Pierre? Is there possibility for him to
be a little bit of a later bloomer here with
the Penguins, Well, there is.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
As long as they given the opportunity to play with,
you know, playmaking type players. If you're going to play
him in a checking role, that's not going to happen
for him. He was a tremendous score at tim in
North Bay in the Ontario Hockey League. He's an undrafted player.
He got his opportunity because Kyle Dugas, who was a
general manager in Sue Saint Marie before he went to
(25:43):
be the assistant GM in Toronto, and gave him an
opportunity because he played so many games. That's a big
rivalry North Bay and Susan Marie up in the northern
part of Ontario, so he got to know him and
watch him. And Brazil has developed into a very useful
player as long as he's played in the proper position,
and right now he's being played in the proper position,
(26:04):
which is really good.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
How about Kendall and Brunick on their nine game audition here,
how have you thought they've handled themselves to this point
and what does that say about forecasting for the rest
of their time in the NHL. Should it end at
nine games for both or either of them or should
they both stay.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
It's a little early still. They've only played three games.
He got six to go on accluding tonight, and they're
on the road. Brunett looks to me like he's ready
for prime time. And if you look at the Penguins,
I don't think they're going to mess around with what's
going on in Wilkesbury where they're really off to a
great start. I think Harrison probably stays here, maybe eventually,
if they do think he's getting worn out or tired,
(26:46):
maybe you send him to the World Junior at Christmas.
Kindall's a great story. I mean, no, I don't think
too many people ahead him making an NHL roster this year.
But he has gone in and his speed is very,
very apparent. He's comfort level with Pucket is very apparent,
his peripheral vision is very apparent, and his ability to
make plays and confined areas is really apparent. Now you're
(27:09):
on the road, the other team gets the last change
and he got some travel coming up, so that's the
first time his experienced that. Let's see where he is
at the end of his trip. But I think both
of those young men have done fantastically well, and I'm
very excited and encourage long term because of the start
they've had in Wilkesbury as a group.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
I guess peer the reason that maybe I was more
dubious of Kindle succeeding so quickly at the NHL level
was just when I saw him up close and in
person over the summer, I just didn't think physically he
was going to be able to handle it this early
in his development. How have you found that aspect of
the challenge of being a rookie at that age, at
(27:47):
this level.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
For him, yeah, a.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
Little bit surprised again knowing his game from Calgary in
the Western Hockey League. Not an overly large guy and
a guy that got a lot of points, but did
it basically because he dominated with his skill and the
speed out of his physicality. And that's why I think
this is going to be a really really good test
for him, for Harrison, and I think for the whole
(28:11):
team honestly, because they're going up against some physical teams,
are going up against some teams that are urging for points,
and it's like when you go out Western you're a
kid for the first time. It's way different from what
you used to You know, you got sand beaches, you've
got ocean waters, You've got you know, palm trees, you
(28:31):
got heat. It's different for hockey guys than they've never
gone through this before, and I don't think Kendall or
Grunick had ever gone through that before, which.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
You think the two goalies so far, Tristan I thought.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
Was really good, especially late in the game against the
New York Islanders. I thought it was fantastic. I really did.
I was very very impressed by Tristan. I like Sea
Loops game obviously to shut out of the New York
against the Rangers, and I like it for good portions
of the game until probably near the end of the
second in the player I just thought there was too
many letdowns when the Rangers you turn the favor against
(29:08):
the Penguins on Saturday Night. But buy and large, it's
been more consistent this year than it was last year,
and I was very happy that. You know, again, Tristan
had to come up with some huge staves against the
Islanders late in that game. I thought he was very good.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
You know.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I was wondering a little bit, Pierre about sort of
the landscape of the metro and where New York was
going to fit into it under Sully. After seeing the
Rangers play the Penguins twice, do you get a sense
of how that's going to work with Sully in New
York and how those players are going to respond to him.
Speaker 7 (29:41):
I think the players will respond well to him, Mike.
Concern for the Rangers. I know people in Pittsford don't care,
but my concern for the Rangers on the question you're
asking me, Tim is how deep are they on defense,
how deeper they at ten or ice, and are their
older players going to be able to hold up and
produce a key time over the course of the year,
(30:01):
Because I've seen Ranger teams, you know, where they go
into Buffalo and they steamroll the Savers who aren't very good.
They come into Pittsburgh and it's a one to one
game for almost forty minutes, and then they take advantage of,
you know, some opportunities in the tower playing particularly, extend
the lead and win the way they did comfortably. But
I'm not sure they're deep enough as a group, not
(30:22):
just on defense, to forward too. And if they're not,
that's going to put a lot of the rest and
Jonathan Quick and he's going to put a lot of
the rest of Lebrushy Sturt getting two goalies.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
One more question about the penns Pierre, and that's going
back to Coven and the decision that was made there
to have him go down. Is that surprising to you.
Speaker 7 (30:40):
No, not really. I'm looking at their lineup on the
left side and for the role that they want him
to play, they need him to touch the puck a lot,
and he's not going to play ahead of the call
he's not going to play out of Manta and know
that brings a speed element and a grid element that
Craven and probably doesn't have. So and he's not going
to do Connor Dower's job. So I'm not surprised. And
(31:00):
like I said, they got something really good going on
in most grade right now. He needs to play. He
needs to play big mines and needs the puck and
the stick a lot and weak to dominate against his
peer group.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Ben's Ducks Tonight one five nine the Acts the Ducks, Pierre,
Where do you see them fall in the Pacific this year?
Speaker 7 (31:16):
I think they could be one of the most improved
teams in the entire league. And so for them, it's
it's really and it talked to Joel about this yesterday.
It's really important for them to establish their identity in
terms of how they want to play. I know he
wants them to be better defensively than what they've been.
I don't know how deep they are in goal, and
that's gonna be one of the questions, whether it's the
(31:36):
stall of Morazac. That's something for down the road they're
gonna have to address. They didn't have more than enough
firepower and if they stay healthy in defense, the young
guys Lacombs, Elviger and Minschikov are really good. They got
and they got three guys down and the American hockey
is in San Diego, led by Ian Moore, who's a
Harvard kid. They got They got a bunch of guys
(31:58):
down there that a big too. So this is a
team that I is going to be vastly improved. I
just don't know if they're gonna have enough to make
it to the playoffs this year, but if they do,
they could be very, very dangerous.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Pierre, Penn State's a hockey school. Now, what do you
think of Muckennis so far?
Speaker 7 (32:16):
He's been good on the power play, needs to be
better five on five. And that's not a knock on him.
The truth of the matter, Tim is, all the guys
that have come down from major junior, none of them
have dominated. It just shows you how great college hockey is.
And Penn State truly is a hockey school. It's Hockey
Valley for a reason. And I'm so happy for Guy Gabelski.
He's a fantastic person. I had the privilege of working
(32:38):
with him when I was a minor pro player. He
played for our team went out was in Ottawa. He
played in Prince Edward Island where an American Hockey League
team was, and he was a hard working, gritty guy.
I've always had a ton of respect for guy, and
I'm so happy for him and his family that they're
doing so well out in Penn State.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Well, the why Bush kid is the one that stole
the show. He had four goals the other night against
and then well they lost that one, but then he
had another goal to night that they wont to split
the series, didn't.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
He He did absolutely right. So he's ripping it up.
You're your spot on on that, you know. I think
the biggest thing going on in college hockey Michael Hayes
just had an amazing start to the year for the
University of Michigan is that if you get the right
early season matchups, you can ring up some big points.
And I think we're seeing that when you see DC
(33:27):
play Minnesota, you see you know, DC play Michigan State
and one of those when the top guys you're playing
one another, they're kind of shutting it down. We're gonna
start seeing more and more of that now, so you're
not gonna see these big, gaudy points, butts anymore. I
think once the league play starts and we're one week
away from most of the league starting.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Up, well, well, you know who.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
El Spear actually had a big first weekend or two,
and Robert Morris is going to see them Thursday night
at the Colonials. I do play by play for them.
I'm not calling the games on the road, but they're
going the road to play Michigan. Didn't Horcoff have like
a five goal weekend open things up against Mercyhurst, the
Penguin's draft choice, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
I did.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
He did a real good job and then he had
a tough weekend last weekend against Providence. And that's what
I'm talking about. You know all that. Roger McQueen is
a really good player. And it's interesting as we're talking
about Pittsburgh and Anaheim drafteds with horror copying drafted by
Pittsburgh and McQueen being drafted by Anaheim. McQueen has had
a tough start to the year point wise, but you
(34:25):
watch Providence play, and I've watched him play four times now.
He's been really good. He's just not getting points. And
because it's as you know him, it's such a big
difference when you're playing against sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year
old guys versus playing nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two
and twenty three year old guys. It's a big difference.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Pierre, appreciate it as always look forward to hearing you
whenever you're part of the broadcast here on one oh
five nine, The X depends by the way again to
night ten thirty against the Ducks.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
We'll catch up soon, Pierre. Thanks, oh Tim, thank you
so much.
Speaker 7 (34:57):
Love talking hockey with you.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Take care, Pierre Maguire.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
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the X.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Tonight's the Penns square up against the Ducks. Game time
is ten thirty. Our coverage starts at nine thirty. Listen
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Speaker 2 (35:33):
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